"Planned in 2019. Delayed by a pandemic. Arriving in 2026."
Peace Boat offices, Tokyo · 2025123rd Peace Boat Global Voyage · 2026
平和の船
A transnational artistic and educational residency aboard one of the world's most recognized peace voyages. From Yokohama to Singapore — concerts, lectures, and embodied workshops at sea, where the ocean itself becomes the space of encounter.
"The ocean has always been a space of crossing — and of encounter."
Peace Boat is one of the world's most recognized platforms for peace education and intercultural dialogue — a global voyage that brings together passengers, educators, artists, and activists from across the world for weeks of shared learning and encounter at sea.
The Bridges for Dialogue Peace Boat Residency integrates artistic performance with research-based reflection on dialogue, cultural identity, and peacebuilding. Vilma Esquivel and Patricia Vlieg bring their combined practice — music, music therapy, academic research, and decades of intercultural facilitation — aboard for a voyage from Yokohama to Singapore.
This is an initiative at the intersection of art, education, and lived peace practice — where the ship itself becomes a laboratory for intercultural encounter. The residency marks Phase V of the Bridges for Dialogue trajectory: the formalization of a long and deliberate practice as a named platform with international presence.
"Planned in 2019. Delayed by a pandemic. Arriving in 2026."
Peace Boat offices, Tokyo · 2025The residency program is designed as an integrated arc — each element building on the last, creating conditions for genuine intercultural encounter and embodied reflection over the course of the voyage.
Concerts
Curated concerts weaving Latin American music, intercultural repertoire, and narrative context. Each performance is a structured space of encounter — where music opens a shared space across languages, cultures, and histories.
Lectures & Talks
Research-based presentations drawing on Vilma and Patricia's academic work at Soka University. Topics include music as vehicle for identity formation, embodied mediation, and the role of culture in peacebuilding.
Workshops
Facilitated workshops drawing on Vilma's background in music therapy and somatic regulation — bringing the body into the practice of dialogue across difference.
123rd Peace Boat Global Voyage — April 7–17, 2026. East and Southeast Asia, port calls in Kobe and Hong Kong.
Japan · April 7
Departure at 12:00 noon. Embarkation, emergency drill, ship orientation.
Japan · April 8–9
Welcome Show rehearsals and two public performances with Flamenco on April 9.
At Sea · April 10–11
Concert ① — "Bridges for Dialogue: Encounters at the Beginning of our Journey" — two performances on April 11.
China · April 12
Arrive April 12 at 10:00, depart April 12 at 23:00. Free day in port.
At Sea · April 13–16
Lecture (April 14) · Workshop (April 14) · Q&A (April 15) · Concert ② "Panamá en el Corazón (Panama in the Heart)" two performances (April 16) · Farewell Dinner.
Singapore · April 17
Arrive April 17 at 7:00. Disembarkation. End of residency.
About Peace Boat
Peace Boat is a Japan-based international NGO founded in 1983. It operates a global voyage aboard its own ship, bringing together passengers, educators, artists, and activists for weeks of shared learning, intercultural dialogue, and peace education.
Each voyage visits 20 to 30 countries, hosting onboard programs and port events designed to build people-to-people connection and global understanding. Peace Boat has been recognized by the United Nations.
For Bridges for Dialogue, this residency brings artistic diplomacy, embodied dialogue, and intercultural encounter to a global community already committed to peace.
More than a performance opportunity — a statement about what Bridges for Dialogue is and where it stands.
For
The residency marks the formal transition from trajectory to platform — Phase V of a 20-year arc. It places Bridges for Dialogue in a recognized international context, alongside educators, activists, and artists from across the world.
For
Passengers from across the world encounter Panamanian and Latin American music, embodied dialogue practices, and research-based reflection on culture and peace — experiences that expand perspective and deepen the voyage's educational arc.
For
The residency contributes to the growing body of practice at the intersection of artistic diplomacy and peace education — demonstrating that music and embodied practice are not peripheral to peacebuilding, but central to it.
The Peace Boat Residency is made possible through the support of partners, foundations, and individuals who understand that art and dialogue are essential tools for building a more peaceful world.
Institutional Partnership
Embassies, cultural institutes, universities, and bilateral organizations supporting the residency as part of their cultural diplomacy programs.
Philanthropic Support
Foundations and individuals committed to intercultural dialogue, peace education, and the role of art in building human connection.
Corporate Sponsorship
Organizations with a presence across the Panama–Japan corridor or a commitment to cultural exchange and international community.
Research & Academic Collaboration
Institutions supporting documentation, publication, and academic dissemination of the residency's peace-building frameworks.