Peace-Bike Ride to / in Bosnia
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By Walter B. Translated by Simon Schmid. This friday the 2nd of september at 09:00 am, starts the Peace- Bike Ride to / in Bosnia. This event is organised by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation Organisation. The Bike-Ride will start in Vienna at the Albertina-Platz.
This event will be joined by the bosnian ambassedor stationed in Austria and also agents from various international and austrian organisations.
The Peace Bike Ride starts in Vienna. The first location will be Banja Luka and from there it continues for 2 weeks in Bosnia, driving throug cities like: Jajce, Mostar, Srebrenica and Tuzla. There are meeting points along the route with political and religios representatives, with peace-, youth-, and eco- organisations. Also you will meet people from the area who are still struggeling today, from a war which happened 16 years ago. As a highlight and end of the ride we will join the event of the International Peace Day on the 21st of september in Sarajevo.
All the 18 attendants of this non-violent event from Austria, between the age of 20 to 70, want to learn and experience more about the political and religious situations in Bosnia. They want to find out about local initiatives which support and forster a peaceful way of different cultures living together. Furthermore, the goal of this Peace-Bike-Ride is to show the connection and solidarity between the Austrians and the Bosnian people. Also the often positive aspects of religion are a topic and should be more supported and strengthened. The attendants want to set a living example that it is possible that peace, reconciliation and a sustainable way of living can start as a small thing. Everyone can join in and together achieve something big.
The International Fellowship of Reconciliation was founded after the first World War and ever since stands for anti-war, anti- violent of any form. They also stand for dealing with conflicts violent free. Six of the organisations members are nobel peace-prize winners, the most famous one of them was Martin Luther King. In many countries the International Fellowship of Reconciliation has helped to non-violently overcome dictatorships, achive demilitarisations and disarmaments.
Also the International Fellowship of Reconciliation is a founder of various civil- and peace corporations around the world. The International Fellowship of Reconciliation in Austria is educating people in activ ahimsa and is supporting non-violent initiatives in Columbia, Israel , Palestine and also on the West Bank. Since the beginning of the war in former-Yugoslavia the International Fellowship of Reconciliation has sent 120 austrian peacekeeper to the area and they work hand in hand together with the Nonviolent Action Organisation in Belgrad and Sarajevo.