Swedish women still in action!

We are sending you many solidarity greetings from two Nordic countries in Europe: Sweden and Norway. Last weekend (3^rd-4^th September) we brought the Charter from Sweden to Norway, marching from the Swedish side and from the Norwegian, meeting exactly in the middle of the boarder at the peace monument. 100 years ago it was very close to a war between the two countries, at that time Norway was part of Sweden and Norwegians wanted to be free… Women - and peace movements - on both sides could prevent the war and Norway became an independent state. This year we celebrated the peaceful solution of this conflict and also the 100 years anniversary of the Nobel Peace prize, given to Bertha von Suttner 1905.

This year, 2005, 1000 women from all over the world are nominated for the Peace prize! (On October 14 we will know if the Nobel Committee in Oslo will be in favour of the thousand, who represent millions of women working for peace in the shadow of violence and wars all over).

At the two days meeting at the boarder we had a very good and tight program with music and songs (sang by our new choir “Bertha’s sisters”, talks, theatre about Bertha von Suttner and Alfred Nobel, and the handing over of the Charter to the governor of the Norwegian county. Next day three seminars about Violence in the family, Peaceful solution and the role of Women, and Women and fundamentalism.

The governor handed over the “Norwegian piece” for the patchwork. It is made by a severely functionally handicapped girl (Cerebral Pares), named Marianne Mareno. The circumstances were very touching. She is so proud about her piece of art, the hand twisted woollen tree. Newspaper also wrote about it and she also participated at the meeting.