An anthem of war and bloodshed was turned into the international hymn for peace to open the first-ever World March for Peace and Non-violence in Wellington.

“For years I have asked myself how the French can continue singing their national anthem, this war song,”  said the hymn’s composer, Graeme Allwright (83) yesterday.

He was born in Lyall Bay, but left New Zealand at the age of 21 to go to theatre school in London.

He now lives in France, where he got inspired to compose a new version of the French national anthem that tells about love and peace rather than war and violence.

France still sticks to its original lyrics, but at the opening event of the first World March for Peace and Non-violence, Graeme went on stage and presented his song to the public.

The opening events for the march began yesterday with a speech by Rafael de la Rubia, the president of World Without Wars and spokesperson for the march.

“Friends – let’s march and not stop until we have fulfilled our goal,” he said.

“Happy birthday, Gandhi,” a fellow speaker greeted the Gandhi statue in front of the Railway Station, official starting point of the march.

October 2, 2009, was the 140th anniversary of Gandhi’s birthday, day zero of the world’s first peace march and the international day of Non-violence.

The march officially started at 9.30am and the marchers went up to Parliament grounds, the first stop on the Wellington Peace Heritage Walk.

Possibly the youngest participant, little Oscar Wakefield (right), is the grandson of Dr Kate Dewes from the Disarmament and Security Centre Christchurch, and seemed to enjoy taking part in the walk.

For the next few months, a core dozen or so marchers will travel 160,000km and pass through more than 100 countries.

Click here to join the march online.

World March for Peace and Non-violence Slideshow or View Here 

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.