“Living Peace”: The Vision of the East-West Cultural Centre – Feature Story
More than just a photo recap of our festival on May 23, director Alexandre Branchard (Média Concept) presents a 20-minute documentary offering an immersive look at the Château de Saint-Germain-du-Plain. This in-depth report captures the energy of this inaugural edition and the long-term vision of the East-West Cultural Exchange Centre.
To enhance this film and embody the Center’s core mission, pianist and composer Johan Farjot has created an original and exclusive musical work: Living Peace.
A documentary at the heart of the festival and its ambitions
Beyond the martial arts demonstrations, travel stories, traditional workshops, and concerts that marked this opening day, the film directed by Alexandre Branchard gives a voice to the key players in this event: speakers, volunteers, visitors, as well as the Center’s founders, Robert T. Harris and Yuko Matsuoka Harris.
This report captures the unique atmosphere of the day while highlighting the East-West Cultural Exchange Centre’s long-term goal : to make the Château de Saint-Germain-du-Plain a permanent space for cultural exchange, education, the arts, and the transmission of knowledge.
A unique soundtrack: “Living Peace” by Johan Farjot
To accompany this visual narrative, the center was able to count on an exceptional artistic collaboration. A longtime partner of the château and artistic director of the Grand Air de Bresse festival, composer and conductor Johan Farjot provided the East-West Cultural Exchange Centre with an original, custom-made composition.
Named Living Peace, this piece imbues the report with a unique soundscape that is at once poetic, profound, and full of hope.
The Story Behind a Song: The Legacy of Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow
The title of this composition, “Living Peace,” is no accident. It draws its essence from Robert T. Harris’s personal history and his lifelong commitment to education and cultural diplomacy.
He refers directly to a statementby Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, former Director-General of UNESCO (from 1974 to 1987), who recently passed away at the age of 103. In 1978, in his book *The Will to Peace*, Mr. M’Bow stated:
“Peace is not merely the absence of war… We do not want the peace of the graveyards, but the peace of the living.”
A close friend of Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow—for whom he had delivered the farewell speech upon his departure from UNESCO in 1987— Robert T. Harris had already quoted these seminal words at the International Teachers’ Seminar on Peace Education in Hiroshima in the 1980s.
Live in peace, live for peace
It is this philosophy that Johan Farjot’s music embodies today. “Living Peace” is more than just a title: it is a reminder that peace is not a passive state, but an active, living, and everyday endeavor. This is a mission that the East-West Cultural Centre intends to promote through the arts, music, and intercultural exchanges for years to come.
We invite you to take the time to watch this wonderful documentary and let yourself be swept away by the beauty of the images and the music.
Directed by: Alexandre Branchard (Média Concept)
Soundtrack: “Living Peace, ” composed by Johan Farjot for the East-West Cultural Exchange Centre.