At the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) celebrated the eighth anniversary of the September 18th HWPL World Peace Summit. Building a Culture of Peace as Global Citizens was the event’s theme.
In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic still being a menace to the world community and other concerns brought on by the conflict in the Russian-Ukrainian region, more than 500 people joined the hybrid event to reflect on the cooperative steps Southern Africa has taken toward a lasting peace.
The occasion began with a speech of congratulations from Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe, chair of the City of Cape Town’s Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security, who stated that the city is dedicated to creating peace and a society free from ongoing fear and anxiety. “Collective action at scale, where government, the private sector, non-profit groups like HWPL, and citizens work together to make neighbourhoods safer, is required to create Cape Town a city where all people can live with less fear of crime and violence,” the councillor stated.
Gadija Samuels of Modderdam High School in Bonteheuwel discussed the 12 sections of the peace education curriculum that were implemented in Cape Town schools “My kids are more thoughtful and self-respecting now thanks to the peace education program, and this has helped them respect others as well. We have been given a tremendous tool in the form of peace education.” Around the world, schools have implemented peace education initiatives that allow students to learn about peace from the ground up.
Albert Matthews, the youth organization’s youth development coordinator who attended the event and works to break the cycle of gang violence in Hanover Park, said that the experience made him realize the value of having conversations about peacebuilding. We’ll be able to comprehend how we can start this fire of peace and let it start spreading like wildfire in our communities once we’re able to have discourse and interaction with others and meet at a common ground. The community’s members, according to Matthews, must come together and set aside their differences in order to live in peace and be at peace with one another.
According to HWPL Chairman Man Hee Lee, peacebuilding is crucial on a worldwide scale “The unanticipated COVID-19, which has affected every nation, has had a negative impact on the global village. Despite challenges, people are not alone. We are neighbours and family members who share a global village. It is up to each of us to improve the quality of life around the globe. And shouldn’t we leave our descendants with a better world?”
Since September 18th, 2014, the host group, HWPL, has urged cooperation among many actors, including heads of state, ministers, parliamentarians, religious leaders, educators, youth and women leaders, and reporters, in order to advance peacebuilding on a worldwide scale. This yearly gathering of leaders from civil society and governments from around the world to discuss peace initiatives and successes.
