Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, said on Wednesday in Luanda that promoting a culture of peace implies valuing the collective, encouraging respect for differences, as well as enshrining diversity as a source of wealth.
In the opening speech of the III edition of the Luanda Biennale, the Head of State explained that this is the only way to act as a driving factor to strengthen social justice, equity and inclusion.
Regarding the inclusion, he argued that it is essential to focus on it, as each citizen must feel valued for its knowledge, aspirations and abilities to build societies in which all voices will be heard, all sensibilities respected and all social segments taken into account.
On the other hand, the President recalled that Angola has assumed the responsibility of hosting the forum every two years because it knows the importance for African countries and not only the issue of peace and peaceful coexistence within societies.
He considered that no effort to enshrine the idea that peace is a non-negotiable good of humanity will produce the desired results if a serious, firm and coherent commitment is not made to the education of people and, especially, of young people.
The Head of State called on the young people to intervene in this process with a sense of duty towards society, families, schools, churches, sports associations, cultural groups, associations and other entities of a similar nature.
He proposed that there is a need for it to be implemented by the above-mentioned institutions and, as far as possible, widely disseminated by the media, as well as through digital platforms, which can play a constructive role in this effort to promote the culture of peace.
“We must reflect on the relevance of developing public policies aimed at the culture of peace, which, more than a concept, should be seen as a principle to be inscribed in the national development strategies of our countries,” he reiterated.
The Biennale of Luanda is being attended by the Presidents of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, and Ethiopia, Sahle-WorkZewed, as well as the Vice-President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, and the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Manuela RokaBotey.
The Biennale of Luanda serves as a platform for the implementation of the “Action Plan for a Culture of Peace in Africa - Let's Act for Peace', adopted in March 2013 in the Angolan capital at the Pan-African Forum 'Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace”. VIC/DOJ
