Brazilians didn’t have much to do with the Second World War but here in Paris it is hard to forget the date. Celebrations are extensive. Tv and local newspapers have a huge coverage of the event and of course, the odd thing: in the midst of conflicts in Ukraine, Obama and Putin are in town at the same day.
On the other hand, Brazil’s iconic painter Candido Portinari (1903-1962) “is” also in town with his masterpiece “War and Peace”. It was donated by the Brazilian Government to the United Nations, and installed in the lobby of the General Assembly in 1957.
Artists capture truth that is often not easy to express in a rational way. Tolstoy crafted the title of his romance “War and Peace” and the dramatic tension of the two concepts is timeless. It seems we always remember war as a way to praise peace. Do we really turn into daily actions?
Images, paintings, speeches. May we celebrate the day, honor the victims, congratulate the liberators of Europe. May we live today, celebrating peace choosing peace over war in today’s challenges: Ukraine, Syria .. wars and conflicts in the world.
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