peace trip
Young People Search for a World Without War
38 minutes....color
A Green Mountain Post Films Production
While the bombs were blasting down on the Balkans, almost 10,000 world peace activists gathered in the Dutch city of The Hague-not coincidentally the site of the world's first peace conference in 1899 and today the home of the International Court of Justice-to proclaim their belief and desire for a future without war.
They came from hot war zones as well as from more peaceful parts of the planet. Led by president Cora Weiss, the Hague Appeal for Peace brought together numerous Nobel Laureates, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jose Ramon Horta of East Timor, Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala, landmine opponent Jody Williams, as well as Queen Noor of Jordan and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. All had come to The Hague to participate in seminars, conferences, discussions, and cultural entertainment, focusing on the winding road toward creating world peace-and how humanity might get there.
The camera follows several young people through the ups and downs of their week at this conference, as they meet kids from all over the world that share their passions and frustrations. They debate, share information, strategize, and ultimately come together to make a joint proposal to the United Nations. There is a palpable sense of excitement in the air as they struggle to find a form for their voices.
We follow young people from Kosovo and Belgrade as they strain to contain their emotions in the middle of intense debate and confrontation about NATO bombing and ethnic cleansing.
We follow the musicians Peace Links from Sierra Leonne as they try to galvanize opposition to child soldiering with their music and education, and hear young people representing many countries speak about their situations and struggles. peace trip explores these developments in youth empowerment against the backdrop of the music, dramatic presentations, speeches, and spontaneous events that were the fabric of the Hague event.
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