The School Day of Nonviolence and Peace (DMNYP) is a non-governmental educational day that began to be celebrated in Spain in 1964 due to the Majorcan poet and pacifist Llorenç Vidal as a starting point and support for a non-violent and pacifist education that is celebrated every January 30, coinciding with the day of the death of Mahatma Gandhi.
Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former director general of Unesco, stated in the interview Global Education Magazine that: “we have to be aware that we are in time to change a culture of imposition, of fear, cultures based on economic speculation of relocation of production in war, which are still capable of transforming into a culture of dialogue, of reconciliation, of society in a culture of peace”. Lanza del Vasto, who was a direct disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the L’Arche Community, in another interview reaffirmed: “Let it be so in all your schools. Establish a day dedicated to Non-violence”.
Peace and nonviolence are important for the life and health of people. They are tools that help the cohesion and understanding of society and therefore favor dialogue between different peoples.
Celebration of January 30
Since 1964 the DENYP has been celebrated on this day; the date chosen is not by chance but commemorates the death of Mahatma Gandhi. He received the honorary name of Mahatma (great soul) and led India’s non-violent resistance against British colonialism, becoming a symbol of peace.
Although UNESCO did not recognize the date until 1993, the initiative dates back 29 years, when the poet and educator Llorenç Vidal, mentioned above, defined the objective of this day as: “a seed of nonviolence and peace deposited in the minds and subconscious hearts of learners and, through them, in society”.
Love, Non-violence and Peace
This day conveys messages of harmony, solidarity and respect for human rights to the entire population. The key message of this day is: “Universal Love, Non-violence and Peace. Universal Love is better than selfishness, Non-violence is better than violence and Peace is better than war”.