THE official opening of the John Hume Peace Prize Collection at Derry’s Guildhall will take place this Saturday night.
The former SDLP leader, who died in 2020 aged 83, was the only person to have been awarded the world’s three major international peace prizes, the Nobel Peace Prize, the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize and the Martin Luther King Jnr Non-violent Prize.
Saturday night’s invitation-only event will also include an extract from a forthcoming musical drama based on Mr Hume’s life.
Following Mr Hume’s death, his wife Pat, who passed away last year, presented the three awards to the people of Derry to go on permanent display at the Guildhall. At the handover of the prizes in May last year, Mrs Hume said her husband had built alliances for change in Ireland, and throughout the world but always remained rooted in his native Derry.
She said: “We believe it is right for the people of Derry to have the opportunity to share these peace awards."
The ceremony will feature a musical performance from the forthcoming Beyond Belief production which honours Mr Hume’s life. The musical drama will be premiered in full next April to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Saturday’s event will also include a panel discussion and guest speakers including Derry and Strabane mayor Sandra Duffy, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, former leader Mark Durkan and former head of the International Fund for Ireland William McCarter and members of Mr Hume's family among others.
