About Us We are happy to introduce to you the African Projects for Peace and Love Initiatives (A.P.P.L.I.), a grassroots proactive peace organization set up with the objective of promoting Ethnoreligious harmony in Africa through structured education for peace, socio-cultural adjustment programs, and indigenous Peacebuilding capacities. A 501 c 3 NGO, with its headquarters in the United States of America, A.P.P.L.I. is developing continental chapters throughout Africa and encouraging the establishment of affiliates in other parts of the world (USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Middle-East and all the Third Worlds) with a view to starting a New Conversation with the rest of humanity about the need for grassroots proactive Peacebuilding, conflict resolution, management and transformation in Africa. For five hundred whole years before Independence, the African was violated, victimized and traumatized. He was dispossessed, possessed, occupied and oppressed. He was captured, sold, recaptured and disfranchised. Since after Independence, the African was overpowered, controlled, abandoned, sapped, diseased, discomforted, discomfited and disoriented. Africa’s Wounds are Grievous Africa’s wounds are, indeed grievous. She had been wounded by friends and foes alike.  Her own children had destroyed her tents. There is no-one left to restore her dignity.  Every predator dealt her quick blows and disappeared. Some even came back for the kill.  Africa was too weak to neither pursue her assailants nor recover her precious possessions.    Her troubles were too much for her. Unfortunately, Africa’s true friends are few indeed, and would rather not be friends in need.   Many Have Given Up On Africa Four hundred years of slavery, one hundred years of colonization, sixty years of Ethnoreligious disharmony, cold war, diseases and decay, another 50 years of repaying odious debts, many had given up Africa’s wounds as incurable. Regrettably, false physicians are prescribing wrong and exploitative medications at great expense to Africa. Africa is paying huge price but not for development. What does Africa have left for her children - an empty future devoid of promise? Africa and Ethnic Hatred Will the great continent of Africa ever embrace peace and overcome countless ethnic quarrels that have led to avoidable civil wars, loss of lives, economic stagnation, political instability, diseases, sufferings for children, widows and the weak?  For the majority of the citizens in Africa, violence, ethnic hatred and diseases have rendered life unfulfilling and hard.  Tribes are rising against tribes, communities are rising against communities, and nations are rising against nations.  Ethnic hatred is everywhere: in the marketplace, in schools, in churches, in government circles, even siblings of inter-ethnic marriages still entertain ethnic hatred. School violence, political riots, and religious wars, genocide and ethnic cleansing, all have their bedrock in ethnic hatred. The Questions Will this land of enormous human and natural wealth be able to convert its oil, diamonds, and precious minerals into prosperity for the average Africans? Will Africa gain respect not only for its minerals worth but also for its human worth? Will the continent of Africa which was once regarded as the cradle of civilization become alive again to her past glories? Can the Gospel of Peace - the Gospel of Jesus Christ - influence African nations and people toward resolving ethnic conflicts with peace, love and justice, without violence? Does Islam, the Religion of Peace, have any peace to offer Africa in the true sense of peace? Can religious leaders all over the world join their brothers and sisters in Africa to lead the way toward developing a better Africa? Can Africans communicate effectively without allowing ethnic and religious differences to create stumbling blocks? How can African leaders deal with the issues of “Africa’s Children of Conflicts?” Should Africa be caught ignorantly in the crossfire of terrorism in this millennium,  and reap unwittingly, the concurrent violence and sorrows, only to be ignored,  neglected and forgotten for the up-teen times just as it was the case in the past, after the two World Wars? Is there anyone there who is paying heartfelt attention to these problems and prepared to take all these matters to the grassroots level, even at the risk of personal safety? When and how can the much expected African Renaissance come? Africa’s Renaissance is Overdue In a speech in 1996, Thabo Mbeki, the current President of South Africa, and successor to Nelson Mandela, called for the African Renaissance. No attention was paid to this call because it will demand great sacrifices: democracy, equal rights, Ethnoreligious harmony, socio-cultural adjustments, honesty, justice, freedom of expression, creativity, transparency, economic and political reforms, eradication of corruption, nepotism, ethnicism, cronyism, favoritism, militarism, dictatorship, rogues mentality, wealth and affluence not backed by productivity, and most importantly, the rule of law. But Africa Is Strong But Africa is strong, courageous and perseverance.  She was beaten bud did not bend. She was kicked but did not bow. Like the Kente cloth, Africa refused to tear.  She had covenanted with fate to stay alive until her sons and daughters returned to wash her wounds. Let Africa Arise Now Let Africa arise now with the rising sun.  Like the parts of a body, let the tribes unite and function to give Africa meaning and purpose.  For the future of Africa is precious. A Vision of Africa, the Future Land of Peace Whenever man’s hands become feeble and weak, God’s strong hands always come to the rescue. Human history is full of accounts of how God intervened providentially whenever man’s problems got beyond human solutions. This, coincidentally, was the case, when on August 13, 1996; God shared a divine vision with the founder of A.P.P.L.I., Nigerian Clergy and Preacher, Rev. Titus Oyeyemi, couched in these words: Africa, the Future Land of Peace. Turning a Vision into a Mission Africa can be likened to a body whose parts are falling apart and cannot stay together.  Statistics show that currently one-third of African states are involved in or affected by wars.  A.P.P.L.I. Mission therefore is to promote projects that will teach peace as an alternative to war, love as an alternative to hatred, hope as an alternative to despair, and wholeness as an alternative to disease and decay, and most importantly to give   the African peoples the opportunities to take the initiatives for, develop and own their peace efforts. Channels for Implementing a Great Vision The following four objectives form the core mission of A.P.P.L.I. 1.        Promotion of interfaith and interethnic goodwill for Ethnoreligious harmony through a structured education for peace and socio-cultural adjustments. 2.        Launching grassroots peace and love clubs and creation of peace education centers in communities, societies, churches, mosques, schools, colleges and universities 3.        Development of a post secondary peace academy, designing, developing and teaching Peacebuilding, conflict resolution, management and transformation curriculum  relevant to the African environment and experience. 4.        Capacity building for the peace academy and other grassroots peace formations by sponsoring young Africans to higher institutions for peace studies overseas. Articulation and Expression Through the mechanism of peace rallies, events, workshops, conferences, symbolic peace gift items and participating in joint venture activities with other NGOs in Africa, and other parts of the world, A.P.P.L.I. is promoting the vision of Africa, the Future Land of Peace.  A.P.P.L.I. also promotes religious, educational, cultural and community-based, projects that can give African nations peace as alternative to wars and love as an alternative to hate: teaching Africans to say NO to wars and YES to peace. How Do We Impact the Grassroots for Peace? We impact the African societies for peace as •        Infiltrators: Through various activities such as peace rallies, workshops, seminars, community and cultural activities, we infiltrate the society with new ideas that can lead to peace, thus encouraging the people to resolve their conflicts nonviolently. •        Modelers: Our grassroots peace and love clubs serve as examples of local communities of peace.   We introduce models of peace and teach the ideas to the people for emulation. Currently, we launch KAYERO and KAIROS Peace Clubs in Nigeria. •        Prophetic Voices: Through our newsletters, the African Voice of Peace and the African Peace Digests, we join other voices to cry for peace, love and justice, in Africa. •         As Intercessors: History belongs to the intercessors, and the future is never closed to them. Inimitably, we seek to place A.P.P.L.I. as intercessors for grassroots proactive peace and Ethnoreligious harmony in Africa. Is the Grassroots Everything? We know that everything is not grassroots, but we are convinced that everyone has grassroots at which he can be reached and impacted for peace.  We proactively work for peace at the grassroots so that violence engineers who dominate the middle levels and the summits in most African settings would not have free course to the grassroots to incite them to violence. How to Join A.P.P.L.I.? For logistic and procedural policy purposes, group membership is encouraged at Chapters and Affiliates level. Individual, family and group sponsorship is welcomed for our several projects. Contact Us For further information: Please write or e-mail USA Headquarters Rev. Titus K. Oyeyemi, Founding President/CEO African Projects for Peace and Love Initiatives 17195 S. Apple Tree Drive, Country Club Hills, IL 60478 Telephone (708) 647-9880, E-mail: admin@africanprojectsforpeace.org Websites:  www.africanprojectsforpeace.org; www.appli.us Nigeria Chapter Coordinator: Rev. Dr. Ebenezer Oyeyemi National General Secretary: Eniola Ogundipe African Projects for Peace and Love Initiatives P. O. Box 1397, Agege, Lagos, Nigeria Telephone (+234-1-792-8774) E-mail: applinig@yahoo.com UK Chapter Coordinator: James O. Olaleye, Esq. LLB. 91 Ann Street London, SE18 7LS Telephone (+44-020-88548086) E-mail: appliuk@yahoo.co.uk