8 October 2018 | Salaam Foundation | Images: Yunus Chamda
The Salaam Foundation #Pens4Peace walk started off in the historic township of Sharpeville in the south of Gauteng on Sunday, 7 October 2018.
The group of residents and Salaamedia and Salaam Foundation members marched from the local mosque to the town hall and back, making a powerful call for peace, justice and equality in South Africa and the rest of the world.
At the town hall, the gathering was addressed by Salaam Foundation’s Azhar Vadi and Fatima Sookharia as well as Salaamedia station manager, Ponty Moletsane.
Children in Sharpeville call for global peace. Image Yunus Chamda
Thereafter the guests of honour, Ml Dawood Ndlovu, Ustaadha Farida Mokone and the elderly Sheikh Abdul Hamid Selimfe enlightened people about the realities of violence, apartheid and war.
Ml Dawood Ndlovu emphasized the need to call for peace through the use of song. He reminded those who were in attendance about the need for peace and stability to facilitate a prosperous society.
Ustaadha Farida Mokone was powerful in her delivery. “We need to c
Ustaadha Farida Mokone. Image: Yunus Chamda
ry for peace,” she said. “Just a few days a ago, outside this very hall, a 15 year old girl was abducted and her finger was gruesomely cut off. She was dumped not far from here. Why do our children need to experience this?
Sheikh Selimfe recalled how on 21 March 1960, as people protested against the apartheid Pass Laws and the dompas system, police opened fire on the crowd. He described the blood and how it mixed with the falling rain creating river of red over 1km long. He spoke about how at the age of 15 he was attacked by apartheid supporters and left in pain. He told everyone about the struggles of the people and why a campaign like this was so important.
Sh Abdul Hamid Selimfe and Ebrahim Gangat. Image: Azhar Vadi
The day ended with a walk back to the mosque and re-commitment to the call for peace justice and equality.
The #Pens4Peace journey will continue through Lenasia, Soweto, Johannesburg and Pretoria this week. Follow it on @Salaamedia on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
