1000 Flowers for the Planet - #281 Protect Art

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #281 Protect Art

In these days of conflict and war, people’s lives are lost, both military and civilian, and many people lose their homes or have to flee to save themselves. This Flower in no way overlooks these tragedies.

There is another tragedy that comes from war and it is the loss of art, either through bombing or deliberate acts of total destruction to eradicate a culture. Art comes in many forms: painting, sculpture, textiles, architecture, utilitarian pieces to mention some of the physical forms. It is imperative that we ensure all art is protected because art reflects culture, informs the community and unites people. We must not allow one culture to destroy the art of another. We must not allow wars to threaten our valuable heritage, the links we have with our past, the foundations on which we continue to build. Once they are gone, they are gone. They are priceless and irreplaceable. Could you imagine a world without Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, without the Treasury at Petra, without Michelangelo’s statue of David? It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not – what matters is that art belongs to people, maybe your group, maybe someone else’s. What’s important is that we join forces to protect it all, for ourselves, and for the future.