Our philosophy

The "Drums for Peace" initiative is apolitical and therefore is by no means directed towards persons or States. It seeks to awaken children to the need to fight against violence and to give them an opportunity to freely express, through poems, their willingness to secure Peace all over the world.
All too often, our “Drums for Peace” initiative coincides with wars and conflicts but it is important to recall that our project is not the result of the events that followed 11 September or of the numerous armed conflicts still breaking out today at international level.
It is in the wake of Resolution 53/25 of the United Nations that proclaimed the years 2001-2010 “International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World” that the “Drums for Peace” project was born in September 1999.
José Van Dam, invited for 21 March 2003, clearly understood our purpose. He wrote a beautiful introduction to the collection of the poems that won the contest in 2002-2003: "At the beginning of the 21st century, when we talk about wars, trials, crimes and other disasters, it is vital and certainly beneficial to let children speak and to listen to them. We discover in children that innate wisdom that has been slowly erased from our adult minds. We notice that it is frequently through art, drawings, music or even literature that children express themselves the best. It is therefore essential to teach them these subjects at school. It is obvious that this artistic culture will serve as the basis for a new spirit, more generous and open, that will promote a greater understanding among human beings and help them to lead our planet in the future."