|
 |
|
SGI-France
members perform in Paris
|
|
Culture festivals
have been held by the youth division members of Korea, France
and Peru, as SGI organizations throughout the world start to
prepare for the challenges and possibilities of the 21st
century.
In France, the Trets Youth Culture Festival, held on October
29, 2000, at the Trets European Training Center in the south
of France, was attended by 1,500 people, of whom more than
half were friends of SGI members. The theme was a journey of
hope for the year 2001, with the venue seen as a spaceship
sailing above all obstacles into a hope-filled future. The
event was the culmination of a series of such festivals held
throughout the country, including one in Paris in early
October which drew an audience of 4,000 people.
|
|
|
An
open-air concert in Lima, Peru
|
|
In Peru, the youth
division celebrated the 40th anniversary of the SGI's World
Peace Day (October 2) with an open-air concert in Lima's
largest park on September 24 put on by 4,000 youth members.
Many of the performers came from distant regions, some having
traveled for more than 24 hours to attend.
|
|
|
A
traditional dance, Kyongju, Korea
|
|
Meanwhile, Korea's
ancient capital Kyongju hosted a peace and culture festival at
the Kyongju Gymnasium on November 11 and 12 which gathered a
total of 20,000 performers and participants from all over the
country. The festival featured traditional court dances
reflecting the cultural heritage of the historic city as well
as segments entitled "Rebirth" and "Toward the
Century of Hope." Centered on the theme "Youth! Pass
the Torch of Peace and Harmony to the 21st Century," the
purpose of the festival was to show young SGI members'
determination to raise the curtain on the new century and help
construct a peaceful and harmonious society.
|
