Quote of the Day
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
— Albert Einstein
The United Nations uses these words in its observance of the International Day of Peaceful Coexistence, alongside a simple idea: peace is more than the absence of war. It also means being able to live together despite differences of language, religion, sex, race or culture while respecting human rights and justice.
Understanding does not mean agreement.
That distinction matters.
Two neighbours can disagree about politics and still greet each other in the morning.
Two families can worship differently and still come running when one house catches fire.
People from different ethnic groups can argue about how their country should be governed without treating one another as enemies.
The trouble begins when disagreement becomes permission to stop seeing the other person as fully human.
This is especially worth remembering in societies where politicians, community leaders or ordinary citizens can easily turn ethnicity, language, religion or region into an “us versus them” argument.
Peace is not everybody thinking alike.
It is learning how to disagree without needing to destroy one another.
Source: United Nations — International Day of Peaceful Coexistence
Did You Know?
Sub-Saharan Africa’s literacy rate has risen, yet the number of adults unable to read and write has also increased.
At first, those two things sound impossible.
They are not.
According to UNESCO, the adult literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 65% in 2015 to 69% in 2024. That is progress.
But over the same period, the number of adults in the region lacking basic literacy skills increased from 196 million to 225 million, largely because population growth outpaced improvements in literacy. Globally, 739 million adults still lacked basic literacy skills in 2024, and women made up nearly two-thirds of them.
This is why percentages sometimes hide part of a story.
Imagine a village of 100 adults where 65 can read. Years later the village has grown considerably and 69 out of every 100 adults can read. The percentage has improved—but there may still be more people who cannot read than before.
And literacy is not simply about being able to read a novel.
Think about the ordinary things written around us.
A medicine label.
A job application.
A mobile-money warning.
A school notice sent home with a child.
Instructions at a hospital.
A ballot paper.
A government form.
When someone cannot comfortably read these things, other people gain unusual power over their choices. They may have to trust somebody else to tell them what a document says, what they are signing or what they are entitled to receive.
That makes literacy more than an education statistic.
It is also about independence.
Sources
For discussion: How many everyday services in our communities quietly assume that everybody can read and understand what is put in front of them?
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