Peace symbolism in the Casa: Hope for children and young people!

Peace symbolism in the Casa: Hope for children and young people!

On March 11, 2025, the “Casa” of Buenaventura in Colombia was honored as an outstanding example of social peace and reconciliation. This facility is not only a center for civic education, but also a symbol for numerous communities, including children, youth, women, and African American and environmental groups. The Casa is a place of remembrance, healing and reconciliation that serves as an important contact point for leaders of social movements. Courses and projects take place here regularly to show young people alternatives to violence.

The diverse educational resources in the Casa include murals, amateur theater, a library, a recording studio as well as archives and photo exhibitions. These creative approaches not only promote learning, but also strengthen the young people's sense of community and identity.

The Shalom Prize: A token of appreciation

The Shalom Prize, one of the most valuable human rights prizes in Germany, is awarded annually and honors remarkable human rights projects. The collection of prize money for the current year, which reached a total of 30,000 euros last year, will run until December 2025. Last year was particularly important for India's Jeevika project, which fights against bonded labor. The prize is financed through donations from institutions and private individuals. Donation receipt information is easily available by transferring donations to the Diocese of Eichstätt account.

The Eichstätter Shalom working group has been committed to human rights since 1981 and is mainly run by volunteers, mainly students and citizens. The association has honored numerous personalities in the past, including Lech Walesa (1983) and Shay Cullen (2017), both of whom have made significant contributions to human rights work.

The cultural context: symbols of peace

The “Casa” does not stand alone, but is part of a broader movement that has been promoting peace and international understanding for decades. The peace symbol, particularly the white dove on a blue background, has been an important symbol in the Western European peace movement since the 1980s. It was designed in the context of resistance to the NATO double decision and has established itself as an expression of the desire for peace and understanding.

Another important symbol is the CND symbol (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), which was designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958. It combines the letters N (nuclear) and D (disarmament) from the Winker alphabet and is often interpreted as a stylized representation of a person spreading his arms helplessly. These symbols and their cultural backgrounds make it clear that many initiatives for peace have a long history of fighting violence and injustice, which is impressively continued in the Casa and through the Shalom Prize.

At a time when the desire for peace and unity seems more pressing than ever, the Casa of Buenaventura represents a shining example of community commitment, and the Shalom Prize recognizes the efforts that contribute to the transmission of peace from generation to generation.

For more information about the Shalom Prize and ways to donate, please visit University of Cologne. For more deeper insights into the meaning of peace symbols, visit Wikipedia.