On Tuesday, October 15th, 2024, Pax Christi International was a co-convenor of the conference ‘Out of the Box: Rethinking Africa Security’ at St. Paul’s University Kenya in partnership with the Panafrican Union of Peacebuilders and Peace Tree Network.
International pacifists, African politicians, professors, agents of international organisations and civil society activists are creating spaces for innovative thinking, systemic action and courageous advocacy for a ‘new Africa’, which is the target of the African Union’s promise of a ‘weapon-free Africa’. The conference brought together African peace researchers, academics and students.
Six keynote speakers shared their insights with the young audience: Mr. Hubert Heindl, pilot of the RAS Task Force in Germany, Balagizi Gonzague-Patrick, Deputy Ambassador of Burundi to the African Union, Fr. Dr. Mbila, Director, Chaplain for the African Union from Ethiopia, Prof. Marti Waals, Professor of Theology and Human Rights Activist, Prof. Macharia Munene, Security Specialist, at USIU, Kenya, and Prof. Esther Mombo, Professor of Theology, St. Paul’s University, Kenya. Their presentations and testimonies showed that community resilience, active nonviolence, equitable justice and human rights all are foundational to building peace for the African continent.
Pax Christi International was represented at the Conference by Sr. Wamuyu Wachira, co-president, and by Mr. Dieudonné Serukabuza, Africa regional coordinator. At the end of the conference, Sr. Wamuyu gathered key takeaways of the conference and shared with the audience a proposed path to make this vision a reality. Through quality education, a shift from a militaristic to a development approach, making space for all voices to be heard, and engaging in preventive measures, peace is possible.
The conference was part of the broader campaign “Rethinking African Security” (RAS) of the University for Peace Africa (UPA), which aims at empowering Peace Builders to achieve a systemic impact in society and communities, in politics and among the security forces in their respective countries and environments.
