"Bowling For Columbine" Gala Premiere
February 5, 2003
Ortaköy Feriye Cinema
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
Speech Text
We convened at tonight which is permeated with the bitter taste of the war to give our children a message that hope for peace will never disappear. We are here to stress out the importance of human life.
A new war is to deny pains suffered in the past and to accept that history repeats itself. Not to take lesson from the experiences of the past is disrespect to those who had suffered pain and lived misery that does not beseem human honor. Besides, each new war is an indication of the fact that wars in the past did not bring permanent peace to the future of the world, and instead, they were just means of tripping up the peace. As a result of non-ending wars, communities lost their ideals and individuals started to search for success by coincidence rather than in systematic studies. Whether substantial or moral, everything related to culture, art and mind have been deprived of development. The only thing that developed was unculture of violence, unfortunately.
My friends! Let us not blame anyone, but let us just have a look in the mirror. Let us look at individual armament in ourselves, which led to thousands of aggrieved people, for which we contented ourselves simply by saying what a pity, very tragic and about which we were non-reactive unfortunately. Let us remember the gun which a friend pulled on his friend, a child pulled on his parents, and a neighbor pulled on his neighbor; a phenomenon which has been continuing among us for years while showing gradual acceleration
Believing that those calling for No to War today are sincere, I wish they lay claim to peace first in their own communities, while encouraging for it. If the name of violence has to be war in order to oppose it, we can talk about individual armament in our society as a War Which Is Not Named. The fact that this is not an assumption is proven by the following data in our hand: About 300,000 people die every year in wars. In non-fighting regions where peace is believed to prevail, the number of people losing their lives because of individual arms is about 200,000 per year.
No one wants to believe these fearful and conscience-stricken figures. In the world, a thing beyond war, which is concealed, non-recognized, but whose results are frightening takes place by means of individual arms.
The foundation of global peace may be laid down first by means of individual disarmament. It will be imaginariness to expect those who do not respect the rights and laws of their citizens to respect the rights and laws of other communities.
Although the mood of these days is quite pessimistic, we are still living in a country of democracy. It is worth thinking seriously about where we go and what we hope to do with democracy. Instead of losing time on roads going nowhere, it is necessary to develop culture of peace among individuals as the cure of any kind of problems within the society.
You have convened here tonight because of your faith in the culture of peace. I have endless belief in that our togetherness and your support to the Umut Foundation in its 10th anniversary would reach every segment of the society.
I thank you all, our esteemed speakers and Umut Art which brought us together with the documentary named Bowling for Columbine / My Sweet Gun.
As Albert Einstein said years ago, Peace is not provided by showing power; peace is won through consensus.
Therefore, we are saying No to individual armament, no to war.
Looking forward to tomorrow with hope