Pointe Noire, Congo—Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, UPF-Congo honored its founders, the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, by organizing the sixth edition of the Congo "Peace Road" 2021, in conjunction with a festival organized by Mrs. Moon on June 27, 2021, that same day.
The Congo "Peace Road" 2021 took place in Pointe-Noire on June 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a Sports Walk for Peace over a distance of 3.3 km under the theme:
"The March towards a Heavenly Congo.”
It was attended by more than 300 people, including the chairman of UPF in the Central Africa region, Maurice Nguesso; the prefect of the Pointe-Noire department, Honoré Paka; the deputy mayor of the City of Pointe Noire, the chairman of the national UPF, the mayors of the borough, religious leaders, parliamentarians, customary chiefs, neighborhood chiefs, business leaders, young people, students and martial arts athletes under the warm welcome of the departmental office of UPF-Pointe Noire.
PROCESS
The celebration began at 9:00 am with the Congolese national anthem, followed by an opening prayer offered by Father Maxime, legal representative of the Orthodox Catholic Church of Pointe-Noire.
The national chairman of UPF-Congo, Driss Senda, gave words of welcome: “On behalf of the Universal Peace Federation, Congo Brazzaville Chapter, I wish you a cordial welcome to this ceremony and thank you for honoring our invitation despite your busy schedules. The event that brings us together today is the celebration of the sixth edition of "Peace Road", under the theme: ‘The March towards a Heavenly Congo,” an event of international significance for which our country, the Congo in general and Pointe-Noire in particular, could not have remained on the sidelines; hence, the organization today of the Sports March for Peace.
“The international highway project initiated by Reverend Dr. Moon is the ultimate work to be done in our time to ensure harmonious cooperation between peoples and governments. Celebrating the Road to Peace means calling on leaders in all spheres of life to work tirelessly for the establishment of a world of lasting peace. Thus, the Mother of Peace, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, affirms that peace, for it to be active and alive, must begin in each of us by uniting our mind and our body centered on the Heavenly Parent.”
The national secretary general of UPF-Congo, Tsana Clément, elaborated further, paying homage to True Father, Sun Myung Moon, and praised the bravery of True Mother, the “Mother of Peace" for her efforts to make the Universal Peace Federation an organization that will concretely achieve a world of peace centered on God.
Next, the march was launched by the chairman of the Central Africa chapter of UPF, Maurice Nguesso. For about 50 minutes, covering a distance of 3.3 kilometers, participants from all spheres of life (political, religious, military, civil society, young people, martial arts athletes, etc.), marched for peace.
When everyone had arrived at the finish line, the master of ceremonies presented the vision of the "Peace Road" in these terms:
“The vision of the 'Peace Road' is an initiative that goes beyond the materialist desire for the economic and political benefits of an international road, and defends the spiritual dimension, which aims to tear down the walls that have historically divided us—racism and cultural differences, prejudices and fear—and to bring humanity together as one family under God. The project dates back to 1981 when Rev. Sun Myung Moon proposed an international highway that will physically connect all the peoples of the world. In particular, the 'Peace Road' Initiative promotes two projects: an undersea tunnel between Korea and Japan and the Bering Strait project to link Alaska and Siberia.”
The mayor of Lumumba First District followed this by saying: “I would like to thank the UPF officials for having chosen the Roundabout Lumumba as the base for the March for Peace organized this 27th day of June, 2021.”
Then there was an artistic performance by the athletes of Tong Il Moo Do, a martial art that unites the different martial arts disciplines. They were given a standing ovation.
There followed a word from the national representative of the Holy Community of Heavenly Parent of Congo, Rev. Norbert Ndielle Moutsatsi: “We are united through this "Peace Road" Project to reaffirm our commitment to the values and ideals that bind us as a national community to establish a Heavenly Congo where God is at the center of the governance. We will achieve this with the help of God, our Heavenly Parent.”
The chairman of the Central Africa chapter of UPF, the elder brother of the president of the Republic, Maurice Nguesso, thanked the organizers for the success of the event.
Finally, the prefect of the Pointe-Noire department, honorary president of the UPF Pointe-Noire/Kouilou, Alexandre Honoré Paka, closed the series of speeches with these words: “I thank the organizers for having the confidence to organize the sixth edition of the Peace Road in Pointe-Noire. This Peace Road initiative goes hand in hand with the vision of the head of state, His Excellency Denis Sassou Nguesso, which incorporates the vision of Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, who dedicated his entire life to the service of World Peace.”
It was under a climate of joy that the sixth edition of the "Peace Road" ended with the signing of the route map, followed by family photos and a snack offered to all participants.
Several members of the media covered the event and relayed the information throughout the nation.