Prayers for the City

In by zeinab

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2020-02-02

Country: South Africa
City:
We invited friends from around the world to help us celebrate the 10th Anniversary of World Interfaith Harmony Week, and we invited our friends and colleagues from areas around our City that do not often have much interaction. The Cape Flats is a deeply traumatised area of Cape Town with an exceptionally high rate of violent crime. The Faith Leaders of that area are severely stretched, experiencing the daily necessity of supporting their community through yet more gangsterism, yet another murder. But who is supporting these Faith Leaders? We decided to open our hearts and extend our hospitality in a series of united events designed to create interfaith harmony and express our love and support for all. The principle of compassion and a deep desire for social justice were some of our motivating factors. We wanted to show that "you are never alone", and interfaith friendship is our superpower.   Day two: It’s our day of celebration! The first Sunday in February is the date of Prayers for the City, the event which was awarded the HM King Abdullah II Prize for the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019 and which inspired this tour. This year, we return to our 2019 venue – a vacant plot in a battle-weary and economically challenged area called Elsie’s River. As we did in 2019, we unite with Elsie’s River NGO Faith Hope Love Communities to support the community’s commitment to taking back their suburb from the gang and criminal activity that threatens them every day. Our visitors will have the opportunity to engage with honoured guests including the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Dan Plato, as well as a host of community members.