Artist and musician Yoko Ono will take the first shovel of earth towards a peace column to be erected on Videy island, off the north coast of Reykjavík, on October 9. On that same day Ono will present two LennonOno grants for peace amounting to USD 50,000 at a special reception in Höfdi House, the site of the summit between Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev in the early 1980s that effectively marked the end of the Cold War. Recipients of the grants will be the organizations Doctors Without Borders and Center for Constitutional Rights. Until now, the presentation of the grants has taken place at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York, but Ono allegedly chose Iceland this year due to the beauty of the country. This is reported by Fréttabladid and Morgunbladid online.
Ono had the idea for a peace column some 40 years ago and decided several years ago that she would like it to be situated in Reykjavík. The column will contain the prayers of people across the globe. October 9 is a significant day, as it would have marked John Lennon’s 66th birthday and is also the birthday of Ono and Lennon’s son Sean.
