Recently, Young Leaders Program (YLP) peacebuilder Joseph Megwe from Kenya (far left) reflected on this summer’s interfaith Youth Peace Camp in Korea, where he represented URI youth:
It’s been three months since I attended the URI Korea Youth Peace Camp as a youth representative from Africa. What an experience it was! From the long flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Shanghai, I enjoyed it all. On the plane, I sat next to a Chinese man that didn’t understand a single English word, but I could not speak anything either, expect the word “Nihama chichi ma.” I had to grasp this while watching a comedy, nevertheless the will to communicate did not hinder us from having a conversation sign language played its role and at the end we took ‘selfies’.
In the morning I met with other international participants from Bosnia, India and Venezuela, along with a URI representative from the United States. I can call them my, ‘voices of reason.’ After an hour-long conversation from all of us you would mistake us with longtime friends.
Our first meeting with locals and international students from several nations was at Chondogyo church and, in a span of a few minutes after introduction, we became close friends. They were a very impressive group to be with, but the activities were so engaging that hours passed like minutes.
We later visited several areas of historical significance in Korea and learned how the country was shaped. The revolution by the peasant rice farmers was of great important to understand; how political manipulation occurred just like in the countries in Africa. The several wars fought between North and South Korea, the Japan invasion, and the massacre caused by these wars were all events that we learned much about. The visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was another great lesson in world peace. How I wish the two countries would open their boarders and let the people mingle freely for the citizens are at peace.
I like how Koreans are tolerant to all religions around and respect other people’s religious perspective. The Cooperation Circles there seem to be firmly connected with the URI mission and vision. What I learned there I decided to put it into practice by bringing youths together from the local slum to form a youth CC that seeks to work for peace and development for all. Though I am in the United States about to begin my graduate degree in Conflict Transformation, once completed, I would like to work for URI towards this noble cause to seek world peace. I am more than grateful for the opportunity to represent Africa and to learn more from global peacebuilders.
