On September 21, the whole world celebrates the international day for Peace. This year the United Nation’s designed theme was “Action for Peace: our ambition for the global goals.” There is something transformative about taking a moment to think about what Peace is, what it feels like, and how it impacts the world. Through “Peace You Have My Word,” a writing competition organized by Africa Learning International (ALI), students from international schools in Africa and Europe have put pen to paper to celebrate Peace, Africa, and Antiracism. Each piece of student work shows evidence that education for Peace is a powerful tool to develop self-awareness, poetic appreciation, and critical thinking. It is inspiring to see African and European students countering afro-pessimism as one. Enjoy the enchanting words and the provocative ideas!
-Estelle Baroung Hughes, Founder of Peace You Have My Word competition
African Peace
Personally, peace is like this elusive treasure that no one can ever fully grasp or clearly define. It's this concept of everyone getting along and living in harmony without any violence or hostility. I looked it up on Wikipedia, which states that peace is all about friendship and harmony in society. But honestly, there's more to it than just that. The Early Childhood Peace Consortium talks about different ways to define peace, and they all come down to things like personal growth, working together, respecting each other, and making things fair and just. It's about creating a world where everyone can thrive and be happy. Some amazing African peacemakers, including Nobel Peace Laureates, have identified four key things that need to happen in order to build peace and bring people together: preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and post-conflict peace-building. These are all important steps to make sure conflicts don't happen and to help heal and rebuild after they do. Africa has seen over thirty UN peacekeeping missions, more than any other continent. It's a place that has been through a lot of struggles, but people are working hard to keep the peace and make things better. Nelson Mandela's story is a powerful example of how one person can make a huge difference in the world. Mandela, a true champion of peace in South Africa, fought against racial segregation and worked tirelessly to bring people together. His efforts were so incredible that he even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and then after spending over 20 years in prison for his beliefs, he became the first democratically elected leader of South Africa in 1994. He showed us that peace is possible, even in the face of great adversity and his legacy continues to inspire people to this day, reminding us that peace is something worth fighting for.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Fitia is a Grade 10 student at the American School of Antananarivo in Madagascar.
