HWPL SUMMIT FOR WORLD PEACE at the UN

UN Peace Summit        New York, December 2014

Last week I, along with hundreds of other peace advocates from around the world, gathered at the UN. We came together at the invitation of Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairman of the HWPL, to sign the Agreement to Propose the Enactment of an International Law for Peace. 

"As people born in this era, it is our duty to end all wars of this generation to establish world peace……our purpose is to educate all levels of society… to mutual collaborate..to make peace a reality"  You can click here to view the HWPL Agreement for World Peace in its entirety 

Peace Advocates rejoice after signing our Peace Agreements  image courtesy of HWPL

Chairman Lee with Yongmin Shin, US East Coast Director and delegates holding their signed Peace Agreements

From my seat at the World Peace Summit at the UN

KAWOMERA: Plant, Pray Partner for Peace receives the MAKING A DIFFERENCE award

Peace Caravan Recognition

KAWOMERA: Plant, Pray, Partner for Peace 

Marla Mossman director KAWOMERA: Plant, Pray Partner for Peace receives the MAKING A DIFFERENCE Honorable Mention Award Certificate from COMMFFEST Founder Sandie de Freitas

Peace Caravan Project NEWS

Marla Mossman Peace Caravan Project Founder/Director  photo for The Epoch Times by Ben Chasteen

This Is New York: Marla Mossman, on Documenting Disappearing Cultures

By Amelia Pang, Epoch Times | August 23, 2014

"NEW YORK—The car came to a halt; there was a roadblock in the mountains of Kabul, Afghanistan. A woman had just been captured. Her translator and driver were killed. The police asked Marla Mossman, a lone traveler with short black curls and bright blue eyes, if she was certain she wanted to go on. The militants would not arrange two kidnappings in half an hour, she thought, so onward she went. 

Mossman, a photographer who documents remnants of culture before it’s pulverized by wars and modernization, has faced harder decisions before......."

For More of Amelia Pang's article CLICK HERE 

International Arts Movement's Nia Kiesowis interviews Founder Marla Mossman.

 Artist Highlights: Peace Caravan Project . August 18, 2014

"Founded in 1996, the Peace Caravan Project is a non profit art project sponsored by the NYFA. Created by photographer, filmmaker, and artist Marla Mossman to explore and document places where cultural exchange continues to thrive just as it did thousands of years ago. Mossman travels along the Silk Road, an ancient series of trade routes that serves as a meeting place for nomads and merchants to carry goods and materials from the Mediterranean to China, crossing Central Asia and the Middle East. The significance of the Silk Road lies not only in the exchange of goods and materials, but in its cultural ties – between peoples of different race, religion, and political background. What piqued Mossman’s interest was her search for her religious and cultural heritage and the threat of the indigenous traditions disappearing with the onset of modernization. We caught up with Mossman to ask a few questions about her time spent with the peoples of the Silk Road.

IAM: What first interested you in starting the Peace Caravan Project?

Marla Mossman: It began with the idea of the relationship to all religion in the 21st century when I was asking the question of why don’t we have peace today. I was engaged in a study program of my own religion of Judaism and found a book of essays about Jewish merchants who had emigrated across this great Silk Road in the 2nd Century B.C. and how they populated this region. The fact that the great religions are still at war today, I wondered, Are these religious tenets, doctrines and these old stories relevant today? After centuries of the great religions, why is there no peace on earth?

IAM: Did you find your expectations met?"

FOR MORE OF THE INTERVIEW click here

KAWOMERA: Plant Pray Partner for Peace selected to screen at The Global Peace Film Festival

KAWOMERA: Plant Pray Partner for Peace selected to screen at The Global Peace Film Festival 

Screening: Orlando, Florida 

Date: September 16, 2014 to September 21, 2014

ABOUT The Global Peace Film Festival 

The Global Peace Film Festival is premised on a broad definition of peace based on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s statement: “Peace is not only the absence of conflict, but also the presence of justice.” The festival uses film to draw together people from all walks of life to be inspired by compelling storytelling and for them then to engage actively within their own lives and communities to make the world a better place than they found it. Action, engagement and participation are our bywords; and we seek films that make us laugh, think, cry, sit taller in our seats and ask what can I do? We are seeking films that either have companion impact and outreach campaigns or ones for which GPFF can build resources and activities from our community partners locally and from around the world. We do not view the festival as a passive exhibition event, but a commitment to building relationships and resources aimed at increasing the presence of justice all year round.

KAWOMERA selected to screen at 9th Annual COMMFFEST (Global) Community Film Festival

Mother and Son                  Mbale, Uganda 2013

KAWOMERA: Plant Pray Partner for Peace has been selected to screen at COMMFFEST (Global) Community Film Festival 

Screening Rainbow Cinema, The St. Lawrence Great Hall  Toronto, Ontario Canada
Date: September 11, 2014 to September 20, 2014
Screen Date Sept 18  at  6:00pm

ABOUT COMMFFEST (Global) Community

Using the powerful language of film, COMMFFEST combines public exhibits with forums for dialogue about social issues and cultural exchanges.  A festival dedicated to inclusion and to community enhancement.

COMMFFEST is a charitable, not for profit organization whose mission is
to advance education by raising the artistic and aesthetic taste of the community
and advancing the public’s appreciation of performing arts through independent
film festival and related artistic workshops

KAWOMERA: Wins Best Documentary Short - NYLA International Film Festival

KAWOMERA: Plant Pray Partner for Peace 

WINS the Best Documentary Short at the the NYLA International Film Festival 

The Film Screens May 10 at 8:00-9:45pm at the Producers Club

ABOUT the NYLA International Film Festival 

The chief principle behind the NYLA International Film Festival is to create prominent networking and artistic interaction between talented independent filmmakers, writers, distributers and film enthusiasts.

The New York Los Angeles International Film Festival is a biannual event taking place in two of the biggest media cities in the world.  We kicked off our first Season with screenings in New York and Los Angeles all within 10 days.  We now will resume with our normal screening sessions by having our New York screenings in May and our Los Angeles screenings in October.  Thus, providing filmmakers with maximum exposure and networking opportunities for their projects. The NYLA humbly takes honor in providing such a platform for the many independent filmmakers and writers attempting to launch their careers and share their creative talents.  With becoming one of the larger independent festivals on the horizon, we look forward to kicking off the Los Angeles Screening session of the NYLA this October and showcasing the expressive artistry of the stars of tomorrow.

KAWOMERA - SELECTED TO SCREEN AT VISIONFEST 14

Father Ambo Byusam              St. Marks Church           Mbale, Uganda 2013

KAWOMERA: Plant Pray Partner for Peace has been selected to screen at VisionFest 14 

Screens May 15 at 9:30pm Tribeca Cinemas 

ABOUT VISIONFEST: The Other Festival 

VISIONFEST: The Other Festival promotes domestic filmmaking. All of the works showcased at VISIONFEST are created by U.S. filmmakers and by production entities that are based solely in the United States. The projects may be shot on international locations and have globally relevant storylines, but their origin must be rooted in the U.S.

VISIONFEST exists to provide an exhibition forum for the American auteur; one that is specialized and focused; one that does not dilute the presence of U.S. films within a sea of international product.

Paper Bead Making

Women make elaborate paper jewelry at the New Hope for All Ministries Baptist Church in MBale, Uganda. By rolling the colorful paper strips into tiny beads, the women transform them into beautiful necklaces and bracelets that are sold at the local markets. 50% of the proceeds go back to the women and the remaining funds go to help with the Ministries' educational programs for the children, many whom have been left orphaned by the Aids Epidemic. 

I wanted to share this photo from The Peace Caravan Project's documentary KAWOMERA: Plant, Pray, Partner for Peace about a group of Islamic, Jewish and Christian Coffee farmers who came together for Peace.  Pastor Chris contacted me during the production and I was immediately inspired by his passion and dedication to the women and children. And of course seeing the extraordinary beads lured me to the Church to learn more.  Thank You to Pastor Chris and the NEW-HOPE-FOR-ALL-MINISTRIES for your participation in the film and for your tireless efforts helping to feed and educate the children of Mbale. Uganda.

     In the remote town of Mbale, Uganda, situated on the border of Kenya, is a unique, religious, interfaith community of coffee farmers who are Ugandan Jews, Muslims and Christians that have come together to sell and export coffee beans in the name of peace and religious harmony. 

In Buganda, they call themselves Peace Kawomera or Delicious Peace. 

    KAWOMERA: Plant, Pray, Partner for Peace is a documentary Produced and Directed by Photographer and Film Maker, Marla Mossman which tells the story of a community who believes that working together as a collective to express religious unity could set an example for the rest of the world. 

In this documentary, Mossman travels to the local villages that lie amongst the foothills of Mt. Elgon, to meet the Peace Kawomera founders, hear the musicians of the Peace Kawomera Farmer’s Band perform on the coffee plantation, visit with the Rabbis, Priests, and Imams to observe their religious practices.

    Mossman continues her Peace Caravan Project highlighting these people of different faiths coexisting – harmoniously in an area, which has the highest concentration of Jews and Muslims living together in Central Africa. 

The Peace Caravan Project aims, through images, films and stories to act as a cultural ambassador for communities whose voices and accounts remain unheard. 

As an artist and educator, Mossman is interested in connecting with people to communicate cultural acceptance, respect and understanding. To end the fear of those that are different from ourselves, so that a new way to Peace is revealed

View the KAWOMERA trailer

UN Members Regional Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York

The Peace Caravan Project attends the UN Members Regional Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York.  Building Peace in an Age of Upheaval was the topic under discussion. 

Marla Mossman, Director of the Peace Caravan Project chats with Warren Hoge, Senior Advisor for External Relations, International Peace Institute, after his panel presentation. Warren posed the question; "How can the UN Keep the Peace where there is no Peace to Keep?"

What do you think? Comments welcome….

Add caption