The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., is an author, parliamentarian and diplomat who has specialized throughout his 35-year public career in peace and human security issues. He lectures widely on peace and nuclear disarmament themes. Mr. Roche was a Senator, Member of Parliament, Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament and Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee at the 43rd General Assembly in 1988. The author of 19 books, his latest is his memoirs, Creative Dissent: A Politician’s Struggle for Peace, published by Novalis in 2008. Mr. Roche holds seven honourary doctorates from Canadian and American universities and has received numerous awards for his work for peace and non-violence, including the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace award.
Playlists
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Douglas Roche
The Strength of Peace (Ages 15-17)
The best, if not only way, to bring about peace is through education. This playlist includes carefully selected works which are graceful and lucid in their depiction of what a culture of peace looks like.
Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici.
Films in This Playlist Include
The Strangest Dream
If You Love This Planet
Scared Sacred
Return to Dresden
Uranium
The best films last far beyond their initial showing and, in capturing enduring values, acquire a timeless quality. The NFB Playlist on War and Peace that I have chosen contains films produced over the past few decades, but all of them speak to the issues underneath today’s headlines. Whether a graphic depiction of the horrors of nuclear war, a journey around the world to find “the other way,” or a heartfelt examination of the reasons to oppose war, these films are graceful and lucid in their depiction of what a culture of peace is all about.
It is a great paradox that, while most people now reject war as a means to resolve conflict, they are reluctant, perhaps even afraid, to embrace wholeheartedly the means to peace. Every year, the public pays tribute to fallen warriors of past conflicts. From time to time, some march against the idea of a new war. But we do not inculcate into our daily lives the very essence of peace so that it is constantly reflected in all the pageantry and policies of society. Although we honour the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, we shun the idea of making peace education compulsory for all children.
Advocates of a culture of peace hope to change this so that the operational norms of modern life become a respect for all life, rejection of violence, sharing with others, preservation of the planet, and acceptance of the common ground we all live on. The best, if not the only, way to bring this about is through education. Films are, of course, a blend of entertainment and education, and the films here vibrantly project the culture of peace.
You will meet many fascinating individuals who have faced up to the demands of peace: Helen Caldicott, the indefatigable physician who campaigns against the horrors of nuclear war; Velcrow Ripper, armed with only a camera, who peers into the heart and soul of cultures around the world; Ted and John Friesen, two Mennonite brothers from Winkler, Manitoba, who agonize over conscientious objection to participating in war. The towering figure of Jo Rotblat, the Polish nuclear scientist who turned his back on nuclear weapons, founded the Pugwash movement and won the Nobel Peace Prize, looms over this collection. The new NFB film on his life, The Strangest Dream, graphically captures his joyful strength and essential message: If you want peace, prepare for peace. With a probing boldness and artistic flair, that is exactly what these films do.
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The Strangest Dream2008|1 h 29 minThis is a documentary on the life of Jo Rotblat, who mobilized the world’s leading scientists to save the world from nuclear annihilation and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his life-long dedication. Rotblat and the Pugwash movement have inspired thoughtful people everywhere.
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If You Love This Planet1982|25 min“It’s appropriate to be passionate” about ridding the world of nuclear weapons. That’s what world-renowned nuclear disarmament activist Helen Caldicott says in this film. It’s interesting that U.S. President Ronald Reagan said the same thing. But Helen means it.
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Scared Sacred2004|1 h 44 minAward-winning filmmaker Velcrow Ripper searches in a multitude of ground zeros around the world for hope in the darkest places. Whether in Kabul, Palestine, Hiroshima or New York, he finds hope for peace when a decision has been made to choose “the other way” from violence. An appropriate title for a beautiful film.
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Return to Dresden1986|27 minThe carpet bombing of Dresden, Germany in 1945 was a prelude to the massive destruction wrought by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Forty years later, the city celebrated its renaissance with the opening of a new opera house. One of the guests was a Canadian navigator of one of the bomber planes. Now an ardent peace activist, he discovers the humanity that rose from the rubble.
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Uranium1990|47 minBuffy Sainte-Marie and Rosalie Bertell in the same film? The Native American singer and the scientist nun expose the risks of mining uranium in the Canadian heartland. The nuclear power defenders get their say, but it’s clear that the cost of mining uranium is too high: it’s the same material that is used to produce nuclear weapons. And the nuclear waste is immensely dangerous.