The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program | SADAT l Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development l University of Maryland

The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program is a partnership between the Anwar Sadat Chair for Justice and Peace and Arts for All that brings together the Colleges of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities to engage students at the University of Maryland.

The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development, housed in the Department of Government and Politics, and Arts for All, in cooperation with the Department of Art, the Department of English, and the School of Music, hosted the inaugural year of three competitions: The Sadat Music for Justice and Peace, The Sadat Poetry for Justice and Peace, and The Sadat Art for Justice and Peace.

History of The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program

The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program originated from the longstanding Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Program. Started in 1998, the Sadat Art for Justice and Peace program is a collaboration between the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the Department of Art at the University of Maryland. The program coincided with former President Jimmy Carter’s Sadat Lecture for Peace and grew into an annual program based on a timely theme related to justice and peace and the ongoing research projects of the Sadat Chair.

“My thought in initiating the program a quarter century ago was that issues of justice and peace touch our entire university community – indeed our entire society– and not just those of us who are social scientists. Hearing the voices of artists, with their powerful way of communicating ideas, adds to the conversation across our campus and beyond,” said Professor Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development

Learn more about previous Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Competitions

The Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program asks students affiliated with the School of Music, the Department of English, and the Department of Art, to think critically about a theme related to critical issues facing the world and society today and produce pieces that not only are inspired by but further engage in the discussion of these themes.

“It is an honor to partner with the Anwar Sadat Chair in the expansion of this year’s competition, and I look forward to our continued collaboration. The inclusion this year of poetry and music provides a fitting opportunity for our students to engage their artistry in ways that provide a crucial framing for our entire community of these ever complicated issues,” said Professor Craig Kier, Director of Arts for All and Associate Professor in the School of Music.

This Year's Theme: “To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

For the inaugural year of the expansion of this program into three competitions, the Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace focused on self-expression and freedom of speech. This year’s theme for the three competitions was based on a quote from Frederick Douglass in 1860 about freedom of speech: “To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

“The success of the original Art for Justice and Peace with our excellent Art Department encouraged us to add the voices of others from music and poetry. And this year’s theme on freedom of speech provided an excellent opportunity for expansion. We could not be happier with the excellent products the students produced,” added Professor Telhami.

More information on this year's submission process

Below are the winners of the Inaugural 2024 Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Program's three competitions:

The Sadat Music for Justice and Peace Competition challenged students in the School of Music to either submit an original composition of chamber music or a performance of an existing piece of music that they believed embodied the theme.

The winner of the Composition for Chamber Music Category is Johannes Visser for his composition, “vlug 295”

In his composer's statement on how this piece relates to the theme of free speech, he says:

“This work is a critique of the suppression of not only free speech but also the freedom to be human that was committed by the oppressive South African government at the height of the Apartheid era… It is an awareness of these atrocities that this composition strives to share with audiences through the expression of the emotions that I feel when I think of the events of that horrific era in the history of my country and culture. At the core of this terrible period in my country’s history was a system that suppressed all forms of free speech. Most notable and well-known was how the voice of the great Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was strangled by the ruling Afrikaans government.”

Photo of composer in black suit with baton in hand looking at sheet music, in front of him are four musicians, two violins, one viola, and one cello

Johannes Visser conducts "vlug 295" at the Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Luncheon

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Composer's Statement

This work is a critique of the suppression of not only free speech but also the freedom to be human that was committed by the oppressive South African government at the height of the Apartheid era. Its commentary is exemplified through the metaphor of Flight 295 – a South African Airways flight that crashed in the Indian Ocean in the late 1980s. The crimes against humanity committed throughout South Africa by the Apartheid regime find a chilling parallel in the events that caused the crash of Flight 295. En route from East Asia, it is widely acknowledged that the Boeing 747-200 Combi was carrying volatile arms in its cargo compartment. Severe turbulence is said to have caused the arms to destabilize, causing a fire that engulfed the aircraft mid-flight. The recklessness of the government in smuggling unstable black-market arms to South Africa (which would then be used to fight a “war” against people of colour) on board a passenger flight, showed their lack of concern for human life. It is an awareness of these atrocities that this composition strives to share with audiences through the expression of the emotions that I feel when I think of the events of that horrific era in the history of my country and culture.

At the core of this terrible period in my country’s history was a system that suppressed all forms of free speech. Most notable and well-known was how the voice of the great Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was strangled by the ruling Afrikaans government. However, even the voices of Afrikaans citizens who did not support the Apartheid policies were being suppressed during the 1980s. Artists like Koos Kombuis and Johannes Kerkorrel – both artists who were of the Afrikaans culture (and thus seen as supporting the Apartheid regime purely by cultural association) – vehemently spoke out against the regime. They were seen as traitors “of the culture and of the regime”, for which they both also spent time in jail (albeit much less than the 27 years that Mandela was incarcerated). It is against these examples of human rights violations that vlug 295 speaks out. Only through communicating the cold facts of these events in undiluted form can we as humans stand a chance of fighting against the continuation of such atrocities across the globe. And as we can see in the media today, the most powerful vessel in such regimes is that of suppressing the voice of the people.

- Johannes Visser

The first-place winners of the Chamber Music Performance are Courtney Adams, Seth Goodman, and Joshua Rhodes, for their rendition of “Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass” by Erwin Schulhoff

Their reason for choosing this piece was in part due to the life of the composer, Erwin Schulhoff, who was killed in the Holocaust. As the winners stated:

“The life and compositions of Erwin Schulhoff will forever symbolize the detriment that the silencing of a voice can produce. Schulhoff, an artist with a palette drenched in wonder and innovation, had a unique compositional voice that could have stretched classical music beyond what convention allowed, but instead his voice was swallowed up by hate and misfortune.”

Courtney Adams on flute, Joshua Rhodes on double bass, and Seth Goodman on violin play in front of a table of guests

(Left to right) Courtney Adams, Joshua Rhodes, and Seth Goodman perform "Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass" at the Sadat Arts for Justice and Peace Luncheon

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Performers' Full Statement:

The life and compositions of Erwin Schulhoff will forever symbolize the detriment that the silencing of a voice can produce. Schulhoff, an artist with a palette drenched in wonder and innovation, had a unique compositional voice that could have stretched classical music beyond what convention allowed, but instead his voice was swallowed up by hate and misfortune. Our ensemble formed from a desire to share Schulhoff’s profundity, as shown throughout his life and compositions. Through the exploration of his Concertino, our trio has consistently found ourselves taken aback by his genius, while also questioning how much more of an impact the composer would have had if he was able to freely articulate all of his musical ideals.

Erwin Schulhoff was born on June 8, 1894 into a German-Jewish family in Prague. As an adult, his musical pursuit was interrupted heavily due to World War I and the Nazi Party’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. Between being blacklisted by the Nazi Party, Schulhoff only found work as a radio pianist performing under a pseudonym, and eventually tragically died as a Nazi Prisoner at the age of 48.

Schulhoff’s Concertino is written for the unique instrumentation of flute, viola, and double bass. This configuration is another nod to Schulhoff’s boldness, pairing perhaps one of the most well-known wind instruments with the stereotypically overlooked viola and bass of the string section, creating not only interesting sonic textures but a great challenge for the performers. Continuing to challenge conventions, Schulhoff introduces the theme of the first movement, an ostinato played by the viola-bass duo which is built on the pentatonic scale. Throughout the piece Schulhoff gives each instrument a chance to showcase itself with melodies and phrases which incorporate elements of jazz and Czech folk music throughout. However, the ostinato, marked “without expression,” continues to return in varied textures, paying homage to Schulhoffs Eastern influence.

Schulhoff’s impact on the world was significantly diminished. Throughout his life he was influenced heavily by expressionism, dadaism, post romanticism, jazz music, Eastern tonalities, and social-realism. While living a short life, this composer exposed the world to concepts that were at the forefront of his day. In just a couple of weeks into exploring Schulhoff’s compositions, his music has significantly impacted our musical experiences.

- Courtney Adams, Seth Goodman, Joshua Rhodes

In second place is the UMD Trombone Choir: Marlia Nash, Gilberto Cruz, David Wilson, Cameron Farnsworth, Colton Wilson, and Liam Glinderberg for their performance of “Time to Listen” by David Gibson

The UMD Trombone Choir stated their reason for selecting this piece was that:

“Within each note lies the echoes of voices long silenced, the cries of those marginalized by systemic inequities, and the resolute determination to confront the injustices that pervade our society.”

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Performers' Full Statement:

The University of Maryland Jazz Trombone Ensemble presents a soul-stirring composition, "Time to Listen," by David Gibson, as it calls for reflection and impassioned
thought. Amidst the unrelenting waves of the Black Lives Matter Movement in the pandemic, this piece serves not only as a musical composition but as a profound testament to the power of art in conveying societal narratives and advocating for change. “Time to Listen” evokes harmonies that weave a tapestry of emotions, echoing the collective yearning for justice, unity, and understanding. Within each note lies the echoes of voices long silenced, the cries of those marginalized by systemic inequities, and the resolute determination to confront the injustices that pervade our society. This calls for us to pay attention to the Black lives countlessly ignored yesterday and today, but hopefully not tomorrow.

And under the timeless wisdom and guidance of Frederick Douglass, this composition not only amplifies the voices of the oppressed but also underscores the imperative for society to lend a compassionate ear, to acknowledge the realities of systemic oppression, and to engage in meaningful dialogue that fosters empathy, understanding, and transformative action. “Time to Listen” serves as a poignant reminder of the collective responsibility we bear in confronting prejudice and inequality – challenging preconceived notions and inspiring a commitment to equity and social justice. We believe that music transcends its role as mere entertainment, emerging as a powerful instrument of social change and enlightenment. It is a rallying cry for solidarity, a testament to resilience, and an ode to the enduring spirit of hope that fuels the quest for a more just and equitable world. Indeed, it is "Time to Listen" – to the music, to the voices of the marginalized, and to the urgent call for collective action in pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.

The winning poem of the Sadat Poetry for Justice and Peace is “Rose in the Shredder” by R.C.

PDF of First Place Poem

The second-place poem is “Seven Feet Wide” by Ella Gammel

PDF of Second Place Poem

Seven Feet Wide

In high school, a great blue heron
dropped a catfish into my family’s garden.
Mudscales thrashed against the thyme
and then it died staring at me with
one penny eye,
because the catfish understood that
I had just cut all my hair off, and
cool September air was rushing the back of my neck
as if I, too, had been dropped from a great height.

We ripped up the herbs after that,
and never refurbished the leftover dirt beds. Even still,

my mother sometimes said to me:
You will know you truly love a man
when you want to share a garden with him.

Which I did not understand at the time.
I knew I was not a man, but still I
cleaved the femininity from myself
as closely as hair may be cropped to the skull,
grand as the great blue heron’s wings, which can,
in exceptional cases, span up to seven feet wide.

If my shoulders were seven feet wide,
I would not drop into thyme gardens.
No, I would peck the eyes from my lovers.
Mother, may I peck the penny eyes from my lovers?
If I collect them like seed after rotten seed
to grow a bed that I may one day die in?

You are a girl, my mother sings back, by which
she means to remind me that in this fable,
I am always the fish,
and her tone implies that I have made it much harder
for myself by swimming upstream.

And I think what I am trying to say is that
I am twenty one years old.

I come home to potted plants and a roommate
who feeds me persimmons, and I find her hair in my laundry.
I ask if I am a woman,
to which my mother sings back
Not yet, not yet.

But mother -
Did you know that even still
I am loved?

The first-place winner is “Through My Skin” by Maggie Letvin

The piece is an etching on handmade paper, made from shredded anti-transgender legislation. The artist stated:

"Through My Skin serves as a poignant reminder of the violence inflicted upon trans individuals, coupled with quiet peace that is trans joy. Let this artwork be a beacon of hope, illuminating the path towards a future where all voices are heard, and all identities are celebrated without fear or prejudice."