Over 40 African artists came together on 14th December 2021 for a 3-day African Union seminar, dubbed Art, Culture, And Heritage As Levers To Silencing The Guns In Africa, to discuss how their creative presentations could prevent and resolve conflict.

Speaking at the opening of the conference in Accra, Ghana, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission said, "In many African countries, music has been powerfully used to dissipate inter-ethnic conflict, and transmit positive messages of good citizenship and civic responsibility. In effect, African music proved instrumental to the collapse of apartheid in South Africa."

The Seminar was aimed at sensitising the artists on the AU "Silencing the guns" efforts and goals, helping them identify activities they could undertake in their respective communities through music, painting, exhibition, poetry, storytelling, fashion and other cultural initiatives, to promote reconciliation.

Artists present at the Seminar included 21-year-old painter from Somalia, Sana Ashraf Sharif; soulful Zambian singer Wezi; renowned fashion stylist from Botswana, Tsholofelo Dikobe; filmmaker and TV director from Gambia, Alhagie Manka; Namibian performance artist Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja.  

On the last day of the Seminar, singers, songwriters and composers started working on a special song on #SilencingTheGuns that will be released soon. Other artists pledged to work closely with the African Union to reflect in their artworks messages of peace that would reach to the grassroot levels.