Peace Symphony – An evening for Yemen

In 2011, Yemeni journalist and peace activist Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent efforts to promote women’s safety and rights. At the time, she was the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and her beautiful speech inspired Johannes Jansson to write Peace Symphony for choir and orchestra. Karman’s boundless vision is the very essence of the piece and a crucial window to a new challenging, behind-the-scenes humanism that permeates our world today. Peace Symphony, which is now being performed for the first time is a work commissioned by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Together, we will push the horizons,

one after another,

towards a world of true human perfection.

Peace be upon you!

The final words of Tawakkol Karman’s lecture at the award ceremony in 2011.

Visit Tawakkol Karman’s website for more information: https://www.tawakkolkarman.net/en/about

Here you can listen to Nobel Prize Winner Tawakkol Karman when she talks about the premiere of “Peace Symphony

Before the concert, we invite you to a seminar to raise awareness of the situation in Yemen.

SEMINAR AT 18.00–18:40

YEMEN – SITUATION CRITICAL

“Jamal is six months old. He weighs only three kilos. There is a faraway look in his eyes, almost apathetic. He is too tired to cry. His skin sags in dry flaps, he suffers from acute malnourishment. Jamal is one of 400,000 children under five who risk dying from acute malnourishment. His family belong to the 18 million in Yemen who do not know when they will eat their next meal.”

This is a report from foreign correspondent Johan-Mathias Sommarström from a Yemen severely beset by war. The situation in the country has been called “the world’s largest ongoing disaster” by the UN. 75% of the population (22.2 million people) are dependent on emergency aid, and almost half of them require immediate help in order to survive. Hear more of Swedish Radio’s reporting on Yemen here.

Opening greeting (via link):
Tawakkol Karman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, Yemeni journalist and peace activists, whose lecture at the Nobel ceremony in 2011 constitutes the lyrics in Peace Symphony.

Participating panellists:
Peter Semneby , Ambassador and Sweden’s Special Envoy for the crises in Yemen and Libya
Michaela Friberg Storey, Red Cross International Programme Director
Hella Hultin, surgeon, Doctors without Borders
Johan-Mathias Sommarström, foreign correspondent, Swedish Radio, and others

Moderator: Erik Blix

Helena Wessman, General Manager at Berwaldhallen welcomes us to the seminar and opens by telling us about the evening’s focus on the situation in Yemen.

The seminar is held in Berwaldhallen’s concert hall from 18:00-18:40 with no entrance fee. Find your free ticket here. If you already have a concert ticket, it is valid for the seminar as well. Free seating.

In connection with the concert, Radiohjälpen is raising money for the benefit of the people of Yemen. Feel free to swish your contribution to Radiohjälpen’s number, 9019506