John Davis
August 3, 2010, updated September 2012
The main reason for the creation of the International Vegetarian Union, way back in 1908, was simply to help veg*ns in different countries communicate with each other. This was done mostly by exchanging newsletters, journals and personal letters - but there was no substitute for real face-to-face meetings with people of diverse cultures, languages and cuisines. IVU was founded at such a gathering and they have continued ever since.
For about the last 15 years we have seen a vast communications transformation. Thanks to the internet we can now have real-time, anytime, talks with anyone, anywhere in the world - even with live video links. And yet... there is still no substitute for actually meeting in the flesh. Sitting around a meal table where everyone comes from a different country is a unique experience, and for veg*ns there is a special significance in sharing our plant-based food (all congress food is always completely vegan).
However we do, of course, have to be aware of the environmental impact of travelling to other countries, and IVU today is reluctant to encourage large numbers to fly halfway around the world to attend global gatherings. The alternative is an increase in regional or sub-regional meetings, so that it becomes much easier to travel by more environmentally friendly means, such as rail or ship. There will, of course, always be those who want to visit far-flung places, and it has to be a matter for each individual to decide how to balance their own decisions.
The other approach that IVU has now taken is to hold the major world gathering every year, instead of every two years as we have for the last 50 years. By rotating it around the regions, as on the map, we can ensure there will be one somewhere near you, sometime soon. It also gives the developing world a fairer share of the events.
Below - some photos from recent gatherings in Brazil, China, Dubai (UAE), Germany, Ghana, India and Indonesia (that's me top right, in China with Susianto, see below for more details):
Photo details:
top row:
left:
a youth group performing at the opening ceremony of the Asian Congress in Indonesia
center:
Shankar (India) Jowly and Susianto (Indonesia) and Prof. Jumsai (Thailand), same event
right:
the IVU stall in Xiamen, China. Susianto and myself talking to leaders of an IVU member society from Mongolia.
2nd row:
left:
The beach resort venue of the world veg congress in Florianopolis, Brazil
center:
musicians at the world veg congress in Goa, India.
right:
Sandhya Prakash meets a local visitor the Middle East veg conference in Dubai (UAE) - and Sister Wako Ishikawa from Japan speaking at the IVU centenary congress in Dresden, Germany.
3rd row:
left:
some of the fabulous vegan food in Brazil
center:
some of the audience at the 2nd West Africa veg congress in Accra, Ghana right: a fire dancer in Brazil
bottom row:
left:
a speaker in the Chinese lecture room in Xiamen, China.
center:
a day trip on a bus in Indonesia
right:
some of the audience, with headphones, for my talk at the international forum in China.
