EASTERN EQUATORIA – There is more to the International Day of UN Peacekeepers than marching parades, remarks hailing the virtues of peace, the lowering of flags and laying of wreaths. Just ask the more than 300 people who went to the Torit Day Secondary School to celebrate the day: they were treated to an “Art for Peace” competition, with students displaying their fine contributions.

Under the theme "Peace Begins with Me: Promoting United Nations peacekeeping as an effective force for peace and progress," Students from five secondary schools did their best to produce their own artistic interpretations of the theme "Peace Begins with Me: Promoting United Nations peacekeeping as an effective force for peace and progress”.

As the competition began, pencils and brushes were soon gracefully dancing across sheets of paper. The visions of the participating girls and boys were brought to life, with each meticulously added detail aiming to convey their understanding of the role of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and their own commitment to building a harmonious future for all.

The young protagonists, at least Cicilia Yeke Emmanuel, thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, the first of its kind for most of them.

“This is a great, fun event that we will all learn from. Now we request the state Ministry of Education to do more to stimulate our creativity, for example by introducing fine arts as a subject in our school curriculum and recruiting qualified teachers who can guide us as we develop our talents,” she said.

A jury consisting of representatives of the mentioned ministry and the peacekeeping mission’s field office in Torit had the privilege of assessing said talents before anybody else. The friendly judges were, not surprisingly, suitably impressed, but also urged the budding artists to act beyond their canvases.

“For peace to prevail among communities, including your owns, you don’t have to wait for peacekeepers to visit or patrol your areas. Let peace begin with each one of you, boys and girls, and your actions at school, at home and in your villages,” suggested Major Charles Mutigita, serving with the UNMISS contingent from Rwanda.

While we do not know what the future holds, on this day, as the cliché goes, everyone was a winner, not only the students deemed to have produced the very best pieces of art.

As the sun set, Ambrose Oyet, Director of Standard and Quality of Education in Eastern Equatoria, summed up the sentiment floating over the venue.

“I am so excited for what UNMISS has brought to us today by giving us a chance to use art to show our respect for the tireless efforts of peacekeepers in our state and worldwide.”