By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, March 20, GNA – Tudec Development Centre and the National Peace Council have honoured the hard works of distinguished individuals of varied faiths and offices for their unwavering contribution towards peacebuilding and strengthening of interfaith coexistence.
The individuals are Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Right Reverend Abraham Nana Opare Kwaakye, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Madam Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), and Sheikh Ali Napari, an Islamic Advocate and Chief Executive Officer of the Napari Company Limited.
The awardees were honoured at Tudec’s 13th Dialogue and Peace Iftar Dinner held in Accra.
The Dialogue and Peace Iftar Dinner is held during Ramadan of Muslims which falls on “Lent” of Christians for both faiths and traditionalists to “break bread” and dialogue on better ways to promote peaceful coexistence.
Mr Cafer Tepeli, President of Tudec, said the month of Ramadan was a time of sharing and compassion, hence engaging and sowing seeds of positive change and values in society, multiplied hopes for the future.
Quoting the words of Prophet Mohammed, he said:”None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself”.
The Bible also says: “Blessed are peace makers for they shall be called children of God”, he said, adding that such endearing words encouraged all to respect and love.
Mr Tepeli noted that the Biblical quote: “Love your neighbour as yourself” resonated deeply with their collective commitment to building a harmonised society.
Dr George Amoh, the Executive Secretary, National Peace Council, said the dialogue was a testament to the fact that people from different backgrounds could coexist regardless of their religious differences.
“We need to coexist if we want peace to be on our side. We are in a season that draws us closer to God, the Ramadan the Muslims call it and the lent the Christians call it. It’s a time to renew our love towards God and humans.
“In Ezra 8:21, the Bible says – then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a straight way for us, for our little ones, and for all our possessions.
” So fasting is acknowledged and I am happy that we are able to celebrate our common humanity,” he said.
Dr Amoh called on all to use the season to build tolerance and consensus especially after the general election and encouraged managers of schools to exercise greater religious tolerance and promote self control.
“We have a common destiny to protect and we can do that when we embrace inclusiveness, respect each other’s opinion and beliefs and with that there is nothing that our country Ghana cannot surmount,” he said.
Major General Gyane after receiving the award, commended Tudec for the move, saying it was obvious that they were aligned with the National Peace Council in their propagating of values of love, peace and harmony that must permeate every society no matter the provocation.
To pursue peace, he said was to be ethical and moral, hence the KAIPTC took their quest for peace seriously.
“It calls to foster sympathy for each other and build bridges and not war. To be peace loving is to be moral and ethical,” he added.
The Commandant thanked the Peace Council and Tudec for recognising him as a promoter of peace and urged all to strengthen the fire of cooperation among the organisations.
Right Reverend Kwaakye, the Presbyterian Moderator in a speech delivered on his behalf after receiving the award, said the table where the bodies met embodied the power of dialogue which was the heartbeat of peace and divine game that united all.
“When we talk and listen attentively to one another, we reflect the voice of God. Ghana was ranked second in West Africa and fourth in Sub Sahara Africa for peace due to dialogues like these, actions and exchange of opinions.
“Dialogue plays a crucial role in maintaining long term peace in fostering understanding and harmony,” he explained.
The Moderator said the event was a testament of what different faiths could achieve together and urged all to pray to control tensions in conflict zones within the country and beyond.
Madam Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of NCCE, called on all to join hands, forge ahead and concentrate on the things that brought them together and not on those that divided them in politics, religion or culture.
She asked attendees and all citizens to make the project Ghana the foremost of whatever they did.
“Ghana remains an island of peace in a sea of turmoil and we have been able to achieve that through events like this dialogue.
“You can have your differences, we cannot agree on everything but we must embrace peace and solidarity,” she advised and dedicated her award to the hardworking staff of the NCCE.
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