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Race Relations
Day in Auckland
On March 25, SGI-New Zealand (SGI-NZ) sponsored "Overcoming
the Challenges of Difference," a public event celebrating
diversity and fostering a shared humanity, at the SGI-NZ
Culture Centre in Auckland. The activity supported New
Zealand's Race Relations Day and the UN International Day
for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The event featured a report by SGI-NZ youth representatives
on their Victory Over Violence Aotearoa (VOV) movement, an
initiative to help young people identify and counteract the
root causes of violence in their lives and their communities
and create sustainable nonviolent cultures within schools
and the wider community.
New Zealand's Minister for Ethnic Affairs Chris Carter
relayed a message from Prime Minister Helen Clark. Mr.
Carter lauded the SGI's commitment to raising awareness of
global citizenship, as well as the spirit of tolerance and
the safeguarding of fundamental human rights.
Dances from different cultural traditions were performed.
Jean Paul Bizoza, a refugee from Burundi, and Giri Gupta,
head of the India Trade Group, were among the
representatives of New Zealand's culturally diverse society
who shared experiences of how they overcame adversity and
adapted to their new country.
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