BUJUMBURA, October 4th (ABP) – The Atelier Ecole de la Foi, in partnership with the Marian Shrine of Mount Sion Gikungu, the University of Burundi, the Mariya Arafasha Foundation and Caritas Burundi, with funding from the Diocese of Rottenburg in Germany, organized on Sunday October 1, 2023 in Bujumbura, the International Day of Peace and the Celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Atelier Ecole de la Foi.
The Minister of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security, Martin Niteretse, was invited to those ceremonies. In his speech, he commended that initiative which works for a peaceful Burundi. He thus took the opportunity to make a strong appeal to priests and leaders of different Churches, to organize training workshops on integrity (“Ubuntu”), for judges who continue to ask bribes, while this practice undermines the development of the country, he said.
The day’s ceremonies began with a Eucharistic celebration which took place at the Mount Sion Gikungu Marian Shrine, where Father Marcien Ndayizeye underlined in his preaching that there is no peace without development. Thus, he invited Christians to love labor to develop Burundi.
The chairman of the “Education for Peace” project committee, Dr. Aloys Misago, clarified that this day is celebrated on September 21 each year, but that the Atelier Ecole de la Foi decided to postpone this celebration for two reasons. The date of October 1 closes the activities of the year and coincides well with the 10-year anniversary of the said Atelier, he explained.
According to him, statistics show that in 10 years of provision, more than 500 thousand people have followed face-to-face peace training, without mentioning those who followed them via the media. He also indicated that in the next three years, many projects will be implemented, including the construction of four peace centers in different provinces of the country and a Peace University which will be erected within the premises of Mount Sion Gikungu.
Dr. Misago thanked the project partners who are the government of Burundi, UNESCO, Caritas Burundi, the University of Burundi, without forgetting the journalists who carry those lessons far.
In his presentation on dialogue and culture of peace, Prof. Adolphe Sururu returned to the values which help in the re-establishment of the culture of peace, such as sincerity, honesty, love of neighbor, acceptance of the other, justice for all and tolerance.