Slovenia with young people for peace: music as the language of peace

The highlight of the Slovenian part of the project will be the premiere of the musical Peace Child on 23 August on the Križanke stage as part of the Ljubljana Festival, while the international presentation will take place on 23 October at the Vienna Konzerthaus, on the eve of UN Day. Both concerts will be accompanied by business forums organised by SPIRIT Slovenija and partners, bringing together art, diplomacy and the economy in a shared vision of sustainable development.

Art and advocacy hand in hand

Alongside the concert preparations, the young people also took part in a three-day programme of advocacy workshops (14–16 August), in which 24 children and young people explored how they themselves can help shape a fairer, safer and sustainable future. They learnt how the United Nations works, discussed the UN Declaration on Future Generations and identified five priority themes for their generation: peace and security, safe migration, a sustainable environment, inclusive societies and intergenerational justice.

The young people practised negotiation skills, discussed the challenges of the digital age after watching the documentary The Social Dilemma, and designed their own advocacy campaigns for global challenges. The programme concluded with a World Café, an open discussion in which the young people sought paths to shared solutions and realised that the future can only be built through cooperation, solidarity and dialogue.

Amwaj – waves of hope from Palestine

Among the most moving stories of the project is the participation of the Palestinian youth choir Amwaj (meaning “waves”). The Amwaj choir was founded a decade ago in Bethlehem and Hebron by the Italian musician Michele Cantoni together with his wife Mathilde Vittu, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. As Cantoni, who has lived in Palestine for twenty years, puts it, “music is one of the most powerful forms of dignity and resistance” – and that is precisely why it remains with the children, even when violence and restrictions escalate day by day.

In the first decade of its existence, the Amwaj choir has become much more than just a choir – it has become a symbol of artistic resistance, hope and dignity. Around 70 children and young people take part, from communities separated by walls and checkpoints; some walk several kilometres to rehearsals when the roads are closed. Despite these circumstances, Amwaj offers high-quality music education and international exchanges, and is training a new generation of young conductors and teachers. Their repertoire brings together different languages and traditions, and many works have been written especially for them and premiered at their concerts. When they step onto the stage, their voices tell of the reality of occupation and uncertainty, but also of solidarity and hope.

The participation of the Palestinian choir; of the singers of the SUPERAR BIH choir, whose voices spring from painful experiences of war and displacement; of the Ukrainian musicians whom the Slovenian Youth Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Živa Ploj Pršuh, enabled to continue their music education in Slovenia after the outbreak of war; and of all the other young creators from the United Kingdom, Turkey, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Pakistan, Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Spain, the United States of America, Russia, France, Romania and Wales carries a precious message to the world. This is not merely a cultural event, but an expression of cultural and science diplomacy that transcends political and geographical boundaries, builds bridges between people and opens up space for dialogue. It is an act of humanity and solidarity that gives young people the opportunity to speak through music with the most powerful message of our time: peace is possible if we create it together.