SPA, whose international experience is strengthened by its participation in the leadership of important copyright bodies such as CISAC’s European Committee, the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers, and the Executive Committee of the Writers and Directors Worldwide, considers that the current situation in Europe and the world is serious and worrying, especially because of the growing threats to world peace.
Donald Trump’s election to the Presidency of the United States, Brexit from the European Union and the increased tension between countries like the Netherlands and Turkey show how urgent it is to unite the energy and will of all those who wish to commit to a global fight for peace, namely authors and artists.
That’s why, and based on António Guterres’ (UN Secretary-General) recent statements, SPA urges Portuguese authors and outstanding institutions in Portuguese social and cultural life to sign this document that underlines the importance and urgency of peace. This can help strengthen the commitment and solidarity bonds that should inform our work on the clarification and mobilization of people’s will, energy and availability.
The document that is being used to do this has already been signed by authors, institutions and celebrities; the names of the signatories at this early stage are to be revealed within a few days. Those who wish to participate in this civic engagement and information initiative can get in touch with SPA (http://bit.ly/AliançaCultural) so that your name or the name of your institution strengthens this collective work proposal in the name of peace and its urgent celebration and defense.
CULTURAL ALLIANCE FOR PEACE
AGAINST THE THREAT OF NEW CONFLICTS
“Peace must be our goal and our guide. All that we strive for as a human family – dignity and hope, progress and prosperity – depends on peace”, stated the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in his appeal for peace on January 1.
Because SPA fully agrees with the words of António Guterres, whose candidacy the society earnestly supported, we decided to launch an initiative that the words of the UN leader make even fairer and more pressing.
That is why SPA is promoting the creation of a Cultural Alliance for Peace that can mobilize the energy and will of Portuguese and international institutions in the areas of creation, cultural dissemination and support to the creative activity, and all those who feel that world instability, which always generates uncertainty and fear, is creating conditions that require us to be creative, resilient, imaginative and strong enough to make the word Peace a factor for unity, alertness and the creation of a new hope.
It is understood that culture, besides generating wealth, employment, social cohesion and international attraction, is a powerful factor for encouraging dialog and overcoming the individual and collective fears that cloud our lives so much.
António Guterres, at the start of his activity as the UN’s Secretary-General, summed up what makes us want to participate in this fight, which has been getting much worse due to Brexit, Donald Trump’s election to the Presidency of the United States and the war in Syria.
It’s time to unite and mobilize cultural creators, artists and all those who see culture as an instrument for hope, union and dialog so that our individual and collective lives won’t plunge into times of horror, hardship, escape and death again as in World War II or the daily life of hundreds of thousands of refugees, a tragedy which António Guterres handled so well, with determination and decision-making capacity, during the 10 years he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
We’ll unite behind this idea and strengthen it with our energy, our unity and our hope.
SUBSCRIBE HERE THE CULTURAL ALLIANCE
Lisbon, March 15, 2017
