Over one thousand Rotarians from Africa converged in Uganda on Friday to celebrate peace as they sought to raise US Dollars 500.000 to support the Makerere University Rotary Africa Peace Centre.
The colourful Rotary Peace Concert event was hosted at Speke Resort Hotel – Munyonyo where Rotary Foundation Trustee and President Marty Peak Helman commended African Rotarians for championing peace.
The America-born Helman who called Uganda her African home said the world was looking to East Africa and Uganda for a dream of peace and the choice of Makerere to host the first Rotary Peace Centre on the African continent was commendable. The centre has been in existence for three years and offers a fully sponsored year-long certificate course in conflict resolution, prevention and peace building to professionals from different African countries.
The alumni go on to serve in their home countries to promote peace in their different areas of work. Helman also explained that the centre’s work was a model for African solutions to African problems, which the Rotary Foundation had cause to support.
There are seven Rotary Peace Centres globally and the one at Makerere is the first and only one in Africa, others being hosted in Brisbane (Australia), Bradford (UK), Japan, Bangkok (Thailand) and Durham (US).
The foundation is in the process of opening another centre in Istanbul, Turkey, to serve Eastern Europe and the Middle-East where Helman said peace is currently most needed. The region is currently experiencing ferocious wars in Ukraine and Palestine-Israel where thousands of lives have been lost and property destroyed.
The concert was a mix of African traditional and western country music plus live jazz performed by among others Makerere University Department of Music Dance and Drama and a troupe led by legendary Winston Mayanja.
Helman said the concert was a global way of celebrating and communicating peace.
It was the third edition, others having been organized in 2020 and 2022. A ticket for an individual went for US $ 100. Corporate sponsorship cost UGX50million (Gold), UGX 40million (Silver) and UGX30million (Bronze).
The proceeds are to be used by the Makerere University Africa Peace Centre to train more peace fellows. One hundred and eleven fellows from thirty five African countries have already been trained by the Centre that plans to upgrade the course to a Masters Degree Progamme.
The function went on up to past midnight.
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