:
On the occasion of the International Day of Living Together in Peace, the Mediterranean University Center of Nice hosted two exhibitions and a roundtable. A perfect moment to exchange ideas about living together and the acceptance of differences.
“We are in a small co-ownership, and the entire world is a large co-ownership. And a co-ownership manages problems and difficulties instead of fighting,” declares Agnès Rampal, Deputy Mayor of Nice, in charge of Euro-Mediterranean affairs. May 16 is the International Day of Living Together in Peace (IDLTP). This celebration was established by the United Nations in 2017. As part of its 6th edition, the city of Nice organized an afternoon dedicated to sharing and exchanging these values.
Two exhibitions took place on the first floor of the Mediterranean University Center (CUM). The MAJALIS Association, an organization for the preservation of African cultural heritage, presented Cheikh A. Bamba, a Muslim Artisan of Peace. Meanwhile, AISA International NGO showcased The Origins of Education on the Culture of Peace: Universal Human Values.
The visit to these two exhibitions was followed by a roundtable discussion on the following theme: “Dialogue for Tolerance, Living Together in Peace, and Challenges to Overcome for a World Without Hate.”
Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, “The Artisan of Peace” Honored
“It’s important to amplify the voices of Muslims who have worked for non-violence and peace,” says Abdou Aziz Mbacke, founder of the Majalis Association and initiator of the project. In a context where Islam is a religion burdened with stigmas and misconceptions in public and media debates, the Senegalese seeks to highlight Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba through an exhibition that traces his life. A figure of non-violence, this religious leader founded the significant Mouride community. Passed away in 1927, he notably fought for a jihad of love, knowledge, and positive values and was a prolific writer.
It was created during the “International Conference on World Peace” at Columbia University in New York and since then, it has traveled and settled in major cities around the world. The primary goal is sharing: “We, Africans, we, Muslims, are not just consumers, but producers of values.” Then, the idea is to combat stereotypes of violence and intolerance surrounding this religion.
Educating for the “Culture of Peace”
In another room at CUM, an exhibition features contemporary figures from all ethnicities and continents who have dedicated their lives to peace. Cheikh Khaled Bentounes, Hannah Arendt, Mahatma Gandhi, and Maria Montessori all share universal values. Their most inspiring quotes are compiled. Guatemalan activist and 1992 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu stated: “Peace is not merely the absence of war: as long as there is poverty, racism, discrimination, and exclusion, we will hardly achieve a world of peace.”
This exhibition also presents some educational principles of the Culture of Peace: mediation, understanding before judging, the economy of nature, and ethics. The AISA NGO, initiator and promoter of the IDLTP, also takes this exhibition on tour. It was notably established in the Garden of Peace in the Netherlands last year.
