Barenboim is a distinguished classical pianist, and Awwad is an eminent peace activist who has been working for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East
The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2023 has been jointly awarded to Daniel Barenboim and Ali Abu Awwad for their efforts in bringing together the youth and peoples of Israel and the Arab World for a non-violent resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The International Jury of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development chaired by former Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur observed that Mr. Barenboim and Mr. Awwad have fostered meaningful, mutual social, and cultural understanding, and peaceful public cooperation via the tools of music, dialogue and people’s participation.
Maestro Barenboim is an Argentine-born distinguished classical pianist and conductor, renowned for performing with and directing some of the leading orchestras in the world. Apart from his musical achievements, he is also known for his relentless endeavour in using music to foster harmony in West Asia.
“His friendship and partnership with Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said shaped his vision of a peaceful resolution of Israel-Palestinian conflict through respect, discourse and dialogue…Maestro Barenboim established the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Barenboim-Said Akademie alongside Said to bring together youth from Israel, Palestine and other Arab and North-African countries in spaces of unity and understanding,” a release said.
Mr. Barenboim believes that “to make music, you have to listen. You have to listen [to] what the other one is doing, but you also have to listen [to] what you are doing and how it affects the other – this is the best school of human relations”, has been conferred several awards, including the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Prince of Asturias Awards, and the Commander of the Legion of Honour.
Mr. Awwad is an eminent Palestinian peace activist who has been working tirelessly with the people of Palestine and Israel for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Born in 1972, he was raised in a politically-active refugee family. Unable to meet each other while in prison for three years, he and his mother undertook a 17-day hunger strike, which resulted in achieving permission for a visit.
“This success was a watershed moment in Abu Awwad’s realisation that non-violent action along Gandhian principles could be the way forward for achieving one’s goals of freedom and dignity,” the release said.
In 2014, Mr. Awwad co-founded a local Palestinian-Israeli initiative called Roots, promoting understanding, non-violence and transformation. “His peace-building efforts led to the creation of a Palestinian non-violence movement called Taghyeer which was launched by more than 3,000 Palestinians across the West Bank in September 2016. Taghyeer, a mass independent movement, is dedicated to the social development needs of the Palestinians and to forge a non-violent path to end the Occupation.”
Mr. Awwad avers, “Non-violence is the art of practicing your humanity, it is the art of being a human being. Peace is a place where we can live by accepting our differences and respecting each other’s rights.”
