Welcome to South Africa – Prem Rawat at Zonderwater prison Prem Rawat’s whirlwind tour of Johannesburg, Soweto and Zonderwater prison prompted much singing and (in Soweto) impromptu dancing. wopg.org Prem Rawat received an enthusiastic welcome during his return visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2014, according to a report by The Prem Rawat Foundation. His whirlwind tour of Johannesburg, Soweto and Zonderwater prison, where he spoke about the possibilities for personal freedom and peace, prompted much singing and (in Soweto) impromptu dancing. Prison inmates — many of them serving long sentences — were hugging wardens as Prem left the facility. Mr. Rawat, who has been speaking publicly about peace since he was four years old, was blacklisted in South Africa for many years during the apartheid era, after he refused in 1972 to abide by rules that banned him from speaking to mixed-race audiences. He was just 14 years old at the time. Speaking in Soweto in 2014, Prem Rawat said, “I am here today in a free South Africa. But we have to make sure that the freedom is not only outside, but the freedom is also on the inside. Because without the freedom that is inside, freedom outside really doesn’t matter.” Soweto — the home of leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu — is an area on the edge of Johannesburg with a volatile history of civic unrest. Made up of townships that originally housed black Africans evicted from central Johannesburg during apartheid, it is still a densely populated area with high unemployment and limited opportunity. Uncle Tom’s community center, where Prem Rawat spoke, has strong historical significance for the local community, being one of the few local government buildings spared during the renowned Soweto riots of 1976. Over 450 local residents attended the event, which was arranged by the city of Johannesburg. The head of Youth Development for the Johannesburg Department of Social Development, Ernest Leketi, has been an enthusiastic supporter of Prem Rawat’s work for some time. He learned about Prem Rawat’s message of peace through The Prem Rawat Foundation’s Peace Education Program (PEP), which has profoundly affected the lives and attitudes of participants in the area. Ernest has since become a PEP facilitator with six other young people based in Soweto. Ernest, who is championing the peace program, said, “It has changed my attitude to life and brought peace in my home with my wife too.” He also recounted how he has been able to reconcile with his enemy, with whom he had previously fought for years, despite seeing him still on a regular basis. Mr. Wandile Zwane, Head of Social Development in Johannesburg, told the audience that he hopes the peace program will grow and grow to really help the city embrace peace. As part of an ongoing partnership between the City of Johannesburg and The Prem Rawat Foundation, seven new PEP courses will commence in Soweto in January 2015 for 400 people, with the Johannesburg Council contributing ten new DVD players and televisions. It is anticipated that up to 2,500 people will go through the PEP in the first half of 2015. The same course has been running for five years at Zonderwater, one of South Africa’s top security prisons.Speaking to 380 inmates there during his November visit, Prem Rawat said, “If you have capacity for anger, then you have capacity for joy. If you have capacity for confusion, then you have capacity for clarity. Anger — anger is on one side of the coin; joy is the other side of the coin. You’ve got the coin. That’s the good news. Now you need to flip it. Darkness one side of the coin; light the other side of the coin … Choose to flip it.” Over 750 prisoners at Zonderwater have been through the peace course, which has impacted the prison for the better, reducing violence and genuinely changing lives, according to reports from wardens, participants, and PEP facilitators. In response to Prem Rawat’s visit to the penitentiary, one inmate said, “I am now fulfilled. I needed to hear from the horse’s mouth. He answered my questions and touched my heart. The PEP course has changed my life.”
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 07:06:53 +0000
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