Ouagadougou: The Young Peacemakers Association (JFP) called on the people of the 12th Arrondissement of Ouagadougou to prioritize dialogue, listening, and mutual respect to strengthen social cohesion during the 9th stage of its “Seeds of Cohesion” Peace Caravan. “Where dialogue begins, mistrust recedes. Where trust grows, peace takes root,” said Hermann Guingan, president of the Young Peacemakers Association, during this leg of the caravan.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Peace Caravan aims to create spaces allowing communities to talk to each other, listen to each other, and better understand each other, rather than dictating a way of living together. Mr. Guingan stressed that building peace is everyone’s responsibility, especially the authorities, religious and traditional leaders, women, and above all the youth.
He also stressed the need to keep the “Peace Cells” established in the different districts alive so that they can continue dialogue and awareness-raising activities after the caravan has passed. “A caravan can travel through a district in a day. But it cannot build peace in place of the people,” he noted, inviting the participants to become ‘peace actors’ themselves.
The president of the Special Delegation of District No. 12, Zalisa Par/Salembr, for her part indicated that peace must be maintained, protected, and transmitted, from the family to the national level. She called on the people to view Burkina Faso’s religious, cultural, and social diversity as an asset, not a threat. “When we engage in dialogue, we discover that our differences are often less important than what unites us,” she stated, emphasizing that listening and respect contribute to strengthening trust and social cohesion.
Comrade Par also called for increased involvement of youth, women, community leaders, and religious leaders in peace initiatives. She praised the Association’s approach, which, in her view, brings together stakeholders from different segments of society. The president of the Special Delegation expressed her wish that the Peace Cells become genuine spaces for dialogue, listening, awareness-raising, and prevention in service of the people.
The 9th stage of the Peace Caravan ‘Seeds of Cohesion’ was thus presented as an invitation to transform dialogue into a daily commitment to peace and living together. “The Caravan can pass through our neighborhoods, but peace must remain,” concluded Ms. Par/Salembr.
The ceremony’s sponsor, El Hadj Sayouba Traor, invited the people of Burkina Faso to prioritize national unity, individual responsibility, and solidarity to face security and social challenges. “We are first and foremost Burkinab¨,” he affirmed, urging the people to banish divisions based on ethnicity, religion, or region.
The “Seeds of Cohesion” peace caravan aims to strengthen community cohesion through awareness-raising activities, community dialogue, and the gradual establishment of peace cells in neighborhoods.