Chief Olusegun Runsewe, the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), has urged the world leaders to focus attention on exploration of culture and religious heritage as drivers of peace.
Runsewe, also the President, World Crafts Council (WCC), worried by the rise in local and global strifes and conflicts, occasioned by socioeconomic and political exclusion, said the world must consciously embrace peace.
He was speaking as a special guest at the World Peace Conference, hosted by People’s Republic of Bangladesh, in Dhaka, on Dec. 6 and called for peaceful co-existence across the globe.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Frank Meke, Media Aide to Runsewe, and made to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.
“We must revisit culture as a veritable tool of ensuring unity, peace and development of the society, hence, every government and nation must strive toward the preservation of their heritage as means of collective identity,” he said.
Runsewe told the gathering of eminent political and business moguls from all over the world that culture, apart from religion, was a potent weapon in engendering peace and unity.
He explained the impact of Nigeria’s iconic cultural festival, National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), saying that it had sustained the unification of the Nigerian people, in spite of the huge diversities.
Runsewe said that the festival had helped in celebrating what unifies Nigerians and not what divides them.
He recommended the NAFEST cultural tourism model to the world peace conference delegates.
“It is known locally as our unity forum and through the platform, Nigerians from all ethnic backgrounds interact, exchange different cultural manifestations and build bridges of unity and friendship across ethnic nationalities,” he said.
Runsewe appreciated the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for the opportunity to share insights and also provide solutions to the epidemic of global developmental dislocations, injurious to peaceful coexistence among nations and peoples.
He said that respect and concern for the weak and less privileged could help descalate conflicts driven by socioeconomic and political exclusion.
The director-general warned that slide to religious intolerance fuels bigotry, fanaticism, indoctrination and factionalism, with tension, conflict and outright violence as seed of discord, not peace,
He called on world leaders and men of all faith to see God in the best of humanity.
” While we may not all necessarily share or believe similar religious views with others, tolerance of other people’s religion requires that we appreciate the fact that others are entitled to their religious beliefs and practices.
“And, have the right to practice their religions without let or hindrance.
“Religion, if positively deployed, can also be a veritable tool for fostering national and international development, peace, understanding and cooperation.
“And for driving the process of development and if wrongly deployed, could become a liability.
“Peace is not only for a community or nation, it is the primary goal of all nations of the world, a breach of peace in one nation or continent is a threat to the peace of the entire universe.
“The world is a global village and what happens in one part of the world, will also affect other parts of the world,” he said.
