In response to rising knife crime in London, acclaimed UK street artist Ben Eine partnered with Prem Rawat to make a powerful statement that “Peace is Possible” with a mural along a highly visited section of Ebor Street.
As Eine painted the “Peace Wall” last weekend, crowds gathered to watch and show their support for peace, and social media channels were filled with supportive posts that used the hashtag, #PeaceisPossible.
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- Ben Eine
Prem Rawat has a long history of promoting the message that peace is possible, and he has taken many initiatives to help make peace a reality for people across the world. One of them is the Peace Education Program (PEP), a series of innovative multimedia workshops that helps participants discover a sense of inner hope and contentment.
Street Art News, a popular online magazine for news about urban contemporary art, covered the mural project, noting:
“The Peace Wall is part of Prem Rawat’s larger tribute to use his international experience and Peace Education Program (PEP) towards helping heal communities affected by violence. His work and PEP initiative have helped to heal communities around the world, including in Colombia where Prem has helped bring peace to ex-combatants, victims and other groups impacted by the five-decade civil war with FARC.”
Street Art News also included a statement from Eine:
“With so many stabbings in London already this year, it’s paramount that we’re all working towards a solution to this horrible epidemic and trying our best to heal those who have been caught up in it all. I am proud to be involved in this project that seeks to bring hope to communities affected by knife crime. Hopefully this Peace Wall will help keep the discussion alive and inspire people to work towards a practical solution.”
Prem Rawat will address knife crime at a June 10 event in London with Pastor Lorraine Jones, whose son, Dwayne, was stabbed to death in Brixton in 2014.
Jones has since been recognized by London’s mayor and police chief for her advocacy work against youth violence. She founded Dwaynamics, a boxing, fitness, and youth empowerment organization to give marginalized youth constructive outlets.
Last weekend, as Eine was painting, Dwaynamics helped organize a screening of Inside Peace, a film that documents the impact of peace education on inmates at Dominguez State Jail in San Antonio, Texas. The event was covered by the Brixton Blog.
