Maravi

Mugabe calls on Africans to defend their peace

Mugabe calls on Africans to defend their peace
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Thu 27 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

Africans must strive to defend the peace that prevails in their countries, President Robert Mugabe has said.

President Mugabe said this at celebrations marking Africa Freedom Day and the lighting of the Flame of Peace at the Harare International Conference Centre on Tuesday afternoon. He said Africans should strive to safeguard the sacrifices made by the continent’s young people during the struggle for independence of African countries.

“Of course, when we talk of peace and security we are doing so against the background of sacrifices made by our own young men and women to bring about the correct environment, the process of decolonisation that brought about that peace,” he said.

“On one hand, we talk of peace, on the other we must talk of defending that peace.”

President Mugabe urged Africans to express gratitude towards the continent’s founding fathers such as Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie, Ghana’s founding president Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who championed the total liberation of Africa, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria and Tanzanian former president Julius Nyerere.

“These men and many others like them deserve our eternal gratitude for their contribution towards African unity,” he said.

He said African leaders, on their part, were committed to creating an enabling environment for the fight against poverty, disease and underdevelopment.

“Africa’s leaders are determined through the mechanism of the Africa Union Peace and Security Council to resolve and manage the continent’s conflicts so that we can make real progress in our fight against poverty, disease and underdevelopment,” he said.

He said peace and development had proved to be the prerequisites for economic development throughout the world.

“All over the world, experience has shown that peace and stability are necessary preconditions for lasting socio-economic development. This is why the last Special Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government held in Libya in August last year, decided to declare 2010 the year of Peace and Security in Africa,” he said.

“In that context, the lighting of the Flame of Peace, which is here today, is one way of giving expression to this undertaking and it should be followed by the implementation of the various other peace initiatives proposed for the Year for Peace and Security.”

President Mugabe said as the continent hosted the soccer World Cup for the first time ever, they must embrace a culture of peace and togetherness.

“Soccer has been an important part of African culture for many years. And by bringing people together, it has fostered an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among our people, thereby contributing to peace and security on the continent,” he said.

“While ethnic and religious differences have sparked sectarian conflicts in Africa, soccer more than any other sport has helped people to look beyond their differences and celebrate instead the human spirit’s natural yearning for success, recognition and excellence.”

It was in recognition of the important role played by sport in general that the AU Commission had said this year’s Africa Day celebrations be held under the theme, “Building and Maintaining Peace through Sport in Africa.”

Labels: AFRICA FREEDOM DAY, MUGABE

posted by MrK @ 2:57 PM