Arts, Heritage and Storytelling Bring People Together for the International Day of Peace
Artists, poets, writers, filmmakers and cultural leaders came together at the Universal Peace Federation UK headquarters in London on 23 September for an evening exploring how arts, culture and storytelling can help build a more peaceful and understanding world.
Hosted by the International Association of Art and Culture for Peace (IAACP UK), an initiative of the Universal Peace Federation, the event commemorated the United Nations International Day of Peace and reflected its 2026 theme, “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”
The programme, chaired by Dr Sangita Swechcha, Chair of IAACP UK, brought together poetry, cultural heritage, documentary film, personal testimony and discussion. Throughout the evening, speakers returned to a common message: peace is not created only through political agreements or international institutions, but also through the relationships, stories and cultural experiences that enable people to recognise their shared humanity. The MC for the evening, Rhoslyn Singh, welcomed the guests and introduced the programme.
Key Takeaways
- Arts and culture can create spaces where people from different backgrounds encounter one another beyond political, religious and social divisions.
- Poetry, storytelling, film and cultural heritage can preserve identity while building empathy and understanding between communities.
- Investing in peace also means investing in creativity, human relationships, dialogue and opportunities for people to share their experiences.
Culture as a Bridge for Peace
Robin Marsh, Secretary General of Universal Peace Federation UK, highlighted the important role that arts and culture can play in bringing people together across national, religious and social divides.
He explained that UPF seeks to encourage cooperation across many sectors of society through its network of associations and peacebuilding initiatives. Culture, he suggested, offers a particularly powerful space in which people can encounter one another beyond political differences and develop respect for different cultures and traditions.
An UPF introduction video revealed some of the organisation's activities, followed by a short documentary presenting UPF's international work. The film highlighted areas including interfaith dialogue, women's empowerment, youth development and international peacebuilding as well as the original vision of its founders, Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han.
The gathering also expressed concern for those affected by devastating floods in Nepal and encouraged support for the Nepal Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund Appeal: https://pmdrf.nchl.com.np/.
Dr Sangita Swechcha then introduced the evening's central theme, reflecting on how creativity can overcome barriers, preserve identity and open pathways towards mutual understanding. She emphasised that investing in peace also means investing in the relationships and cultural spaces through which people learn to understand one another.
Culture and the African Diaspora
Nnamdi Chukwuka, MBPS of SOAD (State of the African Diaspora) as well as its former Minister of Culture, explained that there are approximately 360 million people of African origin worldwide and is considered the Sixth Region of the Africa Union. He spoke of the role and significance of the African diaspora.
Poetry Beyond Borders
Poetry provided one of the evening's most direct expressions of the human search for peace.
The programme featured Nirvik Jung Rayamajhi, a London-based Nepali poet and writer, who presented two poems, Farewell and The Watch Window. His contribution demonstrated how poetry can give voice to personal experience while addressing themes that reach beyond national and cultural boundaries.
The evening also highlighted the importance of words as a means of building bridges between individuals and communities. Through poetry, participants were encouraged to consider how experiences of loss, belonging, hope and identity can become points of connection rather than division.
Preserving the Living Heritage of the Kumari
Sushil Prajapati, President of Pasa Puchah Guthi UK, gave a fascinating presentation entitled “Kumari: Living Heritage, Culture and Tradition.”
He introduced participants to the ancient Kumari tradition of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, a distinctive cultural and spiritual practice with roots in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Kumari is traditionally a young girl who is revered as a living goddess and plays an important ceremonial role within the community.
Prajapati explained how members of the Nepali diaspora in Britain have sought to preserve and share the cultural meaning of the tradition with younger generations.
Since 2016, cultural activities in the UK have provided opportunities for children and families to learn about the Kumari tradition and the wider heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. Events and festivals have helped younger people growing up in Britain maintain a connection with their ancestral culture while also sharing that heritage with the wider community.
His presentation illustrated an important theme of the evening: cultural identity need not separate communities; when shared openly and respectfully, heritage can become a means of dialogue and mutual enrichment.
Stories That Inspire Understanding
Joining the programme remotely, filmmaker and creative producer Diyodi Devinda Menon explored the power of documentary and visual storytelling to challenge assumptions and bring attention to human experiences that can otherwise be overlooked.
His presentation included two videos, “Stories That Inspire Understanding,” introduced projects centred on identity, inclusion and resilience. Among them was a documentary examining the experience of a plus-sized personal trainer challenging stereotypes around body image and fitness.
He also shared the story of Recipes of Resilience, a community arts project developed in Wolverhampton. Inspired in part by the idea of bringing people together around a shared table, the project created a space where people from different backgrounds could explore their experiences through food, storytelling, poetry and art.
Led through workshops by Janet Chand and supported by Arts Council England, participants reflected on resilience and positive psychology while developing creative writing and artistic work.
The initiative culminated in a public exhibition, publication and film, preserving participants' recipes, stories, poetry and reflections. Beyond the creative outputs, the project helped participants develop confidence, build relationships and overcome isolation.
The Stories That Connect Us
Dr Sara Kapadia, writer and founder of Plot Potatoes, continued the theme of storytelling with a presentation on how stories can connect people living within diverse communities.
Her contribution explored the importance of listening to experiences different from our own and recognising the human emotions and aspirations that exist beneath cultural differences.
Stories, she suggested, allow people not merely to learn about one another but to begin seeing the world through another person's perspective. In increasingly diverse societies, such encounters can make an important contribution to empathy and social cohesion.
From Adversity to Empowerment
A deeply personal perspective was offered by Margaret Aberdeen, award-winning speaker, author, self-relationship coach and poet.
Under the title “Today I Am Alive: From Adversity to Empowerment,” she reflected on experiences of adversity and the journey towards resilience and inner peace.
Her contribution demonstrated another dimension of peacebuilding: the process that takes place within the individual. Transforming painful experiences into strength, purpose and compassion can influence not only one's own life but also relationships with families, communities and wider society. She highlighted the importance of gratitude and positive emotions during the first moments of the day.
What Does a Culture of Peace Mean to Us?
Dr Sangita Swechcha moderated a collective reflection involving the evening's contributors, exploring the question: “What Does a Culture of Peace Mean to Us?”
The discussion brought together many strands from the programme — poetry, cultural identity, personal resilience, storytelling, heritage and communication.
Participants reflected on how creativity can transcend geographical boundaries, how cultural traditions can coexist and enrich one another, and how listening to people's stories can help overcome stereotypes and misunderstanding.
The discussion reinforced the idea that a culture of peace is something that must be practised in everyday life: through the words people use, the stories they share, the traditions they respect and the relationships they build.
Media, Communication and Global Understanding
Ian Pelham Turner, international television broadcaster and UPF-UK Patron, delivered a special address on “The Role of Media and Culture in Promoting Peace and Global Understanding.”
Drawing on experiences from his international career, he reflected on the power of communication to shape people's perceptions of nations, communities and conflicts.
His remarks highlighted the responsibility carried by those involved in media and public communication. Communication can reinforce division, but it can equally create understanding by allowing people to encounter perspectives and experiences beyond their own.
Investing in Peace Through Human Connection
The evening concluded with reflections on the shared responsibility to build peace within communities and across cultures.
From an ancient Nepali tradition to contemporary filmmaking, poetry, personal testimony and community art, the programme demonstrated the many different ways in which culture can create spaces for encounter and understanding.
The International Day of Peace reminds the international community of the need to invest in peace. The IAACP UK gathering showed that such investment is not only financial or political. It is also an investment in people, creativity, cultural understanding, dialogue and relationships.
Through art and culture, people who may differ in background, nationality, faith or experience can discover something deeper that they share.
That recognition provides one of the foundations upon which a more peaceful world can be built.
Video of Event: https://youtube.com/live/TLwJ0gez3kI