Israeli and Palestinian musicians and singers will tomorrow perform together, with one voice, in the grand hall of the Auberge of Provence, in Valletta. They are Jews, Christians and Muslims. They hail from Ibillin, Gaza, Bethlehem, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
They decided to come to Malta so that their voices may drown the noise of war and the chaos of the world.
They had already sung together in Jerusalem, two years ago. An exceptional concert. Then they had come over to France to testify, through music, that war was not a fatality. It was my friend Jean-Yves Labat who then had the idea to bring together these men and women whom everything seemed to separate. At that time, I was not an Ambassador (and I could not imagine that I would one day become one), just a writer, but I had helped him with all my might to make this dream, which seemed impossible, come true. In fact, it seems to me that war and peace do not belong solely to those in power, to men who exert power on behalf of their people, but to us all. The fault does not always lie with others.
Having been appointed Ambassador to Malta last July, I came up with the idea that one ought to rekindle this same hope right here. I started working straightaway on this project, which the last war almost wrecked. How could one imagine, with all this bombing, after all these deaths, after this pointless tragedy, that Palestinians and Israelis would accept again to bring forth the same ideal through music?
In January, after the ceasefire, I immediately asked Jean-Yves to leave again for Jerusalem in order to establish the state of affairs, hopes and disillusions. A few days after his arrival, he phoned me up to tell me that, on both sides, our musician friends remained mobilised to sing of peace.
He then called me again the following day, to inform me that he had also encountered an extraordinary woman, a Maltese music professor at Bethlehem University, and herself a musician (she conducts the university choir): Sr Patricia Crockford. I replied to him there and then: "She must come and sing with them. It's a must!''.
Sr Crockford will be in Valletta for tomorrow's concert.
I am under no illusions. The war has been going on for a long time. But still! What an iron will to continue singing together! And what a wealth of symbols crammed into this event!
Malta, a land of equidistance and of dialogue. A Phoenician, semitic and entirely European island. In the centre of our Mare Nostrum, ''diffused and turbulent'', as described by Albert Camus, but also in the depths of time. (I was present at the ceremonies of St Paul Shipwrecked a while ago; it was on that day that it appeared clearly to me that Malta was not just situated between the two shores of the Mediterranean but also suspended between the past and the future, in the heart of a European spiritual geography).
The Auberge of Provence, formely a French building, set in this colossal city next to the other auberges (Germany, Italy, Castille, France, etc.), together with the presence of Sr Crockford, the support of the Anna Lindh Foundation and of the Malta Tourism Authority have all contributed to setting the scene for this event.
Finally, attending this event will be French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner. Invited by his counterpart, Tonio Borg, he will be welcomed by the University and awarded a doctorate honoris causa.
So many signs that enable us to believe that the message of one voice, launched in Malta, will have far-reaching effects and will be heard by the greatest possible number of persons.
This small country has always been inhabited by adventurous people endowed with conviction and courage, who looked well beyond their own shores. It is no coincidence if policy-makers like President Emeritus Guido de Marco have, for a long time, had a vision which groups Europe and the Mediterranean under the same umbrella. I was, in fact, speaking to him about it last week. He is part of those Maltese policy-makers who, since the independence of their country, very quickly realised that the future of Europe cannot be moulded while leaving out the Mediterranean.
Peace, economic prosperity, our whole existence, are decided not only in Berlin, Prague or Paris, but also in Algiers, Tel-Aviv, Tripoli and Cairo.
For the moment, our life is poisoned by this war which lasts. The Palestinians have been ousted from their lands when Israel came into existence. And, as for the Israelis, the self-styled lords of the Aryan race had attempted to eliminate them from the map of Europe during World War II. This macabre game of musical chairs has transformed the Middle East, the land of Abraham, into a war zone.
It is necessary to get out of the deceitful circle of hatred, to forget imprecations and to restore everyone's liberty and courage. Courage today means wanting to make peace. The Mediterranean was the sea of Ulysses, the seeker of channels. It is comforting to know that there still exist today, in spite of everything, Israelis and Palestinians who seek channels for peace. They have retained a sense of solidarity, elaborating new musical projects and are more determined than ever to continue to sing. We are happy to welcome them in Malta.
Mr Rondeau is the French Ambassador to Malta and a writer.