Musicians for Peace and Disarmament (MPD)

A peacemaker festival incorporating a concert of suitable music could be set up independently, or it could work with an organisation like Musicians for Peace and Disarmament (MPD).

MPD was founded in 1983, the year in which cruise missiles came to Britain. It was the year in which the USA’s President Ronald Reagan declared that a nuclear conflict in Europe was not only thinkable, but winnable. 

Originally known as MANA, (Musicians Against Nuclear Arms), MPD was the brainchild of a group of musicians and music lovers who had the idea of staging concerts by professional musicians to raise funds for the peace movement. The organisation’s new name, MPD, was adopted a few years back to reflect today's wider but still urgently relevant concerns for world peace.

Over the years many leading conductors, soloists, orchestral players and chamber musicians have taken part in MPD’s regular concerts, and continue to do so, with everyone giving their services for free. At most of their concerts a speaker is invited to give a short address. 

As well as their musical activities MPD produce a quarterly newsletter. MPD's president is the distinguished guitarist John Williams and its patrons are all prominent and influential figures drawn from many different areas of the musical profession, including Michael Berkeley, Dame Emma Kirkby and Sir Simon Rattle.   

MPD is affiliated to CND and Network for Peace and membership is open to anyone with an interest in music and a desire to further the cause of peace.

The proceeds of MPD’s concerts have enabled the organisation to donate over £70,000 to the peace movement since 1983. MPD is affiliated to Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and The Network for Peace.

MPD supports organisations in the UK and worldwide who are actively working towards the cause of peace, non-violence and disarmament. Organisations/projects will be periodically shortlisted. To be considered for funding, please write detailing your proposal. Applications should be sent by email to info.mpdconcerts@gmail.com or by post to:  c/o The Chair, 37 Bolton Gardens, Teddington, TW11 9AX

 MPD’s website is at https://mpdconcerts.org/

Pictured are images for some of MPD’s concerts.

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079

Filming for Peace: La Grande Illusion (1937)

Leading film critic and writer Tim Robey, pictured here, was asked to choose the ten best anti-war films, and kindly offered a list, not in any particular order. ‘There are some obvious ones I've left off (e.g. Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket) but I thought you might want to direct people towards fresh discoveries,’ he told us. ‘These are all pretty amazing films in my opinion.’   

Here’s the second:  La Grande Illusion, a 1937 French war drama directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak.   

The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who are German prisoners-of-war during World War I  and are plotting an escape.  The title of the film comes from the 1909 book The Great Illusion by British journalist Norman Angell, which argued that war is futile because of the common economic interests of all European nations. 

Renoir used World War I as a lens through which to examine Europe as it faced the rising spectre of fascism - especially in Nazi Germany - and the impending approach of World War II.  

Renoir's critique of contemporary politics and ideology celebrates the universal humanity that transcends national and racial boundaries and radical nationalism, suggesting that mankind's common experiences should prevail above political division, and its extension: war.  

In La Grande Illusion Renoir seeks to refute the notion that war accomplishes anything, or that it can be used as a political tool to solve problems and create a better world. ‘That's all an illusion’, says the film’s French Jewish army officer Lieutenant Rosenthal, speaking of the belief that this is the war that will end war forever.

Tim Robey was born in Hertfordshire in 1978 and educated at Beechwood Park School, Oundle and Oxford University, where he read classics. Since 2000 he has reviewed films, written features and conducted interviews for the Daily Telegraph's arts pages. He appears regularly on Radio 4's Front Row and Monocle FM Radio, contributed to R4's now-defunct Film Programme, and appeared as a sofa guest on BBC Film 2015-2017. 

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079

The International Cross of Nails Award (ICONS)

What can schools do to promote peace and reconciliation? Well, in September 2024, Farway Church of England Primary School, near Colyton in East Devon, was awarded the International Cross of Nails Award (ICONS) by Coventry Cathedral for pupils’ work on peace and reconciliation.

‘We believe that initiatives such as the Cross of Nails project provide valuable opportunities for our students to engage in conversations about peace, reconciliation, and the importance of building bridges across differences on a national scale,’ said a spokesperson for the School.

In 1940, during World War II, salvaged nails which were found in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral’s bombing were formed into a cross. The nails found in the ruins represent the wounds and the destruction of the war, and the cross formation signifies both forgiveness and healing after conflict. As part of a special service, Farway School was given its own Cross of Nails, made in Germany and blessed in Coventry Cathedral, before being presented. The German city of Dresden suffered similarly from bombing during the war, and is now twinned with Coventry, in Warwickshire, England.

The Archdeacon of Exeter, the Venerable Andrew Beane, said: 'What was most impressive was how the children used what they learnt about Coventry as a framework for working for peace and reconciliation in their own lives and friendships.'

Roger Conant, celebrated as a peacemaker, would have been delighted by the news. Colyton, just five miles away from Farway Church of England Primary School, is the town which gained its independence thanks to the efforts of one of its leading merchants, the grandfather of Salem’s founder.

John Clarke travelled to London in 1546 and successfully petitioned King Henry VIII, allowing Colyton a measure of self-government by its councillors, or feoffees as they are still known today.

You can read about the award to Farway Church of England Primary School by clicking on 

https://exeter.anglican.org/inspiring-a-generation-of-peacemakers-church-school-in-devon-awarded-for-its-work-on-peace-and-reconciliation/

More about the International Cross of Nails Award (ICONS) at 

https://coventrycityofpeace.uk/icon-schools/

Image of the Cross of Nails from Wikipedia

If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700424602802079