The UOC is promoting the “Culture of Peace” amongst the university community, institutions and civil society with a conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Guernica and the creation of Pablo Picasso's work of the same name

May 10 2007 The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) is aware of the role that has to be played by universities in civil life in terms of driving creation and dissemination of knowledge or maintaining the critical spirit; and it is for this reason that it wants to propose, from the standpoint of art and culture, other ways to build peace.

During the course of the ceremony, the Humanities Studies professor Joan Campàs presented a paper entitled “Deconstruction of classical myth in Picasso’s Guernica”. Professor Campàs shows how Picasso, inspired by Rubens's The Horrors of War, made Guernica a clear argument in favour of peace.

Images and Texts for Peace

The campaign also includes the “Images and Texts for Peace” initiative. The aim of this initiative is to collate images and short messages created by all those who wish to express their opposition to violence and who want to show their support, through this contribution, for peace. The images and texts will form part of a virtual wall that is to be presented on October 22 and 23 as part of the 1st International Congress on Conflict, Conflict Resolution and Peace.

Images, texts and contributions can be sent by email to: cooperacion@uoc.edu

Culture of Peace Website

Another activity that is open to all members of the university community, to members of the peace movements and to everyone in general is the building of a portal with contents on peace.

Anyone who wants to can provide all sorts of cultural materials that are explicitly related to peace or against war and violence: whether audiovisual, photographs, literary texts or essays, graphic work, bibliographies of web pages or scientific works, music and songs, museum references, architecture and sculpture, biographies, etc. Resources should be sent by email to cooperacion@uoc.edu, indicating that authorisation is given for reproduction on the internet.

• Related Link Culture of Peace Campaign