Monrovia – “Many people have come to me and suggested that I dig up my father remains, that was buried in a Mass Grave in 1980 and give him a proper burial.
Report by Mae Azango [email protected]
But I usually tell them that one cannot open a mass grave and have selective removal,” Says Peace Ambassador Rev. William R. Tolbert III.
In Observation of the International Day of Peace, to be celebrated on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, The Carter Center in Monrovia, in collaboration with Peace Ambassador Tolbert, Women in Peace building Network, (WIPNET) alongside various women groups, Crusaders of Peace, Massagers of Peace, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and others started a week celebration beginning with the mosque on last Friday, reflection on Saturday, thanksgiving on Sunday, awareness and community outreach on Monday and Tuesday and climax with an Indoor program on Wednesday at the Monrovia City Hall.
Rev. Tolbert, during the Sunday service, preached on the theme: “Peacemakers are sons of God” taken from the text Matthew. 5:9.
Mounting the poppet at the Zion Praise Baptist Church, the same church his late father President William R. Tolbert, once pastored, Rev. William Tolbert III, said as the Peace Ambassador and a man of God, he knows the pain and agony it will cause to many, if they open the mass grave with his father’s remains, what he refers to as the Pandora’s box.
“If you open Pandora’s Box, you will have a serious problem to close it. If you will open the mass grave, then be prepared to have forensic science to go through the right procedure to identify everybody in the mass grave and give them all a befitting burial.
But if we are not prepared to do that, then it is best we leave that mass grave as it is until we as a nation and people are prepared to do the right thing.
This is my decision for the record, because I know the pains and agony that will be cost when we open Liberia’s Pandora’s Box that we cannot close,” he said.
Rev. Tolbert further said he was surprised to find out that many youth of Liberia did not know about the mass graves situated at Center Street Grave yard in Monrovia and in the Duport Road, Paynesville, when he took the young Liberians to tour the two mass grave sites.
“We have to remember the lessons learned from our history in order to teach our children so they cannot go back into another conflict. We can build all the fine buildings, but as long as we do not continue to preach peace, we will break them down in no time, because it is a lot easier to tear down, than to rebuild.
People came and brought peace after Liberia’s brutal civil war, but where have it left Liberians after 36 years?” He asked rhetorically.
During the Sunday thanksgiving service at Betel Cathedral in Monrovia, Pewee Flomoku, Chief of Party at Carter Center said they were celebrating peace for women and girls because are the most venerable.
“Women and girls usually suffer the most in any society because they are the most marginalized, but yet we marginalize them in our various workplaces and bring them down,” Flomoku said, referencing the theme of the celebration: Rejecting violence, security, human rights and celebrating Liberian women and girls”.
He said he was very happy to be working along with the women who are considered the peace actors in the Country in preaching peace to all Liberians.
The six-day peace celebration that started on Friday continued on Saturday evening, when the team gathered at a candle light reflection period held at the Fish Market when WIPNET depicted “peace” with candlelight.
On Sunday the team worshiped with the Bethel cathedral Church in Monrovia and then moved to the Zion Praise church in Bentol City, Bensenville, rural Montserrado County, for Thanksgiving service.
On Monday, and Tuesday, the team did community outreach in preaching peace messages in various communities in Monrovia, including West Point, while radio talk shows on peace were held on local radio stations. On the Main day, September 21st 2016, a team will parade from Monrovia to the Monrovia City Hall to meet another team that will be marching from VAMOMA House in Sinkor meet at City Hall for the indoor program.
In her peace messages at the churches and street corners, Cecelia Danuwali of WIPNET said peace is the success to any nation, so Liberians should remain peaceful at all levels.
“Liberians we want to thank you for keeping twelve years of peace, Let us continue to keep the peace now that UNMIL is gone,” she said.
Let us remain peaceful in sectors of government. Mama and Papa, let us teach our children peace in the homes, let us remain peaceful in our communities and dialogue and not result into violence,” said Danuwali.
Waving white handkerchiefs in the air, they marched and danced joyously during the two services held at Betel Cathedral and Zion Praise Churches on Sunday.
On Monday and Tuesday, Crusaders for Peace, and the team moved around in vehicles with music and PA system, preaching peace and performing cultural dance in the communities, while women groups like WONGOSOR, MAWOPNET, Female Journalism Association of Liberia held mega phones outside the windows of the vehicles and preached messages of peace.