Nobel Peace Center: From King to Obama
Martin Luther King Jr © Bob Adelman /Magnum Photos USA. Washington DC 1963 Bob Adelman
On Oct. 13 at 11 a.m., the world will tune into a small doorway in central Oslo, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2009 will be announced.
But already this September the Nobel Peace Center will open a remarkable exhibition exploring the similarities between the 1964 Peace Prize laureate Martin Luther King and President Barack Obama. “We want our audience to really feel the atmosphere of America in the 1960s,” says Director Bente Erichsen of the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.
The exhibition will portray the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s – the movement that helped pave the way for Barack Obama’s historic election victory. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement and, like Barack Obama, a source of inspiration to people worldwide.
In 1964 King accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. This made him, at just 35 years old, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The Civil Rights Movement’s slogan: “Thou shall not requite violence with violence”, was a central factor cited in the justification for the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision.
“There are many obvious similarities between King and Obama, both in terms of their values, their political strategies and in their rhetoric and public impact. It has been inspiring and fascinating to create an exhibition of contemporary relevance that is based on these major historic events,” says Bente Erichsen, director of the Nobel Peace Center.
The exhibition From King to Obama will open at the Nobel Peace Center on Sept. 25. Please visit the Nobel Peace Center homepage for more information.
The Nobel Peace Center opened in the heart of Oslo, Norway on June 11, 2005. Experience and learn about the various Peace Prize Laureates and their activities as well as the remarkable history of Alfred Nobel. The Peace Center also serves as a meeting place where exhibitions, discussions and reflections related to war, peace and conflict resolution are in focus.
