Roskilde Festival wins Award from African Artists Peace Initiative

On Friday July 3rd, Roskilde Festival was awarded the Peacemaker and Humanitarian Award from African Artists Peace Initiative.

Roskilde Festival was the first organisation to recognise and donate funds to the African Artists Peace Initiative (AAPI) five years ago. Today, the initiative honored the festival’s engagement in the African continent with the Peacemaker and Humanitarian Award.

Ibrahim Ceesay, development expert and Executive Coordinator of AAPI Africa

Fotograf: Inez Dawczyk

”The world needs to know that this festival, where a lot of people come to have a good time, this festival that puts smiles on so many faces – the world needs to know what this festival is doing after the event.” Ibrahim Ceesay, the Executive Coordinator of AAPI said. He continued “we cannot do it without Roskilde Festival; that is why we are here today.”

We cannot do it without Roskilde Festival; that is why we are here today

The AAPI is a Pan-African humanitarian movement that focuses on using art and the voice of artists to nurture and promote peace among individuals and societies across cultural and national boundaries. The initiative has members in 45 African countries, and today, they cooperate with many other organisations beside Roskilde Festival.

This year, for the first time, the initiative honours a person or an organisation who makes use of art to promote peace, social justice and humanitarian activities with the Peacemaker and Humanitarian Award, and the winner is…Roskilde Festival!

"I want to use my platform as an artist to promote peace. It is my responsibility. I owe it to myself.”

Vivi Amie Chris, Gambian Actor and ambassador for African Artists Peace Initiative, who is actually half Danish and has family in Roskilde.

Fotograf: Inez Dawczyk

A shared vision

The AAPI stated in their motivation for awarding Roskilde Festival that they “strongly believe that the charity and humanitarian work of Roskilde Festival is inspiring and transformational. As our societies become increasingly multicultural, we need alternative visions of what it means to coexist, interact, and learn in community with each other. Roskilde Festival provides the space and enabling environment.”

Chairman of the board of Roskilde Festival Charity Society, Steen Jorgensen, received the award on behalf of the festival. ”We are first and foremost a music festival. Africa is once again strongly represented on our stages. And once again, African artists – and African culture – contribute to an experience of Roskilde Festival as a place where the participants are invited into new unexplored territories.”

He added: “Through decades, the Roskilde Festival Charity Society has firmly believed that the explosive combination of arts and music and youth culture is the means to bring about peace and social justice.”

Fotograf: Inez Dawczyk

CEO of Roskilde Festival, Henrik Rasmussen, added: “We share the same vision, and it has been a pleasure working together with you and being a part of this. Thank you.”