The original feature was published in Japanese by Japan Grace in its Summer 2026 issue. The text below is a summary translation prepared by Bridges for Dialogue for international readers.
水先案内人から見たピースボートクルーズ
Peace Boat Cruise — from the Guest Lecturer's Perspective. Encounters and exchanges with guest lecturers active in various fields around the world are a unique attraction of Peace Boat cruises. Time spent touching people's lives, experiences and thoughts about the world through lectures and performances leads to a deeper, richer journey.
国境、言語を越えて平和を構築する
Building Peace Across Borders and Languages. Aboard Peace Boat, Patricia Vlieg and Vilma Esquivel performed two concerts. The first, Bridge to Dialogue, offered songs in English, French, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese, bringing people together through encounter and discovery.
The second, With Love from Panama, featured a Venezuelan string quartet playing alongside them, carrying the music of Panama to the audience.
Translators were prepared for multiple languages throughout, allowing the artists to connect heart to heart with many participants across borders. Peace Boat reminded them that recognizing shared humanity, and protecting the Earth and the future held in common, is the path forward.
Peace Boat reminded us that recognizing our shared humanity is the path forward.
Japan Grace · Summer 2026
Patricia Vlieg — Profile
Singer, pianist and composer from Panama. Berklee College of Music graduate and recipient of the Quincy Jones Award. Her work advances intercultural understanding and peacebuilding through music.
Vilma Esquivel — Profile
Music therapist, classical guitarist and researcher from Panama. Founder of music therapy associations in Panama, with more than thirty years of work with UN organizations on social change. Her current work pursues new forms of peacebuilding through art.
