“I am very happy. Coming here was an unexpected gift. Everything sounded familiar to me: people, the welcoming, and also the Presence of Mary, who has always been with me. It is as if the Divine Mother were showing us the force of union and the need to vibrate for peace and for love for everyone”, told the young singer Maya, concerning the Festival.
The 8th edition of the Youth Festival for Peace took place in the city of São Paulo on the last October 21st.
The Festival began with a Tai Chi session, imparted by the master Jerusha Chang. Tai Chi is a training of nature, applied in the circular movement of the vital energy, which fosters balance, peace and health. On the occasion, a touching and unprecedented scene occurred: a child with Down Syndrome, who had participated in the class, asked for the microphone and sang a song that talked about love, sensitizing and positively surprising all those present.
Then, a vegan snack was served free of charge, and right after that, there was an attunement with Jorge Peña using gongs. These are ancient and powerful instruments that lead those who listen to them to a state of profound meditation, which relaxes the whole body and produces a unique moment of harmony and healing in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual fields of the individuals.
The gongs music announced and prepared the beginning of the first live transmission of the event via internet by means of Mercy Mary TV. Vibehouse, a band that mixes rhythms and adds the wealth of Brazilian pop music in its lyrics and melodies, opened the transmission with a good “vibe” on stage. The singer and composer Nicole Salmi made a “pocket show” with her contemporary Brazilian music, expressed with her unique voice.
The atribute of the Festival (“Radiate Love: In everything, let love come first”) was sung by the Youth Choir for Peace. In the middle of the song, Rufino, of the Nucleus of Service Crer-Sendo, declaimed a lyrics in rap rhythm, sending a message of peace that spoke about the awakening of humanity for a more harmonious life.
Henrique Moretzsohn and Gabriela de Paula closed the first transmission with a homage to the Brazilian spiritual philosopher José Trigueirinho Netto. They sang “Sopro do Espírito” (Breath of the Spirit), composed by the philosopher. Trigueirinho is a source of inspiration and of instruction for the Youth Festival for Peace. He recently died in the Community-of-Light of Figueira, located in the South of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The round table touched the topic: “Missionary Youth: when love comes first”. The youths that composed the table shared their experience of missionary practices. Just as the Festival, the Missionary Youth for Peace is an initiative of Youth Campaign for Peace. The Missionary Youth Events are taking place in several cities in Brazil and other countries. It is a branch of the Campaign that works in the humanitarian service and in help to the Kingdoms of Nature. The participants of the talk were: Marcela Pardini, who commented a little about the experience of the Missionary Youth for Peace in Belo Horizonte; Tássio Tesser, the young coordinator of the House of Saint Joseph, which welcomes homeless people in Carmo da Cachoeira, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Sarah Grossi, who testifies about her experience in the Humanitarian Roraima Mission; and Natalia Miyazaki, who announced the upcoming Missionary Youth Event in the city of Sao Paulo.
The Nucleus of Service Crer-Sendo conducted the “wheel”: an activity of group and circular dance that this time, was multicolored, because the participants held and moved a piece of bamboo with a color ribbon at the end.
The vegan lunch served for free was elaborated by the team of the Center of Child Education Ananda Marga, in partnership with the Youth Campaign for Peace. Learn more about the food of the Festival here.
In the afternoon, the schedule continued with the Instituto de Educação Projeto Accordes, the Youth Band of Crer-Sendo, the singer Vinícius and the Dinamo Band.
In mid-afternoon, a skate ramp was placed in the area of the festival. The public was startled and stayed around it, curious. A skater, a “BMX” (who rides a bike on the ramp) and a monk entered the ramp. Before the maneuvers with the skate and with the bike, the “Attributes of the Peace Skater” were read. The attributes revealed that the sport can be an activity to connect with deep levels of being and to express values, such as fraternity, cooperation and peace.
“At high speed, to find absolute serenity and control within”, and “to smile before each fall, recognizing it as an opportunity of a new beginning” were two of the 20 attributes of the list.
The Big Up Band gave the electrifying start for the second live transmission via Mercy Mary TV. The band rose the public with its contagious sound and with a strong on stage presence.
Madayati and Maya, two young composers, shared the stage. Madayati, an artistic name that means “The one who drinks from the Fountain”, commented about the Festival: “I believe in the energy of cooperation. Art is connected with donation. The Festival is a symbol of donation, where each one has given wholeheartedly of themselves, with an open heart. Good people doing good things, taking responsibility and bringing the best to the surface”.
Composed by youths from various cities of Brazil, the Youth Choir for Peace ended the transmission offering a song with lyrics in Spanish called “Tu Alma” (Your Soul). It is a musical invocation to inner contact with the Overself: “Feel in your heart / Listen within / Your Soul calls you”, sounded the last verses of the song.
