Peace can be Realized by Action
Nathan Musonda, Springs of Poetry President
Hi everyone, My name is Nathan Micheal Musonda. I’m the president of youth organization called Springs of Poetry. We are located in Zambia Copperbelt Kalulushi. So Zambia is a Christian nation and it is a smallest country in the continent of Africa. And half of the population is consisted of the youth. Also today I prepared a video to show you our activities as Springs of Poetry and the peace education in cooperation with HWPL and IPYG.
So, talking about Zambia, Zambia is small country which has got 72 tribes in 10 provinces. And to talk about these tribes, they have got different cultures, different traditional ceremonies yet they live in peace and harmony with each other. So Springs of Poetry, it is a group that has been affiliated to IPYG. And whatever that we learned from IPYG and HWPL we are implementing it in Kalulushi and we are also implementing it in such with a we are using our activities such as drama, poetry, dancing and singing. These are the tools or these are the ways that we are using in order to spread the message of peace to the people in Kalulushi.
It’s true that Zambia is facing a lot of challenges such as unemployment, drugs and alcohol abuse, especially conflicts. But last year, through our special program with IPYG YEPC, I discovered a way of solving this issue in our community. So I moved to the Kalungwishi where we are gathering, and most of the youth could not manage to attend online classes so we began to have offline classes. And through that a lot of youths have gained knowledge and also sharing the message of peace in our community. And some of them could not understand the language rather than the lessons in English. So we were translating all our messages of lessons into our Zambian local languages.
When I was teaching, all of the participants liked it, and they were so passionate about learning and even though it was more than an hour walk, but everyone managed to complete the YEPC class. So last February, 44 people from the Springs of Poetry completed the YEPC program and they also joined the completion ceremony that was held in Kalulushi New Covenant church. And also we invited 200 people from the community that gathered to exist the completion ceremony of the YEPC Class.
Q. What moved so many people to join the efforts?
A. Nathan Musonda, Springs of Poetry President
I think the momentum for such great efforts is the family of peace who are working together to fulfill the peace. Now, let’s listen to a short interview.
Melody Mukabo, Springs of Poetry member
So the first of all, I would like to say thank you to HWPL and IPYG for the great lessons that you’ve been offering to us. Personally, I have learned a lot. In my perception about the world has changed. So the main purpose of HWPL peace education is to train and educate people to become citizens of peace and peace messengers so that they can work together with HWPL to spread a culture of peace in all parts of the world. So just as war and conflict starts from the mind, we should also instill the mind of peace in the minds of the young ones. Therefore, let us work together to create a world of peace and leave it as a long-lasting legacy for the future generations. We are one and thank you.
Q. Can we also hear about Nathan’s future plans? I’d like to know what you’re really up to.
A. Nathan Musonda, Springs of Poetry President
Thank you for sharing this great opportunity once again. As I shared, youth can practice and contributes to peace building. Especially, Young people who have experienced conflict first hand have a vital role to play in peace building. They have a clear vision and strong desire for peace that could look like in their countries and communities and have the drive to work towards it. Youth can play a greater role in peace building. Supporting education and capacity building for peace is need for peace building. Access to education is fundamental for facilitating young people’s positive engagement in peace. The introduction of peace education like can be very helpful. I definitely think educational programs such as YEPC should reach a larger population as well. Ultimately, policies for peace must be institutionalized and expanded. I believe we can make it when we cooperate with each other.
We are one! Thank you.
