Seventh EVU Congress, Widnau

Swiss Folk Music That the EVU Congress took place in Widnau nearly all people in Switzerland now and even around the world the information about the event has been published. A regrettable incident in the kitchen was responsible that the message about the meeting has been carried by the media into the whole world. Participants from 30 countries About 240 participants for the whole week and nearly 150 guests who stayed a day or two had followed the invitation to Widnau. Most of the 34 speakers stayed the whole time also. Several students had asked for and obtained a considerable reduction of the fee and therefor it was a pleasure to see a lot of young people taking part. The German speaking guests were in the majority but surprisingly many people had come from oversees. Every continent was represented with vegetarians from Canada, USA, Venezuela, South Africa, Australia, India, Korea and many more countries. The Nigerian ambassador and two companions had come from the capital Bern in order to attend the launch-ing of the book by Parkson Edjeketa, a vegetarian missionary from Nigeria. Unfortunately Parkson had not got a Visa from the Swiss Embassy and the book could not be presented to the public. As the Nigerian Ambassador liked the event he came 3 days in the whole from Bern. From India several very famous people had come in the last moment: besides the speakers Jashu Shah, Dr. Bulchand, Dr. Bajaj and Dr. Singh the last IVU president Surrendra Metha, Laxmi Modi, and other friends have honoured us with their visit. We were especially pleased to welcome some participants from Turkey, Hungary and Czechia. In the meantime several promising contacts for cooperation have been established. As one of the results the 8th EVU Congress will take place in Turkey. Ernst Roegler (Norway), Victor Ananias (Turkey) Translation from a bus In Europe we know by experience that the languages are of special importance and it is not always easy to get into conversation with each other. A special "thank you" goes therefore to the two translators, Eva Stabenow and Konrad Borst who did their task in an admirable way. For the first time the translation was done from two little busses instead from cabins. Our thanks go also to the EVU member society SAPV and its president Karl Richli who with a considerable donation helped us sleep a bit quieter as there had not been a single cent on the congress account at the beginning. EVU's Annual General Meeting The main decisions made at the AGM were: Igor Bukovsky from Slovakia is the new president of the EVU. Dr. Igor Bukovsky is a medical doctor and teaches at the university of Bratislava. He takes over from Marcel Hebbelinck, who had presided the EVU on an interim basis for two years. He has done his work in a very committed way. Ulla Troeng was elected EVU Council Member The vegetarian Logo was presented to the media and can be exploited commercially from now on.The next EVU Congress will take place in Turkey. The Congress Programme The very attractive and interesting programme was certainly the reason, why so many participants had come. Such an important gathering of qualified speakers has rarely come together. As most of the speakers stayed for the whole week there were many occasions to get in touch with them and have a private discussion. The Sports day was very much appreciated. The Sri Chinmoy team from Zurich organised a peace run of 5 km and a lot of participants took part. All lectures were interesting and especially the very attractive Sergeant Sherry Schlueter, super athlete Dr. Douglas Graham, both from Florida, Dr. Walter Schmidt, Germany and Dr. Hans Diehl from California were followed with great attention. The new theories about earthquakes, presented by Dr. Bajaj and Dr. Singh made people discuss. "RAW FOOD" was the topic of several lectures, and people were invited to help themselves to a great portion of raw salads and fruit at the buffet. Susanne Stoll teacher and psychologist from Zurich reported about her experiences with nutrition and psyche which arose a lot of attention as there were so many new aspects. Ceremony and Excursions The opening ceremony was a mixture of folk music and welcome speeches. The young dynamic community president of Widnau, Dr. Christa Kšppel, gave a powerful speech which would have honoured a vegetarian. Marcel Hebbelinck, outgoing president and Sigrid De Leo, secretary welcomed the congress participants as well as the guests of honour. Wednesday was free of lectures. Some of the guests went to Tessin, the Italian part of Switzerland. It is south of the Alps and has a Mediterranean character. Others went to Teufen, where the museum of Alfred Vogel was visited, and then went on to SŠntis (2500m). Some visited St. Gallen or Vaduz in Liechtenstein, while others went to see the Rhinefall, the mightiest waterfalls in Europe. The social evening was cancelled because of the incident in the dining hall and there was a combined programme on the last evening. A special highlight was the presentation of famous singer Lily Diehl from Loma Linda who really got the audience going. Some people were taken to the hospital. Raw Beans and Publicity While at the press conference at the beginning about 15 representatives from the Swiss and international media had followed the invitation, the hall could hardly host the journalists when the authorities and organisers wanted to inform about the kitchen incident. We know that most of the newspapers, radio and TV stations, world-wide have reported about the event. What happened? As the emphasis of so many lectures was on raw food, the young Greek cook wanted to offer a rich choice and had prepared a pulp of raw Mexican beans. Many participants ate it, and some felt ill afterwards others did not at all. "We are grateful for this incident", a Swiss journalist told me. "Usually there is nothing to report on during the holiday season." The reports were generally fair and neutral. I got the impression that a lot of reporters had a personal interest in the congress as some stayed the whole day visiting the exhibition and the lecture hall. Some PR experts told me that this was the best publicity the congress could get. Of course critical voices arose also, saying that the vegetarian idea had been damaged. The future will show. Symptomatic might be the following by a lady journalist: "Did you notice that nobody takes in question vegetarianism any more, but whether and what we should eat raw?" Non-vegetarian cook The young Greek cook Vangelis Chitas was praised several times spontaneously. Considering that he had no proper kitchen where to fix the meals, his achievement is even bigger. That a non-vegetarian cook is preparing the meals at a congress is nothing new, and there are always people that are not content. That people felt ill can only be regretted. The fact that nobody left or gave back the tickets for the meals was an acknowledgement to the congress and its organisation. All those who felt ill were soon without any complaints and even those who had been taken to the hospital were back early in the morning because they did not want to miss any lectures. Dr. van der Linde, from St.Gallen: "Usually a food poisoning takes 5 to 10 days to clear up. It is unbelievable how quickly the ill were back on their feet again." A journalist even asked whether all was only a publicity gag. As many people had consumed the raw beans and felt perfectly fine afterwards, the question remains why some people felt ill. The final reports from the authorities will probably show the answer. All the participants continued to serve themselves at the buffet prepared by Vangelis Chitas and he got again a warm applause at the farewell ceremony. Many Visitors The "day after the beans" far more people than expected coming from Germany, Austria and Switzerland bought a ticket, who had known about the congress from the reports about the incident. Both, the organiser as well as the cook had stipulated a liability insurance at the same company and it is unimportant therefore who is going to pay for all the bills. It is certain that nobody will have any financial disadvantage from the incident. Widnau's mayor Dr. Christa Köppel talking with Sigrid DeLeo. Exhibition More than 30 exhibitors were in the exhibition hall and besides the congress participants astoundingly many people from Widnau and the surrounding took the occasion and visited the stalls. It was maybe the first time that the local population were actively involved in the organisation of the congress and as the first result there is a new sign at restaurant "Sonne" which says: Four fine dishes, also for vegetarians. The local book shop had a great windows decorated with books on vegetarianism only. Sigrid De Leo at the Farewell Party. Summing up With the Sport Centre in Widnau a venue was found, which is very suitable for the carrying out of an event like the EVU Congress, if we ignore the fact that there is no proper kitchen. People spoke enthusiastically about it and proposed to have another event there one day. From the Widnau authorities we got precious help and support in good as well as in bad times. Daily there are still arriving letters, mails and phone calls from participants who wish to express their gratitude and contentment. For us organisers who have dedicated every free minute of the last two years to the preparation of this great project it is the proof that it was worth the trouble. See you in Toronto 2000 at the IVU Congress or in Turkey 2001 at the 8th EVU Congress! Sigrid De Leo