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By Renée Tillotson

“Koholā Ola is the Whale that Gives Life,
the Whale that is the Mother of our oceans,
and we must love her now and listen to her whale song.”
– Sooriya Kumar

Ke Koholā No Ma Maluhia Honua – The Whale for World Peace Program

On Saturday, June 2, Sooriya Kumar launched the Whale for World Peace project with an all-faith blessing ceremony, completed with pounding the first strikes on gigantic cooper whale sculptures. Sooriya Kumar has spent the last 3 decades on Oahu, and now at his organic Mouna Farm, seeking to improve life for the people and environment on the Waianae Coast and to facilitate cooperation and respect amongst people of all faiths. As a copper artist of world renown, his Whale for World Peace project marks a grand finale of an illustrious career.

This ambitious non-profit endeavor will organize adults and children to make their indelible mark on our beautiful islands by hammering out a life-sized mother (45 feet long) and calf (25 feet long) humpback whale in copper. Sooriya envisions thousands of hands helping to pound the copper whales into existence. The pieces will be finished by the end of the year and mounted on the front of the soon-to-be-built Nanakuli Community Center.

The whale symbolizes reaching across all oceans to bring us all together as one global ohana (family). This experience of collaboration will support us in envisioning a new global reality of love and support. The project exemplifies Hawaii’s aloha spirit and humanity’s cooperative nature, as well as our care for the land and sea.

“All people have heart. Children and kupuna (elders) of all ages, all spiritual beliefs, all walks of life, and all ethnic backgrounds must come together to bring world peace, unity and healing through art. All are needed. All are welcome to build and share in the spreading of this Whale’s message.” – Sooriya Kumar of Mouna Farm

As Sooriya says, your children and your children’s children for a hundred years will see your contribution to the world.

If you are an interested individual or if you are involved in a school, youth group, community group, religious organization, etc. you can make arrangements to come help pound the copper. You can also help financially. To find out how to help and how to make a contribution, please go to:

koholaolapeaceproject.org

koholaolapeaceproject@gmail.com

donorbox.org/kohola-ola-whale-4-peace-project

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This post is also available in: 日本語 (Japanese)