Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons
July 2007
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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.
Cultural performances during SGI-New Zealand's Race Relations Day event
[©Seikyo Shimbun]
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.
