VENICE, October 30, 8 PM – The grand finale of the World Peace Culture & Arts Festival was held magnificently at the historic Teatro Malibran in Venice.
Having completed a month-long tour across Italy, the Wule Symphony Orchestra remained in high spirits and exceptional form. Under the guidance of Master Wule, the monastic musicians painted the perfect conclusion for the arts festival with notes embodying both solemnity and compassion.
Wule World
Peace Culture
Award Ceremony
At the height of the musical program came the highly anticipated award ceremony.
Master Wule personally presented the "WULE World Peace Culture Award" to Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to world peace, as well as her sincere support for the Wule Symphony Orchestra and the Peace Culture & Arts Festival.
Your courage is unparalleled, uniting the extraordinary power of women,
Transforming nonviolent resistance into a weapon to end war,
Paving the path towards peace and dignity for countless individuals.
Ms. Gbowee delivered a remarkable acceptance speech, calling upon every member of the audience to become a guardian of peace.
She invited the entire audience to raise their mobile phone flashlights, transforming them into countless "Lights of Peace" that illuminated the entire theater. In that moment, the Malibran Theatre resembled a starry ocean, profoundly moving all present.
Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee
A Flower of Peace Blooming from Trauma
She lost her chance for education amidst war, yet found her calling as a trauma counselor – championing the belief that "as women, as mothers, we have the power to change our society." In 2002, she founded the Liberian Women's Peace Movement. Starting with prayers and songs in a fish market, she united Christian and Muslim women, illuminating the path to peace through nonviolent protest.
She not only confronted President Charles Taylor, demanding negotiations, but also led a women's delegation in silent vigil outside the Ghanaian presidential palace. Their steadfast declaration, "We will not be silent," broke the deadlock and ultimately helped end the four-year Second Liberian Civil War.
Her remarkable story, documented in the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell, serves as a beacon of inspiration for women in conflict zones worldwide. The Nobel Prize honor in 2011 belongs not only to her personally, but to every ordinary woman who, with resilient strength, helped shake the iron curtain of war.