Eleven nations deposit soil into Rio Peace Monument

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Soil from 13 nations -- including samples taken from the source of the Nile River -- were deposited into the Bahá'í-sponsored "Peace Monument" here on World Environment Day in commemoration of the second anniversary of the Earth Summit.

The monument was created as a lasting symbol of the new spirit of global cooperation which characterized the Earth Summit. On the Summit's final day in 1992, the soil from some 40 nations was deposited into the five-meter, hourglass-shaped concrete and ceramic monument, which was sponsored by the Bahá'í International Community in collaboration with the Brazilian Bahá'í Community. In 1993, the Monument received soil from 15 nations.

On 5 June this year, the thirteen countries donating samples are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Spain, Suriname, and Uganda.

As with the deposits made in 1992 during the Summit and again for World Environment Day in 1993, many of the samples donated this year come from historically significant sites.

The soil from Uganda comes from the village of Jinja, which is at the headwaters of the Nile River. The soil from Liberia was take from the grounds of the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia, an important historic site where all of the country's presidents take their oath of office.

The contribution from Denmark was collected from the Grenen (the Branch), the tongue land of Skagen. This is where the Baltic Sea meets with the waters of the North Sea and continuously forms the continent with perpetually moving sand.

The Danish Office of Forests and Wildlife, which forwarded a sample of sand from Grenen, said the site was chosen because "[t]he sand incessantly moves, symbolizing an image of human society. Individuals from near and far united together possess the power and capacity to preserve our planet."

In previous years, soil has been sent from sites of similar symbolic significance. Last year soil sent from China was taken from near The Great Wall. Soil from Nepal was taken from the slope of Swayambhu Hill in Kathmandu, which has both an important Buddhist Shrine and a well-known Hindu Temple at its peak.

In 1992, a sample sent by Iceland came from that country's most sacred and historic spot, the site of the first parliament, which was founded 1,100 years ago. A sample of earth sent from India that same year was taken from Shakti Sthal, the site of the monument to the late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who was the only head of state to attend the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Environment.

The inauguration of the monument was part of the closing ceremonies for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which was also known as the Earth Summit, and for the '92 Global Forum, the parallel conference for the independent sector.

Constructed near the Santos Dumont Airport, just north of Flamengo Park and the site of the '92 Global Forum, the monument is the only lasting symbol of the Earth Summit and the Global Forum.

"It is our intention to add soil from the nations of the world each year on World Environment Day until all nations are represented," said Mr. Lawrence Arturo, director of the Bahá'í International Community's Office of the Environment. "In this way, the Monument will serve as a symbol that all of humanity shares one planet, and that humanity is one race."

"The hourglass design of the Monument symbolizes the fact that time is running out for our planet," said Mr. Arturo. "It also symbolizes the idea that we must seek a balance between needs and wants, between woman and man, and between the material and the spiritual, if we are to achieve world peace," Mr. Arturo said.

A quote from Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, is etched in four languages on the four sides of the upper pyramid. Written more than a century ago, that quote says: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." The quotation is displayed in English, Portuguese, Chinese and Terena, an indigenous language of Brazil.

On the lower half of the structure the words "world peace" have been engraved in more than 35 languages. A glass strip at the monument's midpoint displays multi-colored soils taken from the contributing nations.

In the ceremonies on 5 June 1994, diplomats from many of the eleven countries are expected to attend the ceremonies, as well as mayors from around Latin America, who will be attending a conference in Rio at the time. The ceremonies will feature a chain of children who will ascend steps to the Monument to deposit the soil.

The Bahá'í International Community is an international non-governmental organization which represents and encompasses the worldwide community of the Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í Faith is the second-most widespread religion in the world, with significant communities in more than 200 countries and over five million members.


OneCountry (e-mail: 1Country@BIC.Org) | Contents | 1994 Issues