On Wednesday 2 October, a small but vibrant audience gathered at the Travelodge Hotel on Carling Avenue to celebrate the lives of two great men who changed the world through their doctrine of non-violence. In commemoration of the United Nations Day of Non-Violence, the Ottawa National Peace Council, under the capable leadership of Daniel Stringer, hosted an evening of poetry, music and reflection, in honour of Martin Luther King Jnr and Mahatma Ghandi, two people who “believed in humanity and our ability to be good in a world of evil”. With MC Tayo Olafimihan, the audience was treated to an evening of inspirational “Reading in Three Voices” by Ewart Walters, Lloyd Sanford and Karl Gordon, a virtuoso performance by violinist Ralitsa Tcholakova and reflections on Ghandi’s life by former diplomat Bill Bhaneja. The highlight of the evening was the keynote speech: “Faith of Our Fathers” by Ewart Walters, who urged the audience to emulate the exemplary lives of these two iconic proponents of civil rights.
