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“Soul of fire: She Fought for Peace” in Tehran Peace Museum

Maxi-BlahaOn 5th March 2015, the Austrian actress, Maxi Blaha held a performance in Tehran Peace Museum about the life and work of the first female Nobel Peace Prize winner, Bertha von Suttner. 
In this monologue which was directed by Mr. Alexander Hauer and accompanied by Mr. Georg Buxhofer as musician, Ms. Blaha presented different stages of Ms. Suttner’s life from youth to the day she won the Noble Peace Prize. 
“I didn’t know about Bertha myself,” said Ms. Blaha to the audience after her performance, “until I read her book, Lay Down Your Arms!”
“I was so inspired by her work,” Maxi continued, “that I started working on a play about her life”. Ms. Blaha, who has presented this monologue to audiences in different countries, gave a special performance to female volunteers, staff and friends of the TPM. 
Ms. Suttner was an energetic peace activist and her involvement in the The Hague Convention of 1899 and 1907 is of great significance to an institution like TPM. These early peace conferences laid the ground work for future conventions (such as the Geneva Protocol of 1925 and The Chemical Weapons Conventions of 1997) to help eliminate weapons of mass destruction. 
Bertha von Suttner’s life and work are today still inspirational and educational for peace activists around the globe.