A Festival for World Peace in Zambia
Placing the Last Piece of the Puzzle for the Year 2017 :
40-Day Peace Journey Together with Zambian Peace Advocates and HWPL
In 2017, throughout the months of November and December, for a total of 40 days, peace events including a forum advocating the implementation of Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), a campaign for peace education, and a Religious Peace Camp were held one after another in Zambia.
Meeting with Honorable Mr. Given Lubinda, the Minister of Justice in Zambia
Dedicated to establishing an education foundation with his great interest in peace education, Minister Given Lubinda emphasized that the culture of peace is the main value and power for future generations.
To implement this ideal, he proposed that States must actively promote and realize Article 10 of the DPCW, which calls for the establishment of a sustainable culture of peace through education, freedom of press, and participation by the people, through the creation of HWPL peace academies and educational programs.
Peace for You, For Me and For Us Together : Peace Walk to Exhibit DPCW Posters
In Kamulanga ward of Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, elementary, middle, and high school students participated in the Drawing Posters of Peace event and subsequent peace walk with the hope of achieving the sustainable implementation of the culture of peace through peace education in Zambia. They eagerly shared their drawings which portrayed their passion and love toward peace.
The peace walk represented the desire for the end of war all around the world and the implementation of Article 10 of the DPCW, spreading a culture of peace, in not only Zambia, but throughout the entire African continent. The event was attended by 360 participants to propagate this core value of the Declaration, and the national broadcasting network in Zambia covered the peace walk and released the news across the country.
Platform for Religious Harmony, the Religious Peace Camp in Zambia : Seeking the Role of Religious Leaders for Peace
Article 8 of the Declaration contains the protection and promotion of freedom of religion and religious diversity. Religious Peace Camp was initiated to remind all people of the role and responsibility of religious leaders, and the religious community as a whole, to practice the value embedded in this Article.
Citizens in Zambia, coming from diverse religious backgrounds including Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, took part in the camp to transcend these differences and turn previously held misunderstandings and boundaries into understanding and harmony.
In their speeches, each religious representative mentioned the duty of the religious community in this current era as stated below.
– Swami Devpryananda, representative of Hinduism: “Going back to the religious history, religion has always been misemployed to take advantage in territorial disputes or for gaining authority. Therefore, religion must be in unity under one God.”
– Samuel Sikalongo, representative of Islam: “Religion should pursue its original will and purpose and achieve peaceful harmony through understanding and tolerance.”
– Patrick Mwale, representative of Christianity: “Religious people must not pursue any forms of violence under the name of religion. Because God is peace, believers should follow it as well.”
Participants of this 2-day long Religious Peace Camp planned to continue their meeting to compare and contrast religious scriptures in the pursuit of the true concept of peace by actively working to seek out the trustworthy scripture at HWPL’s WARP Office.
