Friendship band woven as symbol of peace for int'l festival in Greece

The "Friendship, love and peace band" is sewn in the Burhaniye district of the western city of Balıkesir as part of the International Friendship, Peace, Culture and Art Festival, which will be held in Naoussa, Greece for the second time between April 30 and May 4.

The 36-meter-long band is prepared at a fashion design studio in Burhaniye with the support of 330 artists from 10 countries including Turkey. Fashion designer Ülkü Gülşah Belet, who is involved in the sewing of the band, said the piece will be 36 meters in length but could be longer with additions made until the day of the festival.

A total of 77 people from Turkey will participate in the festival and the band has been nominated for the Guinness Book of Records. Hasan Kadakçı who represents Turkey at the festival said the band is the project of Maria Loumpourdi, the president of the Greek Art Union.

"The project is about artists in music, literature and the visual arts, embracing the world with friendship, peace and love as digital photographs of their works are printed on cloth. Its main purpose is to increase awareness of the importance of peace and brotherhood and to reunite people around them. Our band is 110 centimeters in width and 36 meters in length and will get wider and longer as more artists get involved. It has been four months since we started preparing it and 330 artists from Turkey, Greece, Romania, Germany, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Spain, Belarus and Cyprus have participated in the project thus far. It will be taken to Greece on April 28 for the International Friendship, Peace, Culture and Art Festival and will be taken back to Turkey to be exhibited at an event. Depending on demand, it can be placed on exhibit in other countries, as well," Kadakçı said.

Kadakçı also added that they made an official application to the Guinness Book of Records, noting, "We are now nominated for the Guinness Book of Records. After adding the additional parts, this will be the biggest band in the world. The project was born in Greece and is now being realized in Turkey. After we receive all the necessary documents, all procedures including printing and sewing will take place in Turkey," Kadakçı said.