a selman project

It’s no secret that every nation has its own unique culture, demographics, and associated social issues. Unfortunately, sometimes our perception of many countries is shaped most by the negative issues which bubble up in the media. Worse still, is that many countries go both unheard of and unheard by the larger world.

Thankfully, every nation equally produces individuals who devote and sacrifice themselves to the principles of peace, freedom, and equality. The Peace Post project began as a means to shine a light on individuals from around the globe who are champions of peace.

As a starting point, we determined that every sovereign nation should be represented in the project with a few key disputed states entered at our discretion. As a referential guide for each illustration, we profiled each country with a keen eye on the progression of traditional and contemporary visual styles associated with the art and culture.

In choosing which individual to profile for each country, we first referenced Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, notable omissions, and various other international peace awards looking for potential candidates. In several cases when a nation was not represented by a winner of a major peace award, we used our own research to find an individual who represented associated ideals and actions of peace advocacy.

We elected to represent the chosen individuals as a series of stamps for several reasons. Stamps have a long history of commemorating important people and events. Stamps are collectible and shareable. Perhaps most importantly, stamps represent a vehicle of correspondence and dialogue.

Our goal was to learn more about these countries, the positive people there, and share their stories with you.

For more information please contact:
chris@selmandesign.com
peacepost on instagram:
@projectpeacepost
Copyright and disclaimer
The content of this web site contains information, photographs, and media intended solely for educational purposes.

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‘Akilisi Pōhiva

  • Tonga
  • Human Rights, Political

ʻAkilisi Pōhiva is the founder of the Human Rights and Democracy Movement, which was the first group to advocate political reform in Tonga. He later went on to found the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands. In 2013 he won the Parliamentarians for Global Action’s Defender of Democracy Award. Pōhiva became the first “common” citizen elected as Prime Minister of Tonga in 2014 and has continued his pursuit of democratic reforms for the nation’s political system.

Tonga

  • Population
    106,462 (196th)
  • Capital
    
Nuku’alofa
  • GDP (PPP)
    
$7,344 per capita
  • June 4, 1970
  • Total Area
    748 km2 (186th)
  • Demonym
    Tongan
  • Government
    Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Artwork

Tongan art displays many of the characteristics associated with art of Oceania. Pre-contact Tongans produced elegant works of sculpture, mat weaving, fiber work and bark cloth which commonly feature repeated geometric patterns and stylized figures. Tongans are highly skilled in wood carving and use the technique to build canoes and manufacture war clubs and spears. These items are highly treasured and often featured inlays of pearl-shell and ivory. Pōhiva’s portrait has been block printed to channel both textile printing and sculptural traditions of the Tongan people.

  • Illustration by
    Johnny Selman