May 10, 2022
The year 2022 began with another war that drove millions of people to the streets in search of a safe haven. Ten years ago, with the establishment of the PIKPA Camp in 2012, Lesvos Solidarity laid the foundation for what would later become home to hundreds of refugees crossing the island of Lesvos. Today, while Solidarity is persecuted in Greece, the struggle for the human rights of people continues, defending life, dignity and equal opportunities for all.
Therefore, the awarding of the International Peace Award to Lesvos Solidarity and Efi Latsoudi by the German Institute die Schwelle on May 20 in Bremen gives us all hope and courage to continue our work.
"The international solidarity movement and the commitment to human rights and the protection of life is today the only ray of hope on which we can focus to fight with united forces for the future of Europe," said Efi Latsoudi, who will receive the award in the category "Encouraging Initiatives" for the overall activity of Lesvos Solidarity. This is the third important award Lesvos Solidarity and Efi Latsoudi will receive. The first was the Nansen Award, which she received together with the Greek Rescue Team in 2016. On September 20, 2021, Efi Latsoudi was also awarded the "Anita Augspurg Award" by the international organization WILPF (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom) for her collective contribution and "commitment to maintaining peaceful coexistence".
Lesvos Solidarity will begin its journey in Germany from Berlin, where a first preview of the participatory art project "People carrying their home" will take place. This art project is made entirely from recyclable materials using a weaving process and was created as part of the project "Art in PIKPA", an action to support the operation of the PIKPA camp, which hosted displaced people on the island of Lesvos from 2012 to 2020.
On May 14, the Lesvos Solidarity team will be in the courtyard of Café Abadän garten at Oyoun Space. Lucy Lameck-Straße 32. (https://oyoun.de/raum/cafe-garten/) to meet with the public and present the organization and the project "People carrying their home", which will soon start its journey to Europe! From 16:00 to 18:30, the artist George Konstantinou will also be present to sign the unique copies of the silkscreen drawings he created especially for Lesvos Solidarity and the project "People Carrying their home."
