“The cry of youth for peace they had lost”

Malian Youth Calls for Urgent Needs for Peace

On 29 May 2019, the 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk took place at Ecole Fondamentale Lafia De Kalaban-Koro in Bamako, Mali. The event was hosted by the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and supported by a peace advocate group called Peace One Day. Leaders from various sectors, including government and NGO and more than 300 youth, participated in the event.

The Peace Walk event was hosted for the first time in Mali and it filled the hearts of the youth and event participants with an overwhelming sense of hope. Due to the recent breakout of civil war in Mali few months ago, Malian people have been in urgent need of peace. During the Peace Walk event, the participating youth raised their voices for peace on behalf of all Malian citizens’ common wish for peace.

The event lasted one hour, from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the morning, and commenced with a brief introduction on each of the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), the IPYG, Declaration of World Peace, and the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) at different classrooms. Students at each class were able to learn regarding the importance of peace, and afterwards, those students had an opportunity to write their own peace letters. The event continued with the Peace Walk and participating students and members circled around the school by holding picket signs saying things such as “cessation of war,” “IPYG,” “Peace,” and chanted together “we want peace.”

A total of 85 hand-written peace letters were collected throughout the event, and it was reported that those hand-written peace letters are to be sent to the president of Mali, together with other hand-written peace letters.

The 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk Was Hosted in Gabon

On May 24th, 2019, the ‘6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk’ successfully took place in Gabon, a country located on the west coast of Central Africa.

Gabon had been under the colonial rule of France starting from 1839 and gained its independence in 1960. Located close to countries suffering from civil wars, Gabon understands the pains of ongoing civil wars. Currently, the youth in Gabon are writing peace letters in order to free themselves from the threats of war and to realize peace in Africa. In particular, on May 24th, Lebissa Eliol trancy, the director of Jaeunesse D’abord GABON, participated in the Peace Walk with approximately one hundred students from IPE (Institut Privé de L'excellence), which was held in Libreville, the capital city of Gabon.

▲ (Left) Remarks on peace (Right) Gabonese students who participated in the Peace Walk

Prior to the main event, students participated in the session called “open our hearts” and pledged to become messengers of peace by urging the importance of preventing school violence and of the need for peace. In a wish to achieve world peace at the earliest possible time, those students participated in the Peace Walk event also. After the event, Mr. Trancy posted his own pictures from the event on his personal Facebook page and encouraged other youth to participate in peace-building activities together.

Though it started as a small voice for peace by a fraction of the youth in Gabon, we hope that the same voice will continue to grow and to be heard in the future so that all citizens of Gabon can become a trumpet for peace.

Peace Walk in Tetova University, North Macedonia

On May 22nd, 2019, the ‘6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace and the Peace Walk’ successfully took place at Tetova University in Tetova, North Macedonia.

The event was attended by more than 100 student including Isiam Imeri, President of Student Parliament of Tetova University. By holding picket signs promoting peace, students who participated in the event walked across the campus and delivered a message to students and local citizens that violence and conflicts can end with their active participation in peace activities.

Isiam Imeri, President of Student Parliament of Tetova University said “we need to make people in North Macedonia be more aware of the importance of world peace through by participating in events such as the Peace Walk and also need to send this message of peace across the world”.