Peace Sign Jewelry on a Poster?
Posters in Lebanon are displaying peace sign jewelry and other images this month. The Daily Star of Lebanon reported that the first poster contest in the Middle East is being held in Rmeileh, and the theme is peace, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.
Close to 100 posters will be displayed for a month in booths at the La Voile beach resort. The contest was organized by the magazine ArabAd and was open to anyone creating a poster that included a peace sign. Small cash prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
The opening evening of the display featured the music and choreography of the Brazilian group Capoeira Sobreviventes singing words of peace. Beirut’s best graffiti artists sprayed three large canvases in an effort to elevate this form of street-art. A banner read “Peace Works”. Materials were available for people to create their own signs promoting peace and peace initiatives were promoted.
Visitors were deeply moved by the messages displayed on the posters, proving that people hunger for peace world-wide.
The 1st place winner was Ruel Sunga from the AGA advertising company in Dubai. Second was Joelle Jammal of Drive Communication in Beirut. Third went to Ricky Halabi of Kuwait.
Jammal expressed a longing for peace that I have always felt myself and I feel a connection with her even though we will never meet. That, I think, is the true benefit of an event like this, the uniting of people’s minds all over the world. We no longer have to dream in isolation.
Ghada Azzi, managing editor of ArabAd, said that promoting peace awareness in Lebanon was not easy. Though happy with the public response, she would have liked more participation from ad agencies. She plans to continue her efforts and to tour the Middle East to reach more people. Let’s hope the gentle message put forth by peace sign jewelry can turn some hearts around.
