‘Start Here and Now’ is the latest single from international band Gen Verde. A hymn of unity, strength, courage and joy featuring two youth music groups: Banda Unità (Brazil) and AsOne (Italy). ‘All of us, together with our diversity, are invited to go beyond borders to build a world where care, love, justice and inclusion are the answer to pain, the horror of wars and divisions,’ explains the band.
What is behind the song?
‘The new song is in itself a ‘beyond borders’ experience because of the way it was produced,’ the band continues. The vocals were recorded in three different parts of the world and the video was also shot in three different locations: Loppiano and Verona (Italy) and Recife (Brazil).
The project includes the participation of two youth music groups that share Gen Verde values. Banda Unità is a Brazilian band and AsOne is a band from Verona, Italy. These groups also want to share, through music, the values of peace, dialogue and universal brotherhood.
‘Start Here and Now’ has an intergenerational and intercultural mix,’ continues Gen Verde. “This single stands out for its highly engaging rhythm and powerful lyrics, sung in different languages, to bring out the creative process inspired by interculturality and the commitment to universal brotherhood that is emphasised in the international Genfest event”.
Gen Verde played this song for the first time in Aparecida, Brazil, together with the musical groups Banda Unità and AsOne on 20 July 2024 during Genfest, the Focolare Movement’s global youth event. This edition was entitled: ‘Juntos para Cuidar – Together to Care’.
The third phase of Genfest 2024, held in Aparecida, Brazil, included workshops organized by so-called United World Communities – meeting places where young people can share their talents and passions. These communities offer the opportunity to discover talented people, concrete forms of commitment and initiate actions and projects aimed at building a more united world, which seek to respond to the local and global challenges of today’s world; to activate processes of personal and collective change; and to grow fraternity and reciprocity in all dimensions of human life. An important feature of these communitites is that they are the fruits of work between people of different generations.
Continuing the experiences of the previous phases of Genfest, in this third phase the youth were able to participate in workshops in different areas, whose methodology was based on fraternity and dialogue, as a proof for projects and actions that can now be developed in the “glocal” sphere (local projects with a global perspective). Activities were held in the areas of economics and work, cross-culture and dialogue, spirituality and human rights, health and ecology, art and social engagement, education and research, communication and media, and active citizenship and politics. The teams responsible for running the workshops were composed of young people and professionals who worked intensively for months to organize these activities.
From now on, Communities will have a working method that consists of three steps: Learning, Acting, and Sharing. The first (to Learn) is an in-depth exploration and analysis of the most current themes and issues in each community, with the goal of identifying problems and presenting solutions. The next phase (Take Action) is the implementation of actions with primarily local impact, but with a global perspective. Finally, in the third phase (Sharing), it is proposed that the community promote spaces for ongoing exchange and dialogue between initiatives, with the aim of strengthening the global collaboration network. An application-the United World Communities WebApp, -has been created as a tool for sharing ideas, experiences and news, as well as promoting collaborative projects.
“God has visited everyone’s heart.”
Al termine della terza fase del Genfest, le Communities hanno presentato in modo creativo le loro impressioni e alcuni dei risultati delle attività svolte nei giorni precedenti. Da questo lavoro è nato il documento “The United World Community: One Family, One Common Home”, che sarà il contributo dei partecipanti del Genfest 2024 al “Summit of the Future” delle Nazioni Unite del prossimo settembre. Secondo i giovani che hanno presentato il testo, esso non è un documento conclusivo, ma vuole essere un “programma di vita e di lavoro” per le varie United World Communities, oltre che una testimonianza da presentare al “Summit of the Future”.
“With our communities we don’t want to make demands, formulate slogans or complain about political leaders,” the young people said. “Instead, we seek to name our common dreams, dreams of a united world. Personal and communal dreams, which will guide us in our activities in the coming years.” They concluded, “We hope that by living them, ‘together’ and step by step, they will become signs of hope for others.”
Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare Movement, also spoke at the conclusion of Genfest 2024. Jesús Morán said that although the experience of care has been the most lived experience in human history, it is not the one that has been reflected on the most.
This has begun to change, as was demonstrated at the Genfest, in which care emerged as a response to the need for human dignity. In this sense, he concluded, it is important that young people remain connected to this global network of generative communities. Margaret Karram, for her part, said she has seen throughout the Genfest experience that young people have given tangible witness to their faith and are already in action to build a united world. Regarding Phase 3 in particular, she emphasized the richness of this experience because of its creativity, intergenerational and intercultural imprint, and the fact that, through the communities, there is a concrete possibility of living the same Genfest experience in one’s daily life. She concluded by calling on the young people to be the protagonists of these communities, the foundation of which is unity. “Please do not miss this unique opportunity that we are experiencing here: God has visited the heart of each of us and is now calling everyone to be protagonists and bearers of unity in the various areas in which they are involved”.
We have just heard stories of peace that were expressed in the most varied forms: songs, prayers, experiences, real projects.
All this strengthens in us the confidence and hope that it is possible to be peacemakers. Pope Francis says that we must be ‘artisans of peace’ every day. And to do this we need perseverance and patience to be able to look with love at all the brothers and sisters we meet on our path.
From this Genfest we have learnt that peace begins with me, with small gestures of care for others, for our peoples and for creation.
So where can we start?
We have said it several times in these days: by breaking down all the barriers that divide us, so as to live for fraternity. And this we can do:
by discovering that our common humanity is more important than all our differences;
then by being ready to forgive and to make gestures of reconciliation. Because to forgive means to say to the other: ‘You are worth much more than your actions’.
And as we did in the first phase of Genfest, let us continue, even when we return home, to be artisans of peace in our relationships, taking the first step towards others. Love will inspire us what to do, and to whom we should go.
Let us forgive without waiting for the other person to ask for forgiveness.
May this Genfest be the moment of our YES TO PEACE.
We must never feel alone again. In these days we have seen and certainly we have experienced the power of ‘togetherness’, Juntos.
Let us be united with all those who are living and working for peace. The communities we are going to build in Phase Three are already a possible way forward.
Open your eyes to visions of peace! Speak a language of peace! Make gestures of peace! For the practice of peace leads to peace. Peace reveals itself and offers itself to those who achieve, day after day, all the forms of peace of which they are capable.(*)
Open, speak and act.
So: let us not be at peace until we bring about peace!
Beginning on July 19, 2024, the second phase of Genfest 2024, the event and the youth of the Focolare Movement, concluded its program on July 21, 2024 with the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Aparecida, in Aparecida (São Paulo), Brazil. The central event of Genfest, which for the first time had its international version on the Latin American continent, brought together about 4,000 participants from more than 50 countries and, from the beginning, was marked by contagious joy. In addition, thousands of people around the world followed part of the program via streaming.
With the theme “Together to Care,” the young people gathered at the “Father Vítor Coelho de Almeida Event Center” promoted an intense program that combined celebration, art, creativity and testimony, an expression of the conviction that building universal fraternity requires concrete initiatives to take care of life on the planet, especially in terms of caring for people in different conditions of vulnerability and nature, as Pope Francis insistently requested.
Opening Ceremony
At the inauguration, the young people were welcomed by the Archbishop of Aparecida, Msgr. Orlando Brandes; the apostolic nuncio to Brazil, Msgr. Giambattista Diquattro; the rector of the Aparecida Shrine, Father Eduardo Catalfo; and the president of the Focolare Movement, Margaret Karram, among the dignitaries present. Bishop Orlando Brandes read a message sent by Cardinal Piero Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, on behalf of Pope Francis. “We know how to react with a new dream of fraternity and social friendship that is not limited to words,” was the message read. In her words of greeting to the youth, Margaret Karram emphasized that “together, our dreams will come true.” Afterwards, the youth were treated to a “Latin American party” with artistic performances typical of different countries. It was an explosion of joy that involved everyone.
Day 2
A time to find directions, or more precisely, paths, for a united world. This is how the second day of the second phase of Genfest 2024 began. On the one hand, young people from around the world told how they tried to build fraternal relationships in their environments. This was the case, for example, of Adelina, from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, who had to deal with the tragedy caused by the rains that hit her city in May 2024, and Joseph, from Sierra Leone, who was separated from his family as a child and recruited by militiamen fighting the African country’s government troops with acts of violence. Artistic moments drew attention to some major issues in the world today, such as ecology and citizenship, while so-called spark changers, specialists in different areas, offered the audience some brief reflections that could bring about change in the world.
Saturday’s program also included a “preview” of Genfest Phase 3: workshops were held on different themes, always with a view to “caring” for life in its different expressions. Finally, a journey around the world with stories of personal resilience or social action, but all that had fraternity as their motivation to “embrace humanity and initiate change.” The second day’s program was concluded on the Genfest stage which saw a number of young people from Turkey, Australia, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Italy and Colombia telling how they have faced or helped others cope with grief when it seems to take away the meaning of life. The presentations, however, were not limited to personal stories. A wide variety of social initiatives were also presented on stage, such as Rimarishun, a cross-cultural project in Ecuador. Also presenting from Brazil were the Amazon Project, Quilombo Rio dos Macacos di Salvador (Afro-descendant communities) and La Casa do Menor, whose choreography received a standing ovation.
Closing Ceremony
The program for the final day of the second phase of Genfest 2024 began by looking to the past to think about the future. Some of the projects launched at the last Genfest in 2018 were recalled and have already begun to bear fruit, even in the real sense, as in the case of planting trees in areas prone to degradation. Following the example of what was done in the last Genfest in Manila, Philippines, some projects were presented to be continued after these days.
The first project will start with the third phase of Genfest. These are the “United World Communities,” which will bring together young people-including those who could not attend the event in Aparecida-in groups by areas of knowledge, from economics to work, from politics to citizenship. Young people interested in the various areas will be able to sign up for these communities based on their “passion,” as the organizers put it.
An important tool for implementing these communities is the United World Project. Launched in 2012 at Genfest in Budapest, Hungary, it is in fact a program to spread fraternity on a large scale and bring together actions in this direction, making it possible to share experiences with many young people around the world.
Another action born of this Genfest, which was more immediate, is the launch of a questionnaire to collect proposals from young people for the “ Pact for the Future,” a manifesto that will be presented at the Summit of the Future, an international summit to be organized by the UN in September 2024.
Building international communities requires dialogue. Much of the session was devoted to this theme. Rabbi Silvina Chemen and a young Muslim leader, Israa Safieddine, shared how they try to build dialogue.
Fourteen young Latin Americans from six Christian churches presented Ikuméni, a workshop of ecumenical and interreligious best practices. These are all initiatives whose ultimate goal is peacebuilding, the theme to which the entire last part of the program was devoted.
Carlos Palma from Uruguay presented the Living Peace project. A video of Chiara Lubich reminded how peace can be built today: by living mutual love.
The young Genfest participants with flags from all countries finally paraded, calling for peace in every nation. At the end, Focolare Movement President Margaret Karram called on everyone to be peacemakers, breaking down barriers that divide people and taking the initiative to forgive: “Let this Genfest be a time to say yes to peace,” she concluded.
On a sunny day in June 2024, more than 400 guests from all over the world came to Montet, Switzerland, to greet the multicolored and international Focolare community. The Movement’s formation center will indeed be closed and the community will focus its efforts on other formation centers. During the second half of the year 2024, most residents will leave the small town in French-speaking Switzerland to join other communities.
The people in charge of the “Mariapolis Foco,” as this citadel is called, Maria Regina Piazza and Markus Näf explained the path that led to this step: “To understand this decision, one has to look at the path that the Focolare Movement has made considering the decline in vocations to consecrated life and the challenges of today’s society around the world.” It is about “redistributing forces and reducing structures to promote proximity to people where it is most needed.”
Markus Näf – Maria Regina PiazzaMargaret Karram – Jesús Morán – Celine RuffieuxIon Sauca
Guests in attendance from the worlds of politics, society and churches emphasized how much the citadel has shaped and positively influenced the surrounding area: peace, a sense of community, a spirit of unity and fraternity were spread, and a testimony of mutual love was given. In total, nearly 3,800 people lived here over the course of 43 years, most of them teenagers and young adults.
In a greeting statement, the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, expressed gratitude for the rich ecumenical experiences shared and lived together during the students’ annual visits to Geneva and emphasized that “the real legacy of the Montet Center is not its physical structure, but rather the fellowship, relationships, and Gospel values promoted.”
Cédric Péclard, longtime mayor of Les Montets, to whose municipality the village of Montet belongs, greatly regretted this closure. However, he was pleased that the “ Cube of Peace” from the Focolare Center park was donated to the municipality. This interactive sculpture embodies and conveys values that are important to the Focolare Movement and in fact originated in the village: a group of focolarine had created it to work with children during their stay in Montet, then “the cube” spread around the world. A large mobile model of it can be found today in a playground in the center of Les Montets.
Dr. Vasile-Octavian Mihoc
In her speech, Focolare President Margaret Karram, who was present together with Co-President Jesús Morán in Montet, did not hide how painful it was for the international community to close this center. “We feel very clearly that we must look to humanity that awaits the gift of peace, of unity, and that we must be able to grasp, even through circumstances, God’s desire for us and for our activities and structures.” The decision to close the Focolare Citadel in Montet was not taken lightly. “It is like witnessing the pruning of a tree that has borne so much good fruit for many years,” she said. “But we know that nothing happens by chance, but Divine Providence is always behind everything.” And she encouraged everyone – guests and residents – to take the experience gained in Montet to the world: “Many of you will be destined for other cities, other countries, other communities or you will return to your own country and you will take wherever you go the valuable experience that you have had here, and that therefore, will not only continue but will bring you an even greater dimension of love that will amaze you because it will be new.”
The future involves the sale of the 5-hectare estate. A committee headed by Hugo Fasel, former director of Caritas Switzerland, will oversee the sale and ensure that the future use of the property is in line with the values of the Focolare Movement.
Juruti, in the State of Parà, is reached after seven hours by motorboat, the fastest means of transport, from Santarém. Its inhabitants say proudly that this area is the heart of the lower Brazilian Amazon, where the only connecting “road” is the Amazon River, the “river-sea”, as the local people call it. It is the first river in the world in terms of volume of water and the second by length. It marks time, social life, trade and the relationships between the approximately 23 million inhabitants of this vast region, where 55.9% of the Brazil’s indigenous population lives. It is one of the most precious ecosystems on the planet and yet political and economic interests are the cause of conflicts and violence that continue to multiply daily. Here the disruptive beauty of nature is directly proportional to the problems of quality of life and survival.
Care, the key word for the Amazon
Margaret Karram and Jesús Morán, President and Co-President of the Focolare, Bernadette Ngabo and Ángel Bartol of the Movement’s International Centre and Marvia Vieira and Aurélio Martins de Oliveira Júnior, national co-directors of the Movement came to meet and spend a few days with the Focolare communities of the region. They were welcomed by Msgr. Bernardo Bahlmann O.F.M., Bishop of Óbidos. He said, “Observing and listening is the first thing we can learn in the Amazon”.
He spoke of the differentiated culture of this land, where indigenous characteristics coexist with aspects of the Western world. Social coexistence presents many challenges: poverty, lack of respect for human rights, exploitation of women and destruction of the forest heritage. He said, “All this is a question of rethinking what it means to take care of the riches of this land, of its original traditions, of creation, of the uniqueness of each person, to find, together, a new path towards a more integrated culture”.
Santarém, where the Church is secular
Msgr. Ireneu Roman, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Santarém continued the commentary, saying that this would be, “An impossible task without the involvement of the laity. They are the true strength of the Amazon Church”. There are about a thousand catechists in its parish communities. They support Christian formation, the liturgy of the Word and social projects. Msgr. Roman asked the Focolare community in the Amazon to bring its specific contribution: “unity in ecclesial structures and in society, because what this land needs most is to relearn communion”.
The presence of the Focolare and the Amazon Project
The first men’s’ community of the Focolare arrived in Óbidos in 2020 at the request of Msgr. Bahlmann and six months ago a women’s’ one opened in Juruti. Today in the Amazon there are seven focolarini, including a doctor, two priests, a psychologist and an economist.
Marvia Vieira and Aurélio Martins de Oliveira Júnior explained, “We are in the Amazon to support the great missionary work that the Church carries out with indigenous peoples. In 2003, one of the guidelines of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference was to increase the presence of the Church in the Amazon region, because the vastness of the territory and the lack of priests made it difficult to provide adequate spiritual and human assistance.”
Thus, 20 years ago, the “Amazon Project” was born where members of the Focolare Movement from all over Brazil went for a period to places chosen in agreement with the Dioceses, to carry out evangelization actions, training courses for families, young people, adolescents and children, medical and psychological visits, dental care and more.
Edson Gallego, a focolarino priest of Óbidos and the parish priest told us, “Perhaps we will not be able to solve the many problems of these people but we can be close to them, share joys and sorrows. This is what we have been trying to do since we arrived, in communion with the different ecclesial realities of the city.”
The women focolarine explained that it is not always easy to change one’s mental categories: “We often delude ourselves to give answers, but it is we who come out enriched by every encounter, by the strong presence of God that emerges everywhere: in nature, but above all in people”.
Building up people and society
In Juruti the focolarine collaborate with the agencies of the Church that work for development. The “Bom Pastor” “casulo” is one of the 24 kindergartens in the city, which follows a specific pedagogical line that educates children to be aware of their own culture and traditions, to have a sense of community and to be aware of themselves and of others. This is an important choice for an integral and person centred education. The “9 de Abril na Providência de Deus” Hospital is managed by the “São Francisco de Assis na Provincia de Deus” Fraternity. It serves the population of the city (approximately 51,000 inhabitants), nearby towns and river communities, focussing on those who cannot afford to pay for care. The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on the other hand, animate the “Mother Clelia” Coexistence Centre where they welcome a hundred young people annually, creating alternatives for professional training and contributing to personal development, in particular of young people at risk.
The Focolare community has also been working in synergy with parishes and ecclesial organizations for years. When Margaret Karram met it and other communities from around, she thanked the people for their generosity, evangelical concreteness and welcome: “You have reinforced in all of us the sense of being one world family and even if we live far apart, we are united by the same gift and mission: to bring fraternity where we live and throughout the world”.
Promoting human dignity
A one hour boat trip from Óbidos, through a network of canals that wind through the Amazon forest brings you to the Quilombo Pauxi Mocambo, an indigenous community of a thousand Afro-descendants. It is linked to Edson’s parish. He tries to go at least once a month to celebrate Mass and, together with the focolarini, share, listen and play with the children. The community is made up of about a thousand people who, although immersed in a paradisiacal nature, live in particularly disadvantaged conditions. Isolation, struggle for survival, violence, lack of equal rights, access to education and basic medical care, are the daily challenges these river communities face. Here too, for two years, the diocese of Óbidos has been running a project entitled, “Força para as mulheres e crianças da Amazônia”. It is aimed at women and children and promotes an integral formation of the person in the spiritual, health, educational, psychological, and economic sustenance fields. A young mother proudly recounted her progress in the home economics course: “I learned a lot and discovered that I have skills and ideas”.
Certainly it is a drop in the great sea of the needs of these peoples. Jesús Morán said, “It is true that alone, we will never solve the many social problems. Our mission, also here in the Amazon, is to change hearts and bring unity in the Church and in society. What we do makes sense if people focus their lives on the good. And that’s the real change.”
Listening to the focolarini in the Amazon highlights the fact that welcoming, sharing and learning is the “evangelical dynamic” that emerges, where each and every one feels personally called by God to be his instrument to “listen to the cry of the Amazon” (47-52), as Pope Francis wrote in his extraordinary post-synodal exhortation Querida Amazonia and to contribute to the growth of a “culture of encounter towards a ‘multifaceted harmony’” (61).
On July 16th, 1949, Chiara Lubich and Igino Giordani made a “Pact of Unity.” It was a spiritual experience that heralded in a period of light and special union with God.
It had an effect on the life of the first Focolare community back then, but also impacted the history of the Movement together with its commitment to working toward a more fraternal and united world.
Seventy-five years after that day, here is a brief look at what that Pact meant then, and what it can mean today as we continue to live by it.
“Peace between peoples, the care of the planet, economics and politics that put the person, justice and dignity at the centre. At the Genfest we will work, discuss and plan for this at a worldwide level”. This is what the youth of the Focolare Movement say, explaining the gathering of thousands of young people for this international event from the 12th to the 24th of July. The event “Juntos para cuidar” aims, as the title suggests, to promote care together at a worldwide level for the most vulnerable and distressed individuals and sectors of humanity, regardless of cultural, ethnic or religious differences.
In this period of change, a new cultural paradigm is needed, no longer based on the individual, but on social relationships open to all in a culture of universal fraternity. In this perspective complexities are valued rather than eliminated, in a deeper understanding of the story of humanity and its peoples.
Genfest 2024will have three phases: voluntary work, a main event, and the creation of groupings (‘communities’) according to academic or professional interest, which will remain connected and work for the furthering of a more united world in countries of origin. It aims to be an immersive experience, where the leaders and thinkers are the youth themselves. Dialogue and collaboration between generations will be the essential components for the changes to be proposed to international institutions. Some parts of the event will be streamed onthe Genfest 2024 Youtube channel.
As a conclusion, the new steps and existing or nascent projects which aim to build a more united and peaceful world will be brought together in a document to be presented to the United Nations Summit of the Future(22-23 September 2024). It will contain projects and practical ideas for a more just and fraternal world, as a contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda.
Those who cannot participate in the main event in Brazil can find an event nearer to home. There will be 44 local Genfests: in South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Pakistan, Vietnam, Jordan, Egypt, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, DRC, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Italy.
Juntos para cuidar: the programme
Experience – The first week of Genfest, from the 12th to the 18th of July, is an “immersive” experience of voluntary work in one of 40 projects and organisations offering opportunities in various countries of Latin America and elsewhere. These activities are the result of collaboration with UNIRedes, which brings together more than 50 organisations, projects and social movements in 12 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting transformation in various spheres (art and culture, the environment, democratic government, education, work, etc.) through the active commitment of all those involved.
Celebrate – From the 18th to the 21st of July the youth will come together for the main event at the National Shrine Arena in Aparecida. They will hear experiences and share strategies for peace and fraternity also through artistic and musical presentations. The event will be streamed to more than 120 different countries. It will be a wide-ranging festival of ideas and initiatives and inspire thousands of young people of many different cultures, ethnic groups and religions to live for a united world.
Learning and sharing – The third phase is from 21st to the 24th of July. The young people will come together in eight groupings called ‘communities’, according to their fields of interest: economics and work, interculturality and dialogue, spirituality and human rights, health and ecology, art and social commitment, education and research, communication and media, active citizenship and politics.
In these spaces the young people will learn, discuss, and formulate new ways of shared commitment to spread the culture of fraternity, through local projects in a global perspective. Returning to their countries of origin, they will work locally in their preferred sector, growing in a culture marked by fraternity and relationality.
An international team of academics, professionals, social and political activists and leaders – young and old – will assist the participants in their discussions and group work.
Among those who have confirmed their presence: Luigino Bruni, economist (Italy), Choie Funk, architect and social activist (Philippines), Jander Manauara, rapper and activist (Brazil), Carlos Palma, coordinator of Living Peace (Uruguay), Myrian Vasques, Indigenous advisor (Brazil), Silvina Chemen, director of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at the Rabbinic Seminary (Argentina), John Mundell, director of the Vatican Laudato Si Action Platform (USA), Nicolas Maggi Berrueta, violinist, Peace Ambassador (Uruguay), Israa Safieddine, education consultant and specialist in the teaching of Islam (USA).
The Gen Rosso international band recently visited Madagascar, performing eight shows in seven cities. They travelled extensively across this beautiful island to spread a message of peace and fraternity through music and dance.
The 950 kms journey from the capital, Antananarivo, to Toliara in the extreme south took two days.
Valerio Gentile, spokesperson for the band, told us, “The community of the Focolare Movement in Tolear welcomed us with a big celebration, gifting us traditional headgear and necklaces and expressing their joy through traditional dances and songs. We performed with a local group, the Choeur des Jeunes de Saint Benjamin, at a well-known restaurant in the city; that was the beginning of our tour in Madagascar”.
The next day Gen Rosso held workshops at the Don Bosco School, which culminated in a concert in the amphitheatre. One girl, moved to tears, said, “It was the best day of my life,”. And a young teacher added: “You have brought out real values for us to live by; I feel that I have to live my life according to the aims expressed in your songs and that we shared with you during the workshops.”
Valerio elaborated on the workshops, highlighting an innovative percussion session using recycled plastic bottles and yellow barrels, commonly used in Africa as water and oil containers. These became improvised musical instruments, turning the session into an environmental action promoting planet protection.
Another significant event took place at the École Père Barré School, where 300 high school students joined Gen Rosso on stage. In the introduction, the participants were invited to live out a saying during the workshop: “make space for love”.
Adelson of Gen Rosso began by saying, “We are not here to put on a show for you, but with you for the whole city”.
The final concert at the Jardin de la Mer came all too soon. It was opened by the Choeur des Jeunes de Saint Benjamin. However, an unexpected power cut interrupted the performance. When the power returned, Gen Rosso resumed, and the young audience participated enthusiastically.
A second blackout occurred at sunset, plunging the area into darkness.
Valerio explained, “We decided to improvise with torches. Several youth groups from the workshops performed, showcasing creativity and joy. The young people of Toliara were the true stars of the show!”
One participant remarked, “Thanks to Gen Rosso, we discovered our resilience,” echoing sentiments about uncovering life’s authentic values, talents, and the right direction to take.
Valerio shared, “These words encouraged us for our final event in Antananarivo at the Fanovozantsoa School. In just a few hours, the young people were ready to sing, dance—hip-hop and Latin American—and perform percussion. The concert on May 18th was a resounding success, filled with applause, hugs, and selfies. It was an unforgettable moment etched in everyone’s hearts.”
he tour concluded with a Mass for Pentecost in Akamasoa, near the City of Friendship, a community established 30 years ago by Argentine missionary Father Pedro to help the poor through job opportunities, education, and health services.
Valerio reflected, “We celebrated with a colourful Mass in the morning and a joyful show in the afternoon in the outdoor amphitheatre. The concert brought together families, young people, the elderly, and children, delivering a message of hope to build a new society based on love.”
On behalf of the band, Valerio concluded, “Thank you, Madagascar, for your millions of hearts beating every day with solidarity, resilience, simplicity, serenity, lightness, humility, joy, and peace. From now on, you ‘travel’ with us as a gift to take to the world!”
