This summer, Witness for Peace -- Upper Midwest is hosting a visit to Duluth by Colombian musician and community organizer Daira Quiñones Preciado. Daira is a singer, dancer, and poet who has directly suffered from Colombia's civil war, and who now works to help others who have been similarly victimized by privileged, armed sectors of Colombian society. Daira is among 4.9 million Colombians displaced by violence and she works with displaced people in Bogotá, focusing on their need for food, shelter, and clothing, as well as organizing workshops on dance, music, identity, and human rights. Daira is one of the founders of FUNDARTECP, the Foundation for Art and Culture of the Pacific.
Daira will take part in two public events in June and July:
Women Leading the Way to Justice and Peace
Thursday, June 23
10am to noon
Center for Nonviolence (202 E Superior St, Duluth)
Daira will join local human rights activists for a report from an all-women Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia, looking at the role of women in transforming Colombian society and resisting war.
Conversations in Song
Friday, July 8
Peace Church (1111 N 11th Ave E, Duluth)
6pm refreshments, 7pm performance
Daira will team up with local talents Sara Thomsen, Beth Bartlett, Steve Horner and Ritchie Townsend for an evening of music and art. Freewill donations to benefit Witness for Peace.
