Post 1: URI-Great Lakes Meeting Opened in Kampala, Uganda - August 22, 2011.
Opening day: The meeting room at Hotel Africana, Kampala, Uganda filled steadily – by 9:30am about 80 people were in their seats. Diversity of religious leaders - Christian ministers, Bishops, Imams, a Grand Mufti, a BK sister, Catholic sisters, members from ISKCON, Bahia’s, Sikhs. Also, young adults were in the majority…bright students from different African countries studying in Kampala, members of several Cooperation Circles from Burundi, DOC, Nigeria, and Uganda.
In the keynote address, I was touched by how Bishop Ochola reminded us that Africa was the mother of humanity; it was a sanctuary for refugees. Mother Africa embraced the Jews in exile, Jesus, Mary and Joseph and political and religious refugees through the centuries. It is the continent that gave the world the concept of Ubuntu – the deep bond between individual and community, “you are because we are.” As he went on to describe the horrors of wars in more recent years and how religion is being used as a source of violence and mayhem, his message, founded on Africa’s roots, gave perspective that once again Africa can embrace its power to build and embrace a culture of peace, justice and healing for humanity. He appealed to organizations like the UN and URI to join hands with Mother Africa for peace for humanity.
Then, drums began to beat,…there was a scurry of activity…the Vice President of Uganda, His Excellency, Edward Kiwanuka Sekandi, arrived! He emphasized that the Golden Rule was important to help people understand the kind of respect that was required, “if you love your faith then others should be respected for loving their faith as you love yours.”
URI made hsitory in this moment by successfully bringing together this mix of citizens and stakeholders of Africa - people who are determined to build a better life, and who choose to do it by cooperating with people from different religions and cross-sectors of society, and even people who hold policies they disagree with. More to come....
