Paris Extends Warm Welcome to Mayor of Senegal’s Gorée Island
Paris, France – UPF-France had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Augustin Senghor, mayor of Gorée Island in Senegal, to its headquarters in Paris on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The mayor was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Juliette Senghor, and their daughter.
This meeting allowed Mr. Senghor to reflect on his experience at the African Summit in Dakar, hosted by UPF on January 18 and 19, 2018, and the visit of Dr. Hak Ja Han, co-founder of UPF, to Gorée Island. The meeting was a continuation of the relationships established in Senegal during the Dakar Summit, when Mr. Senghor welcomed Dr. Han to Gorée, where several ceremonies and moments of prayer were organized to commemorate the island and its tragic history linked to the slave trade.
Mr. Jacques Marion, president of UPF-Europe and Middle East (EUME), gave the guests a presentation on the major milestones in the journey of its founders and the development of UPF. He notably mentioned the initiatives developed since 2012 by Dr. Han to foster dialogue between political and religious leaders and civil society actors in support of peace and reconciliation.
These efforts resulted in the organization of several Peace Summits around the world, beginning with the African Summit in Dakar. Mr. Marion recalled the scale of this summit, which brought together numerous political, religious and academic leaders, as well as traditional chiefs from every African country.
Mr. Patrick Jouan, vice president of UPF-France, then described his experience during the visit of Dr. Han to Gorée Island, which he had helped prepare. He spoke of the warm welcome extended to the delegation by Mr. Senghor, as well as the ceremony held at the House of Slaves. On this occasion, Dr. Han prayed with emotion for the victims of the slave trade and for peace and reconciliation in Africa. The ceremony concluded with a song in Senegalese performed by the Little Angels of Korea, whose freshness and talent deeply moved the participants.
Mr. Senghor then shared his account of meeting Dr. Han. As mayor of Gorée, he spoke of the island's unique history and his responsibility to preserve its memory, while contributing to making Gorée a place of dialogue, reconciliation and peace. He emphasized the symbolic significance of UPF’s initiative in a place that, beyond its painful history, now represents a call for human dignity and reconciliation.
Following this meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Senghor were awarded the title of UPF Ambassadors for Peace, in recognition of their commitment to international and intercultural dialogue. Deeply moved by this recognition, they then met with several members of UPF before sharing a convivial lunch, which allowed everyone to continue their discussions.
