On the occasion of the VII Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Peter Gabriel has been designated 2006 Man of Peace.
The Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, along with the Nobel Peace Laureates Lech Walesa and Mairead Corrigan Maguire awarded Peter Gabriel for his commitment to human rights and for his outspoken rejection of war as a means to solve conflicts.
«This is surely the award I am most happy about, considering those who gave it to me» commented the British musician, a peace activist for many years. « I am so naive I believe in goodness; I hope we will succeed in getting to the roots of human beings and find the magic of our soul and spirit to transform data into information, information into knowledge, knowledge into wisdom, and war into peace».
Winner of several Grammy Awards, Peter Gabriel has been applying the most advanced technology to art since the birth of the Genesis, when he was still in high school. Since 1975, when he began his career as a solo performer, he has been publishing 7 albums and has become known as a forerunner in the field of music videos. His “Sledgehammer” video-clip was recently announced by MTV as the most broadcasted video ever.
In Wiltshire, in the U.K., he founded the Real World Studios, which he still owns. The Real World Studios, a facility equipped with the most advanced recording technology, is frequented by the greatest artists from all over the world and is regarded as an excellent venue to produce and promote international artists.
In 1980, Gabriel made his first, major contribution to the battle for human rights with “Biko”, a deeply heart-felt call in memory of the anti-apartheid South-African leader Steve Biko, murdered in jail in 1977.
“Biko” has been the first record hit to address the fight against apartheid.
Still in 1980, Gabriel founded the Womad (World of Music, Arts and Dance), one of the most prestigious international festivals. The Womad, launched in 1982, aims at circulating music, art and dance from the different world latitudes.
«Music is a language, not a talent – said Peter Gabriel; my experience as a concert organizer taught me that performers ‘feel’ each other all over the world and language differences are not a problem: music goes beyond differences; it is ubiquitous and is like water: when well targeted, it can go through a steel plate».
In 1988, he took part in the first international tour, Amnesty International Human Rights Now!, where he sang with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Tracey Chapman and Youssou N’Dour.
In 2000, Gabriel co-founded OD2 (On Demand Distribution), soon becoming the most important on-line music provider, later acquired by Loudeye.
In 1992, Gabriel founded Witness (www.witness.org), a non profit organization that supplies human rights activists with video-cameras, computers and communication technologies to allow them to document and put any kind of abuse in their own countries to an end.
«We gave them video-cameras and other technologies to allow those who suffer to tell their story and report any attack to human rights in their countries – Peter Gabriel told reporters. The more I grow old, the more I believe in the fundamental value of education; and these days education may be available on line for free, thanks to the Internet. Through mobile phones, which in two years will become as powerful as a laptop, we will reach everybody. And even though this is a world where kids are turned into killers and young people grow up in alienation and seem to have lost any sense of responsibility, I stick to my being naïve and I believe in the good spirit of mankind. Technology connects and will increasingly connect people to each other; these days, we need this communication as never before »
Founded jointly with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Witness gave out hundreds of video-cameras in over 50 countries, prepared video-testimony for human rights commissions and peacekeeping international agencies, and broadcasted the videos on TV stations all over the world.
Beside his work as an author, producer and singer, Gabriel is one of the international celebrities most active and committed to social issues. In addition to developing the Witness activities, he also supported the AIDS concerts by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and has spoken to the American Congress against abuse in Burma, and much more.
DAPHNE OF PEACE
The statue that will be delivered to Peter Gabriel depicts a “Daphne”, symbolizing the tree of life that, as a mother, Peace gives to the world.
The statue has been made by Virgilio Mortet, one of the most prestigious Italian chisellers. Every year, the Man of Peace will receive a different statue, inspired to the award winner, created by contemporary Italian sculptors and artisans.
Virgilio Mortet continues the long tradition of the Mortets’, a Roman family of chisellers since 1890, authors of valuable works of art, ordered for the ‘Prefettura della Casa Pontificia’, a number of Pontiffs and for the top officials of the Italian State.
Mortet’s works have been exhibited in the most prestigious museums worldwide.
He held a large number of exhibitions in Japan, most notably in Tokyo, Kobe, Nara and Osaka. Mortet’s “Una fontana del Tritone” was donated by Mr. Andreotti to President Gorbachev during his first official visit to Italy.
Share this
