Waitakere Peace City Concert

Hiroshima Day will be remembered with an reaffirmation of New Zealand’s role as a Nuclear Free Peacemaker. This event on Saturday 7th August takes the form of a multicultural concert in the Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre. The Peace Concert will celebrate Waitakere as a Peace City by the Mayor Bob Harvey who recently returned from New York where he joined over 550 mayors from Peace Cities around the world dedicated to the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.Lynne Pillay MP for Glen Eden will also speak in support of this concept.

The concert is produced by the Peace Events Team who meet regularly in the Titirangi Community House. It is a unique musical meeting of West meets East with poetry and dance. It features one of Auckland’s leading violinists Miranda Adams who lives in Massey and plays for the APO plus various ensembles. Another feature is the much loved cello and guitar duo ‘Heartstrings’ Natarani and Sasha Witten-Hannah who were appointed Waitakere musical ambassadors.

From the East we have a group of Indian dancers performing a piece by a leading choreographer from India, Sonar Chand who is a recent migrant to Waitakere City.

Another new Waitakere migrant from Iraq is Maysoon Ahmed who used to have her own television show in Bagdad. She will perform poetry in Arabic and English which will be followed by authentic Middle Eastern musicians, a Kurdish singer and a NZ bellydancer Tania from Swanson.

One highlight of the show is the solo dance performance to poetry by T.S.Eliot by and Bach cello suite by contemporary dancer Blessing Biran. In addition, Russel Walder a worldclass oboe player from New York will perform in addition to Ivo Wiesner a pianist and composer from Germany. New Zealand folkrock musicians Brenda Liddiard and Mark Laurent will bring their brilliant original songs that reflect the purpose of the evening including ‘My Only Occupation is Love’.

Event Coordinator Laurie Ross is also proud to present a local group of Palestinian dancers led by Mustafa of New Lynn performing the traditional ‘dabka’ dance. This concert supports the ‘Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund’ in the Gaza refugee camps. Laurie says that ‘This event is an opportunity for performing artists to dedicate their work to peace and for audiences to develop a better understanding of peace through the performing arts. This is a celebration of our culture and history. It is a reinforcement of our future as a people working together to cultivate a peaceful society. This theme will also be displayed in the multimedia photographic exhibition documenting the NZ peace movement by renowned Auckland photographer John Millar.

It is an important time to remember the horror of nuclear weapons and the reality of war and why New Zealanders need to continue to stand bravely as nuclear free .

NZ is a country that can contribute much more effectively to global security through peacemaking and with non-military solutions. The abolition of nuclear weapons and the overcoming of terrorism require enormous public determination based on educational, social and cultural development. The Waitakere Peace Concert is an example of a community grassroots initiative towards the realisation of this goal.

The Peace Café will sell wine and ‘Fair Trade’ coffee with a delicious supper.

Tickets $20 each. Available from Titirangi Pharmacy or Glen Eden Earthseed Organics. Alternatively post checque to:Free Spirit Peace Team, 1310 huia Rd. Huia, Waitakere City.

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