Yoko Ono called on the world to imagine living life in peace as
she unveiled a tower of light on Tuesday dedicated to the memory of
her husband John Lennon on what would have been his 67th
birthday.
Ono and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr lit up the chill night with
the broad shaft of blue light as about 200 people sang along with
Lennon's song "Imagine," playing in the background.
Yoko Ono flashes a victory sign during an
opening of her new exhibition "Odyssey Of A Cockroach" in Moscow,
May 29, 2007. Yoko Ono called on the world to imagine living life
in peace as she unveiled a tower of light on Tuesday dedicated to
the memory of her husband John Lennon on what would have been his
67th birthday.
The "Imagine Peace Tower," a light sculpture created by Ono,
will illuminate the sky of the Icelandic capital each year from
Lennon's birthday until December 8, the anniversary of his murder
in New York in 1980.
"I hope that when the light from the tower will shine, the world
will pause for a time and imagine peace," Ono told Reuters in an
interview before the unveiling.
Ono spent the day with family, friends and peace supporters
before taking a boat across to the small island in Reykjavik harbor
to where the tower is located. She was accompanied by Starr and her
son with Lennon, Sean.
Ono, who told the crowd the light sculpture was a 40-year-old
dream come true, chose Iceland for the memorial because of its
beauty and its reliance on natural power.
The tower will be powered entirely by geothermal energy, which
is plentiful on the volcanic island.
"There are many beautiful countries in the world but what makes
Iceland unique is the fact that 80 percent of the energy use of
Iceland is provided by sustainable energy sources like geothermal
energy," Ono told Reuters.
"Because of these clean natural energy sources, the water and
the air in Iceland are clean, so clean that you can actually feel
it," she said.
Ono hopes the sculpture will help preserve the memory of her
husband and deliver a message of peace to all people.
"I cannot promise that I will be here every year for the
lighting of the tower but I feel like I am part of Iceland now and
I will try to come as often as I can," Ono said.
(CRI.cn October 10, 2007)
