Monday 18 June 2012

Bono meets with Aung San Suu Kyi in Oslo

Observed by the Irish singer Bono, the Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, attends a press conference in Oslo Forum in the town of Losby Gods, located on the outskirts of the Norwegian capital. The international conference debate armed conflict. Suu Kyi on Friday received the Nobel Peace Prize 1991, which had not yet received for having spent two decades under house arrest.   


Bono also appeared alongside Aung San Suu Kyi, a conference with the Foreign Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr. Today, though, the show rolls Electric Burma, in Dublin, with the participation of Bono.



OSLO, 18 Jun 2012 (AFP) - Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, met on Monday with one of his biggest fans, the U2 singer and activist Bono.

"I'm a groupie," said the Irish singer, who for years supported the Burmese struggle for liberty and dedicated the song "Walk On" to it, in a meeting forum for peace in Oslo, the last stop of Suu Kyi a tour of five European countries.

                 

The awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has been given star treatment and was applauded by a crowd of thousands on his visit to Norway in their first trip to Europe in a quarter century after years under house arrest. 

On Monday, Suu Kyi had a panel with Bono, who used his rock star power to promote human rights and fighting poverty, and remembered a U2 world tour where video messages were transmitted to Suu Kyi on screens.

"Suu Kyi was on the road with us," the singer said in a joint press conference. "We played to seven million people. She was there every night. In a digital version, but it is very good live! "He joked.

"And she made a real connection with our audience ... telling them that their voices were powerful and could be heard all the way to Burma."

"With Daw Suu, one gets the impression that peace is not merely the absence of war around us, but that peace is the absence of war on ourselves," he added, using the word for "aunt" to Suu Kyi to be refereir

The Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has come to Dublin for a visit of six hours. The former political prisoner in Ireland posed slightly delayed on a flight that came from Norway, where he received the Nobel Peace Prize, given for 21 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi was received by Irish Foreign Minister, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. She received flowers and then went for a visit to President Michael D. Higgins at his residence. 

            

Later, several celebrities will join the show called "Electric Burma," in her honor. Bono, Bob Geldof, among other celebrities will participate in this show, where Aung San Suu Kyi will receive the award "Ambassador of Conscience", issued by Amnesty International.

                  

On Friday, June 15, was initiated to the third edition of the Festival of the Book Dalkey. For three days, books of all kinds are celebrated and brought to life by their own authors in Dublin.

This year the guest list included everyone from local authors, even those who have a special affection for Dalkey, as Maeve Binch, Joseph O'Connor, Carlo Gleber, Dermot Healy, Martina Devlin and Jon Waters.

Before preparation for the meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, Bono visited his friend the poet Seamus Heaney. They met at a reading as part of the book festival created by Sian Smyth and David McWilliams.

Electric in Burma, a special event on the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin, Bono delivered to Aung San Suu Kyi the award from Amnesty International, "Ambassador Consicência." The award was originally announced on the stage of U2 when they played in Cork Park in 2009 while she was under house arrest in Burma.

Read below the full speech by Bono:


"Daw Suu, thanks for being with us tonight ...

We know that there are several other places you might have visited. We understand the sign of their presence here and we are grateful.
While some may be scratching your head to the fact that in one of his first trips abroad, you decided to visit our little rock in the North Atlantic ... nobody here is scratching their heads ... we all know that you came to hold the hand of Ireland for ... for tonight's game against Italy.

There is nobody on this island who do not understand how expensive is the word freedom.
How difficult it is for the word justice exist.
As the word peace can be quixotic.
After all these years with the open wounds of the heart in an enclosed space, your path recently traveled to Dublin brought you here in a big old fight for your honor ... and we love it.
Anda great ironies that by their confinement - by taking your chance to enjoy the world - the world has become their home.

Oslo this morning was his home.

London to his house tonight.

Dublin this afternoon to his home.

So ... welcome Failte abhaile.
We understand that the Irish have been a presence subtle and sometimes not so subtle in his life.
Sean McBride as one of four founders of Amnesty helped create an organization that became part of his life. He continues to fight for the liberation of hundreds of prisoners still held in his country.

We welcome Amnesty International and Salil Shetty, and also Bill Shipsey ... And the group Burma Action Ireland ... John Boorman, who is here tonight.

We hear the subtle role of Christopher Gore-Booth, who introduced him to her husband Michael, and the best man at their wedding ... 40 years this year. We thank you for Michael. And Alexander and Kim. What you loved so essentially, giving up the obvious manifestation of this love. We particularly applaud today ... Kim is with us here.

The not so subtle presence of our band in your life - not sure how many are now aware that you hit the road with U2. We shared an onstage night after night of the tour 360, which you presented to seven million people over two years ... was the digital version of you, but as I have told everyone you live is very good!

We were anxious for you to find the thing that is most precious in our life outside our families and friends ... our audience. They are really hungry for a phenomenon and all the things you are hungry ... great supporters of Amnesty.

And every night you reminded them of their potential. That their voices were "higher than any tank or rocket launcher." What could be heard all the way to Burma.

We welcome all activists involved in these issues and hopefully they can be heard tonight in Burma. We welcome the U2 audience tonight.

Fortunately they were not students of political science, carrying a copy of the Freedom from Fear ... some think ASSK was a metal band from Asia ...

And the not so subtle influence of Michael Collins in his father talking ... today I discovered that Collins was a great influence on the General Aung Sans in the struggle for independence.

Around here we know very well that violent revolution is the way the world is remade from the beginning of time and that war is at the heart of human history. But you, Daw Suu, believes in something different.

That war can be unlearned and rejected.
We can restart the human spirit. Through reflection tough and stringent actions.
If Pascal was right when he suggested "all of humanities problems stem from man's inability to sit still in a room" ... and thank God that you are a woman, thank God you're a woman. Twenty-three years is too long to sit still.

Our Yeats would say "Peace comes slowly ... you have the feeling that peace is not absence of war around us, but the absence of war within us. And the foundations of a better future is best placed by mortar spared blood.

This is why Amnesty Award was created - with the hope that always someone with ideas as often as noble as their ambitions could come to vindicate it.
Well, here you are ... receiving this award.

Masa is our honor just to be with you.
Everyone is here to sing for you tonight, but his music is that everyone wants to hear.
It's your music on the radio that we need around the world ... his words ... his best tune. It is a timeless music that still seems more important now more than ever ...
Please welcome on stage ... Daw Aung San Suu Kyi "



Source: UV

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