MOMRI World Summit Featured in Major Newspaper Articles

With the favorable winds carrying MOMRI forward on the occasion of the 10th anniversary World Summit, the Japanese daily newspaper Seikyo Shimbun contributed to this momentum by publishing two noteworthy articles on October 21 and on November 7. We provide a tentative translation of their titles with a brief summary.

October 21, 2024
World Summit Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of MOMRI: Scholars Engage in Lively Discussions

Summary

"Music in Peacebuilding" World Summit, celebrating the 10th anniversary of MOMRI, featured a lecture-concert followed by a conference. Researchers from various countries focused on “Relational Changes for Peacebuilding through Musicking.” During the conference, the necessity of research that objectively and scientifically evaluates the impact of music on peacebuilding was highlighted, and exciting plans for future projects emerged from the lively discussions.

MOMRI was founded on the philosophy of Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of Min-On, based on the idea of "connecting humanity through music and creating a rainbow of culture and peace around the world." Over its half-century of activities, Min-On has accumulated a wealth of achievements, which now serve as the foundation for the Institute’s broad-ranging initiatives.

Through lectures, exhibitions, publishing activities, and more, the Institute has disseminated research findings, and the papers published by the Institute have gained deep resonance among many peace and music scholars. In 2023, the Institute launched the "MOMRI Hub," an online platform connecting scholars and others exploring the relationship between peace and music.

November 7, 2024
Interviews with: Olivier Urbain, Mary Cohen, Andrea Rodríguez Sánchez and Kevin Shorner-Johnson

Olivier Urbain

The participants in the World Summit, despite their varied areas of expertise, share a common aspiration: to harness the power of music to transform division into harmony and replace a culture of violence with a culture of peace. The summit generated numerous ideas for future projects. One initiative involves creating a map to identify organizations contributing to Music in Peacebuilding. We also decided to establish a course dedicated to teaching specialized skills for Music in Peacebuilding, marking an important step forward in this field.

Music's positive influence might initially be limited to the close connections formed by people sharing the same space while listening to it. But what if these connections spread across the globe? The potential of music to unite people could certainly be a powerful tool in addressing global challenges.

Mary Cohen (United States) Professor at the University of Iowa.

For over 10 years, I have led a choir composed of inmates and local community members in Iowa prisons, conducting research on the impact of music on communities. Moving forward, I aim to continue collaborating with MOMRI to widely provide educational resources on Music in Peacebuilding and to support further research in this field.

Andrea Rodríguez Sánchez (Colombia) Social worker at the National University of Colombia.

In the conference, we discussed the need to clarify the causes and structures of violence, as well as the importance of research that demonstrates the impact of music on peacebuilding. Moving forward, I hope to deepen my collaboration with MOMRI and contribute, even in a small way, to the advancement of this field.

Kevin Shorner-Johnson (United States) Professor at Elizabethtown College.

The philosophy of Min-On's founder, Daisaku Ikeda, to "open paths to peace through arts and culture," serves as a vital guide for my research. Together with MOMRI, which carries on his spirit, I am committed to cultivating deeper dialogues for peace and working to lead the world in a better direction through the power of music.