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SGI Earth Charter Exhibit Draws Crowds,
Awarded at Johannesburg Summit's Ubuntu Village
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Sept. 6, 2002 -- An exhibit entitled "A
Quiet Revolution: The Earth Charter and Human Potential" cohosted
by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the Earth Council drew over
15,000 visitors over a two-week period at the Ubuntu Village site,
home to 600 exhibits and stalls during the World Summit for Sustainable
Development (WSSD). On September 3, the exhibit was awarded third
prize for the Best Independent Exhibit by the Summit organizers.
Visitors to the SGI exhibit included President of the Republic of
South Africa Thabo Mbeki and his wife Zanele Mbeki, Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi, UN Under Secretary-General for Least Developed
Countries Anwarul Chowdhury, visiting environmental experts, Earth
Charter enthusiasts, school parties and local residents eager to participate
in Summit activities. Local SGI-South Africa volunteers staffed the
exhibit.
Open up to September 6, the standalone exhibit features nature photography
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda and quotations from Gandhi, Tagore,
and others, case studies of individuals who have taken action for
change at a local level, and panels explaining the Earth Charter,
its principles and its relevance to youth. Also featured is the award-winning
environmental documentary video A Quiet Revolution, created by the
Earth Council and SGI, which is proving popular as an educational
tool.
Many people commented that they felt inspired to take action themselves
after visiting the tent. Rehana Moosajee, Johannesburg City Councillor
commented, "Your exhibition clearly outlines the power of the
individual. I'm hoping it inspires us all to make meaningful changes
in our communities."
The Ark of Hope, a painted wooden chest housing the Earth Charter
and books expressing the hopes and dreams of children and artists,
drew crowds when it was housed at the SGI tent after being presented
at the Summit by children from the Diepsloot squatter area of Johannesburg.
SGI's other activities during the Summit included cohosting a seminar
on "Educating for Sustainable Living with the Earth Charter"
at Ubuntu Village on Monday August 26, assisting with a WSSD Jozi
Film Festival launch and community showings of A Quiet Revolution,
sponsoring the planting of 75 trees at the Soweto Mountain of Hope
in conjunction with the local NGO "Food and Trees for Africa"
and joining the launch of the Earth Charter Education Initiative Type
2 Partnership on September 1.
Toshinori Iwazumi, Vice President of Soka Gakkai commented, "We
were also proud to see that our proposal for a decade of education
for sustainable development, supported by the Japanese government,
was accepted as part of the official plan of implementation adopted
by the Summit."
To view the complete text of this proposal, "The Challenge of
Global Empowerment," go to: http://www.sgi.org/wssd/quietrev.html
Soka Gakkai International is a lay Buddhist organization with over
12 million members in 183 countries and territories worldwide. Its
activities to promote peace, culture, education and environmental
awareness are part of the longstanding tradition of Buddhist humanism.
SOURCE Soka Gakkai International
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