The concert, hosted by the Universal Peace Federation and other partners, was held at the University Dufour in Geneva, Switzerland.
Speakers, including Pillay, raised awareness about Mandela’s message of peace, followed by a grand piano recital by pianist Nikolay Khozyainov.
Pillay described Mandela as a giant in the peacemaking pantheon.
“In his presidency, 1994-1998, he continued to labour for the betterment of his people, based on democratic values and the ideal of social justice,” said Pillay. "His role as peacemaker and reconciler is what brought South Africans together.”
Pillay also described Mandela as one of the most consequential figures in the last century. “Today, Nelson Mandela remains, for so many of us, a genuine hero, even an icon, a symbol of human freedom and the possibility for real social change and social justice,” Pillay said. “We can see his legacy in the continued struggles for liberation around the world, in the ongoing confrontation of racism and its effects, and in the aspirations of this generation for justice and peace.”
Mandela attended the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare in 1998. “In his address, he praised the effort of churches in South Africa to end Apartheid and paid tribute to missionaries for bringing high standards of education to Africa from which he benefitted as a child,” shared Pillay. “Nelson Mandela was very private about his faith, but he was also deeply influenced by it, from his childhood through his public life.”
Pillay also noted the converging crises around the world. “In supporting peace, Mandela would have promoted the need for education,” said Pillay. “We can think of another Mandela principle as honest truth-telling regardless of the political consequences.”
We cannot make peace if we can’t be fully honest with ourselves and each other, Pillay urged. “I also believe that, in our search for peace, exemplified in Mandela’s life and work, faith is indispensable,” Pillay said. “It is a faith shared with all persons of good will.”
Nonviolence remains the moral basis for peacemaking, Pillay said. “As a philosophy, as a commitment, as a lifestyle, it has been the single most successful catalyst for social change in our lifetimes,” he said. “Our work for reconciliation begins with a deep commitment to nonviolence as a means for social change.”
We need to hear afresh what it means to live in peace and harmony, concluded Pillay. “Each of us has a role to play in this.”