Heavenly Culture, World Peace, and Restoration of Light (HWPL) hosted the second Southern Africa Religious Youth Peace Camp where more than 60 young people from different religions worked together to find and get rid of prejudices against religions in their communities.
The event was held in collaboration with SABC TV Religion and Youth Development Mozambique, a youth organization affiliated with Interfaith Dialogue on Violent Extremism (iDove).
The theme of this peace camp was “Religious Identity.”
Its goal was to give young people a place to talk about their religious beliefs while teaching each other about other faiths and helping them spot the stereotypes that come with different faiths.
In Mozambique, a four-year religious conflict has been ongoing as a result of militant attacks and security force operations, driven by grievances against the state. The attacks have resulted in hundreds of thousands of young people fleeing their homes and being displaced, as well as over 3,000 deaths.
Keynote speaker Mr. Nyasha Musikambesa, Counter Violent Extremist Programme Advisor at the Youth Innovation Centre in Mozambique, said: “The gathering comes at a time when the continent needs to transfer values of inclusion, democracy, and dialogue to the young people as an important part of making sure Africa has a strong future.”
Musikambesa added that platforms like these are what are needed to create a complete interfaith dialogue root, which is very essential in these trying times.
Using scripture as their guide, the program of the peace camp included discussions around frequently asked questions and commonly misunderstood concepts.
The participating youth also looked over the Case of Mindanao, where a 40-year conflict was resolved through the facilitation of HWPL, and discussed how young people can help prevent religious disputes in Africa and all over the world.
The goal of HWPL’s Religious Youth Peace Camp is to help young people become key players in resolving conflicts peacefully and to improve their skills by giving them a chance to talk about religion and culture with other young people and members of youth organizations from around the world.
Those who take part in the camp experience different cultures and religions and find ways that religious communities should function in order to establish peace on earth.
