Pointe-Noire, Congo Brazzaville—A week after honoring the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Co-Founder of UPF, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, UPF-Congo Brazzaville held the 7th annual event of Peace Road 2022 on August 21, 2022, in the city of Pointe-Noire with the theme: The Establishment of Heavenly Congo, A Nation of Unity and Peace. The 537 participants included the governor of Pointe-Noire, parliamentarians, the mayor, departmental directors (police, territorial administration, etc.), administrators, senior citizens, the chairwoman of the Women’s Federation for World Peace, Ambassadors for Peace, religious leaders, general managers of private and public companies, consular and diplomatic corps, and various NGOs.
The program began with the singing of the national anthem and the anthem of UPF. Prayers of peace were offered by a representative of Islam and by Rev. Norbert Ndielle Moutsatsi, Congo’s national leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.
The starting point of this 7th annual event of Peace Road was the historic Loandjili roundabout where the gathered participants accompanied Governor Alexandre Honoré Paka, at the laying of a wreath in front of the monument of the Hon. Jean-Félix Tchicaya, first Congolese parliamentarian. A minute of silence was observed in his memory and in memory of Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, pioneer of peace and unification.
In his welcome address, the Mayor of District 4 Loandjili, Mr. Zéphirin Nguie, expressed his gratitude to UPF on behalf of his constituency for UPF’s works of peace, because “without peace, social cohesion and living together are not possible.”
UPF’s regional chairman, Mr. Michel Bounda, expounded on the paradigm advocated by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, “the Mother of Peace,” namely: “Governance centered on God,” based on the principles of interdependence, mutual prosperity and shared universal values. He cordially invited leaders of all political and ideological sides to adhere to this new paradigm. He exhorted each of the participants to repeat: “I am a partisan of peace. I must contribute to the establishment of a Heavenly Congo, a nation of unity and peace.” Finally, a respectful tribute was paid to the Mother of Peace who competently and successfully continues the legacy of Father Moon.
The release of seven doves by the officials marked the kick-off of the 7th annual event of Peace Road, which brought together nearly 537 people from across the city. The course, about 7 km long, went from the Loandjili roundabout to the Pointe-Noire sports complex, the Republic roundabout, the Peace roundabout and back to the prefecture drop-off point. After approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, the participants reached the headquarters of the prefecture for another highlight, that of prayers for a world without conflict. The national secretary general of FFWPU, Mr. Clément Tsana, thanked all the dignitaries present and explained in detail the initiative of Peace Road which was initially proposed by Rev. Moon in 1981. He also underlined that Peace Road makes it possible to bring awareness to the importance of raising up true peace-loving citizens of the world through education in the culture of peace.
Next, the Congolese Federation Tong Il Moo Do captivated the audience with martial arts demonstrations and a display of self-defense techniques.
In turn, the Governor declared: “This is why the Mother of Peace, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, calls with all her heart for inclusive governance centered on God for the realization of lasting peace through education for a culture of peace, love of one’s neighbor, equitable distribution of resources and living together in unity. This is what the establishment of a Heavenly Congo is aiming for. The cooperation of leaders in all fields is more than requested, while overcoming ethnic, religious, racial, and political barriers.” He ended his remarks by saying: “Thus, to allow the other departments of our country to benefit from the education in the culture of peace advocated by UPF, the Peace Road activity has become as of today a recurring activity in our country, like the Olympic Games’ torch that circulates in each host country. The 8th annual event of the Peace Road will be organized by the Cuvette Department.”
The event continued with the presentation of mementos from Peace Road 2022, including the banners. This event was crowned by the signing of the course map and the presentation of special trophies to two great personages working in the field of peace, namely the Mother of Peace, Dr. Moon, and H.E. Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo. These trophies were received respectively by the National Leader of FFWPU and the Governor.
The event ended with official photos and refreshments. Several media channels covered the event.