News

College to Hold 19th Annual Westheimer Peace Symposium Oct. 21

WC's 'Signature Event' to Feature 'From Resistance to Redemption: Rhythms of Hope'

10/18/09

The 19th annual Westheimer Peace Symposium at Wilmington College will delve into the role of music as an agent for peace and vehicle for social justice.

The daylong event, titled “From Resistance to Redemption: Rhythms of Hope,” will be held Oct. 21 at Wilmington College.

Presenters will include Holly Near, who will present “The Power of Song” at 10 a.m.; Amy Horowitz, “Zehava Ben: Singing Across Irresolvable Geographies and Counter Constituencies,” 1:15 p.m.; the Wilmington College Chorale, “Song: The Bridge to Understanding, Reach Across the Lines,” 2:45 p.m.; and Emmanuel Jal, “War Child: A Story of Survival,” 7:30 p.m.

The first three presentations will be held in the Hugh G. Heiland Theatre in WC’s Oscar F. Boyd Cultural Arts Center while Jal's will be held in Hermann Court. The symposium is free of charge.

Often, art is overlooked as a powerful tool. Social change groups look to artists to do fund- and spirit-raisers but seldom work with artists to help them improve and build their craft, so that they can be of more use when called upon.

Rallies have speaker after speaker and then the occasional artist, often referred to as “entertainment.” Holly Near, entertainer, teacher, activist, performer and outspoken ambassador for peace believes art can have a direct impact upon peacemaking. She says, “Let’s talk about this!”

Amy Horowitz’s primary research interests are Mediterranean Israeli Music (a form of contemporary popular Israeli music created by Israeli Jews from Islamic countries), the study of cultures in disputed territories, the folklore traditions of contemporary Jerusalem and protest music as responsible citizenship.

A part of her research has focused on Zehava Ben, a Moroccan Israeli singer that rose to prominence in the early 1990s.

Building on the gains of her predecessors who fought to find a listening audience beyond their ethnic neighborhoods, Ben found a significant — if still segregated — reception among European Israelis, as well as among Palestinians and Arabs throughout the region.

Horowitz examines Ben’s performances for seemingly conflicting Israeli political campaigns, as well as her performances for Palestinian audiences at the Dead Sea and for a mixed Jewish-Arab audience in Southern France.

The Wilmington College Chorale selections span musical eras from the classical (Ralph Vaughan Williams) to the contemporary (Ben Harper). Songs reach across the lines that divide, bridge differences and connect humankind to its common humanity.

Some of the lyrics the Chorale will sing include: “...see the world through your neighbor's eyes, so many things you'll come to realize” (Pepper Choplin) and “...with my own two hands, I can make peace on earth, with my own two hands, I can reach out to you” (Ben Harper).

Director Catherine Roma said, “Our work is to sing peace into existence. These words, through the choral art, will amplify the yearning of our collective souls to be expressive, free from harm, and hopeful.”

Once a child soldier on the front lines of combat in war-torn Sudan, Emmanuel Jal has been hailed as the “rising star of African hip hop.”

WARchild, his third album and international solo debut, has launched Jal into the spotlight for its profound, empowering messages of peace and reconciliation.

As the central figure of the internationally acclaimed War Child documentary, Jal has quickly become an international icon representing social justice and human rights. Jal is the founder of Gua Africa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring sustainable development of local communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition to his ongoing international tour, his highly anticipated autobiography, War Child: A Child Soldier's Story, was released in February 2009.

Between the College-Chorale’s program conclusion and the dinner hour, 3:45 to 5:00 p.m., those in attendance are encouraged to visit any of the special attractions being held on campus.

They include the “Stories of Hope” exhibit at the Peace Resource Center, the “Nonviolent Solutions” exhibit in Boyd Cultural Arts Center lobby, an exhibit of “Quaker Tapestry” at the Meriam R. Hare Quaker Heritage Center Gallery, and art professor Hal Shunk’s “Paintings, Works on Paper” art show in Harcum Art Gallery.

The Westheimer Peace Symposium at WC promotes the exploration of peace as a viable, realistic alternative in a complex, violence-prone world.

The late Charles and May Westheimer of Cincinnati endowed the peace lecture series in 1991 with the hope that it would be a forum for the College community to be explicit about peacemaking, social justice, humanitarian service and respect for all persons.