The Words of the Balcomb Family
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The Words of the Balcomb Family |
The Prime Minister of Kenya, the Hon. Raila Odinga MP and his wife Ida Odinga, joined by an international delegation that included seven former heads of state and over 120 members of parliament, spiritual leaders and representatives of civil society were warmly welcomed by a crowd of over 10,000 enthusiastic Kenyans to the Global Peace Festival (GPF) in Nairobi last Sunday, August 31st. The GPF is the third this year in a series that started in Asunción, Paraguay and Washington DC, US.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his wife Ida introduce UPF Co-Chair Dr. Hyun Jin Moon to a large crowd of Kenyan youth and families at the Global Peace Festival in Nairobi
"This is an important day for Kenya and for Africa," said Odinga. "It is a new beginning in the quest for our nation to be once again known as a nation of peace and security." The Prime Minister came to office earlier this year after a historic power-sharing agreement with political rival President Mwai Kibaki ended a period of post-election violence.
"The Universal Peace Federation and the Global Peace Festival are doing great things in Kenya," Odinga said. "Just yesterday, they mobilized thousands of young Kenyans to start cleaning out the Nairobi River. We long for the day when our nation can again be proud of this river, which could provide water to millions."
Today, the Nairobi River is unbelievably foul, virtually an open sewer. Repulsed by the thought of wading into the raw sewage and stench to pull pick up sodden garbage and put it into bags, most citizens of the city have long been holding their noses and looking the other way. The Global Peace Festival organized community-wide cleanup efforts in ten different locations throughout the month of August.
Thousands of Volunteers clean up a section of the Nairobi River Bank in Embakassa and ten other of Nairobi's poorest neighborhoods, watched here somewhat ominously by a pair of vultures.
Some of the clean-up crews encountered the bodies of infant children, apparently put into the river by slum dwellers without the means to afford proper burial. Others reported a stream of unlicensed dump trucks pouring garbage directly into the river. "More than hard work will be needed," said project coordinator Edwin Plekhanov. "We need a complete change of heart in our leaders and ourselves."
The river has been a symbol of civil neglect One section of the river reclaimed from the filth
Local MP Hon. Ferdinand Waititu promised his Embakassa constituency that he would work to bring the resources and the political support needed. "This is an important development," said David Anderson, a fellow MP visiting from England. "We elected officials must support the aspirations of our people."
Anderson was among a group of more than 100 Kenyan and international participants in the International Leadership Conference hosted by the Universal Peace Federation, principal sponsor of the Global Peace Festival. "We are presenting a new, values-based approach to leadership," said UPF Africa Secretary General Mwalagho Kililo, "and we are finding that many of our delegates see this as a way out of the swamp of corruption, selfishness and inefficiency that has plagued our nations for years."
The 120 ILC participants included former heads of state and many current members of parliament Traditional kings from Benin among delegates attending the International Leadership Conference
Main Festival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Conference Center Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, co-chair of the UPF and founder of the Global Peace Festival Initiative delivered the GPF keynote address. Dr. Moon, who is the third son of the international spiritual leaders and peacemakers Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, urged Kenyans to take pride in their nation and Africa's role as the cradle of civilization.
Dr. Hyun Jin Moon asking an excited crowd if they are ready to dream the biggest dream of all, the dream of creating One Family Under God beyond race, tribe and religion
"The message of 'One Family under God' should be a clarion call for this age," he said. "The power of one human family united, can quell the turmoil of conflict throughout the world -- from the conflict in the Middle East, the remnant of the Cold War in Korea and poverty, disease and civil strife in Africa."
A young acrobatic team creates an "A" as they spell out P-E-A-C-E during the GPF entertainment
A local choir sings the GPF Anthem "Where Peace Begins" in Kiswahili UPF's Thomas Walsh and Chung Hwan Kwak join the on-stage celebration to conclude the GPF
The Festival closed with a high-energy concert featuring some of Kenya's top entertainers, including gospel and rap starts Jua Cali, Bilenge Musica, Kanji and others. From Nairobi, the Global Peace Festival now moves on to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, followed by London, England and ten other locations with a finale in Brasilia in December.