Thirty participants hailing from various Council for World Mission (CWM) member churches, the Protestant Council of Rwanda (CPR), and ecumenical partners across Africa came together from 4-8 August in Kigali, Rwanda, to position African youth at the forefront of building just, reconciled, and resilient communities in times of crisis.
The five-day programme provided a safe, intentional, and faith-rooted space, and also challenged young participants to engage in rounds of rigourous theological reflections, while preparing them for a journey of empowerment through practical skills-building with a promise for tangible action in solidarity.
The event, jointly organised by CWM and CPR, took place against a backdrop of a world that is increasingly polarised and violent – one in which the church continues to stand as both a sanctuary and a transformative agent.
Additionally, the upward trend of armed conflicts, ethnic divisions, gender-based violence, and political instabilities across the world has presented a dire challenge for churches to live out their calling as peacemakers.
Themed “Youth Initiative on Peacebuilding (Africa Region)”, Rwanda was selected as the location for the event as it illustrated the perils of political instability, economic inequality, and ethnic tensions that continue to fester beneath the wounds of historical injustices – a microcosmic picture of the larger, turbulent world.
Through the convening of youth from different countries, denominations, and faith traditions, the event also fostered vital cross-border alliances that transcend ethnic, national, and religious divides.
In a continent where young people make up the majority population, but are often excluded from political and decision-making spaces, the gathering affirmed their prophetic agency—not as “leaders of tomorrow,” but as active agents of reconciliation and justice today.
“African youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow—they are the prophetic voice and peacemakers of today. Through this gathering, we have witnessed courage, wisdom, and faith shaping a new horizon of peace,” declared Rev. Daimon Mkandawire, CWM Mission Secretary for Ecology and Economy.
“Peace is not the absence of war!”
The event also took the participants on a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial as part of an immersion experience amidst a post-genocide peace. The visit gave life to the prevailing conversations and imbued the work of peacebuilding with a spirit of urgency.
The quiet corridors of the memorial, lined with graphic photographs of the 1994 genocide that took place during the Rwandan Civil War, and are the resting place of the remains of over 250,000 genocide victims – showcasing the tragic costs of unchecked hatred and division.
“Peace is not the absence of war—it is the rebuilding of dignity,” described Hon. Prof Uwimbabazi Penine, Senator and peacebuilding expert, who was present at the event.
Echoing Penine’s sentiment was a unified response from the participants who agreed that that forgiveness is not weakness but an important seed of peace that must be planted in every global community.
