The University of the Western Cape (UWC) staff and students celebrated International Day of Living Together in Peace last week with an inaugural Peace Walk to the Cape Flats Nature Reserve trail.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 16 May the International Day of Living Together in Peace to encourage communities’ efforts to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity.

The UWC community heeded the call, donning white t-shirts with peace messages and holding white balloons vowing to promote community agency at the institution and in its neighbouring communities. Participants then signed a pledge to be agents of compassion, harmony and peace.

It was a collaborative event pioneered by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Chair for Sport, Development, Peace and Olympic Education team, UWC Sports Administration and the Centre for Student Support Services (CSSS).

UNESCO Chair at UWC, Professor Marion Keim, said the peace walk will be held annually, and explained: "Peace for us is your inner Peace; it is your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual Peace. In many of the communities we serve, one or the other is absent. Therefore, the Walk for Peace will stand as a reminder for all of us, aimed at achieving inner Peace on and off campus." 

Prof Keim called on the university community to live by the Olympic values aligned to Sport for Peace and the Social Development Goals. These are respect, friendship, excellence, the fair play of life philosophy (on and off the field ), the joy of effort, and balance within body, mind, spirit and heart. 

"Let us hold these values high in whatever we do," she said, adding that she wanted the event to grow in South Africa and the rest of the continent. 

Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Student Development and Support, Professor Matete Madiba, commended the event organisers and emphasised the importance of Ubuntu (humanity). 

"I am thankful to the organisers and the UNESCO Chair that, as UWC, we have the opportunity to take time and reflect on how much we value our Peace as individuals and the Peace of others. Ubuntu teaches us that our lives are intertwined. I cannot enjoy my life away from you. Whatever I do will impact you, and what you do will impact me," said Prof Madiba. 

Laetitia Permall, Director of CSSS, echoed Professors Madiba and Keim's sentiments: "Peace is part of our purpose as humanity, and when we stand up, we reach out to other people, saying how we can come together to make a difference. When I look at the 90-odd people who pitched today, there are 90 more people aware that there is work being done in the name of Peace, in the name of empowerment and the name of positive change. "

Manager of Therapeutic Services at CSSS, Roné Gerber, encouraged students to look after themselves and their wellbeing. "This walk forms part of the wellness in mental health and wellness, and this is what students need during this period when tests are approaching," she said. 

CSSS established the Peace Ambassadors programme a few years ago to encourage students and staff to make changes in their communities. Peace Ambassador Demi Muller noted: "The goal is to empower ourselves so that we can empower others. If there is peaceful energy among a group of students, it can have a ripple effect on others. This walk forces us to pause, reset and reflect, which is something that every student undoubtedly needs at some point."