The International Committee for the Banner of Peace

As inhabitants of our beautiful city of Morelia, we had a splendid opportunity of receiving the exposition “75 years of the Roerich Pact and the Peace Flag” from February 25 to March 12, 2010. It was presented in the exposition room of the Tourist Ministry of Michoacan.

The photography collection, elaborated by the Roerich Museum in Moscow, was conceded to Dr. Alicia Rodríguez, President of the International Peace Flag Committee, so it could be exposed in different cities around Centre and South America.

This collection has been presented in Toluca (Estado de México), Morelia (Michoacán) and it will continue its way up to the Magical Town of Bernal and the city of Querétaro. In April, it will be shown in the city of Saltillo (Coahuila) in time to celebrate the 75 anniversary of the Roerich Pact signing and the origin of the Peace Flag. Both were created and promoted by Nicholas Reoerich with the proposal of protecting the treasures of the human genius, establishing that education, art, scientific, and religious institutions, along with cultural sites which must be protected by the Peace Flag and respected by all Nations, either in times of peace or war.

On April 15, 1935, the Roerich Pact was signed in the White House with the president Franklin D. Roosevelt and 21 representatives of government from the whole American continent.

In Mexico, this Pact was ratified during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas and it was published in the “DiarioOficial de la Federación” (Official Diary of the Federation) on August 17, 1937.

The Roerich Pact and the Peace Flag aim to contribute to the improvement of worldwide conditions, as they represent a call for International Unity and World Peace, with the main purpose of creating a better world through peace, science and culture to finally reach UNITY IN DIVERSITY .

The exposition that took place in Morelia had an excellent museography, which allowed the audience to admire the life and work of the illustrious painter Nicholas Roerich. Russian by birth but citizen of the world, nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize, Roerich was a philosopher, writer, archeologist and painter with over seven thousand pictures exposed around the world. His artistic talent and the profound human sense of his work, made him a highly advanced character for his time, as he proposed comprehension and understanding of people through beauty, though art is an universal language.

To start with, pictureswere grouped by topics and the first part shows a historical sequence of the activities previous to the signing of the Roerich Pact. Also, it shows an example of the texts and front pages in English and Russian of the Pact.

One of the photographs, worth distinguishing, is the Catholic Basilica of the Holy Blood, in the beautiful city of Bryges, Belgium, where in 1933 the Peace Flag was consecrated during a mass, under the relic containing the blood of Jesus Christ.

The second part of the exposition presents some of the museums around the world with the work of Nicholas Roerich, particularly standing out the International Centre of Roerich in Moscow, Russia with its different exposition rooms dedicated to the artistic and humanist legacy of the Roerich family: Nicholas Roerich, Helena Ivanovna Roerich, and their two sons, George and Svetoslav.

The third one includes a sample of the most representative paintings of Professor Roerich. His paintings are pieces of work that brighten up the view and the heart, and surprise us with the harmony of its composition and the amazing consonance of colors.

On the other hand, the fourth part shows the activities that the Peace Flag has had around the world. Amongst them, the positioning of the Flag by alpinists in the North and South Poles stands out. So it does the presence of the Flag in the cabin of a NASA aircraft that surrounded the Earth 189 times. The astronauts signed some of these Flags and gave them as a gift to the Secretary of the United Nations and some State mandatories.

Also various pictures with postage stamps are exhibited, issued by various countries such as Mexico in 1986 with the Peace Flag icon.

The fifth part take us to admire various objects such as paintings, pictures, vessels, forge, books, buildings, etc. from different cultures and parts of the world, where the peace flag symbol appears.

An emblematic picture is from the Pope Pio X, where the Peace Flag symbol is stiched.

The closure of this exposition, with the showing of Dr. Alicia Rodriguez, President of the Internaional Comitee of the Peace Flag NGO from the UNO, made during 24 years of intense work in Mexico and in different parts of the world, brings the message of the UNITY IN DIVERSITY , with the purpose to achieve a better world united by peace.

Our heart is grateful for this amazing and innovative exposition that joins multiple celebrations from the world for the “75 years of the Roerich Pact and Peace Flag”.

Prof. Rafael Flores Monroy

Michoacán Coordinator

International Comitee of the Peace flag NGO -UNO

Translator: Ana Dirini  y Brenda Tapia