25 YEARS AFTER 9/11, PAX AGRICULTURA AND BOOKS FOR AFRICA JOIN TO HEAL THE SOIL AND SOUL OF HUMANITY

Historic MOU at the African Union launches partnership to turn minefields into farmland, plant trees, deliver books and cultivate peace.

WASHINGTON D.C, VA, UNITED STATES, September 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks changed lives around the world, a new partnership signed in Washington, D.C. is planting the seeds of peace.
At the African Union Mission to the United States, PAX AGRICULTURA and Books For Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cultivate peace through agriculture and education, beginning in Angola with a vision to expand across Africa and beyond.

The partnership brings together two pathways to peace: healing the soil and expanding access to books, literacy and opportunity.

As landmines are cleared, land once held hostage by war can become farmland again. Fruit trees can feed future generations and sequester carbon. Children can walk safely to school, while books open doors to knowledge and hope.

The partnership also creates a pathway to expand Books For Africa’s reach through the Global Book Ecosystems (GBE) model developed by New Media Learning. GBE connects children and families with schools, libraries and community partners through locally led reading ecosystems. The initiative is led by San José State University Professor Anthony Chow, CEO of New Media Learning.

On the 25th anniversary of September 11, when 2,977 lives were lost, we remember those who were lost—and choose to invest in a different future:
The seed of peace.

The signing was witnessed by H.E. Ambassador Constancia A. Gaspar of the African Union Mission to the United States, following an event attended by Ambassadors representing nations across Africa.

Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa, and Heidi Kuhn, Founder and CEO of PAX AGRICULTURA and World Food Prize Laureate, signed the MOU. Plonski stated: “As the world’s largest shipper of books to the African continent- shipping over 65 million books to Africa over the past 38 years and serving every one of the 55 countries on the African continent- Books For Africa is proud to partner with Pax Agricultura and the African Union to advance education across the continent. This is an excellent opportunity to work with new and dedicated partners in new ways to achieve our mutual goals.”

A HISTORIC MOMENT FOR ANGOLA

Joining the signing was Yetide Badaki, Hollywood actress and producer and Executive Producer and Star of the STARZ/Lionsgate television series Queen Nzinga, centered on the life of the 17th-century Angolan Queen Nzinga.

Badaki, an Ambassador of Peace for PAX AGRICULTURA, said: “As the Executive Producer and Star of the STARZ/Lionsgate series Queen Nzinga, which centers on the 17th-century Angolan Queen Nzinga, I found the opportunity to bear witness to this moment to be of profound resonance.”

The partnership will begin in Angola, connecting the nation’s history, agricultural future and education of its next generation.

FROM MINES TO VINES

For Heidi Kuhn, the partnership carries forward the vision she began nearly three decades ago through Roots of Peace: transforming landmines into vineyards and orchards through “Mines to Vines.”

Through PAX AGRICULTURA—Peace Through Agriculture—that vision now expands to education, community and global cooperation.
Kuhn stated: “This year marks the United Nations Year of the Woman Farmer, and I am deeply proud to stand with Her Excellency Ambassador Constancia A. Gaspar at the African Union in Washington, D.C., in a unified voice to bring the vision of ‘Mines to Vines’ to her homeland of Angola—replacing seeds of terror with seeds of bounty and hope. Together, we unite Hollywood and Harvesters, with Yetide Badaki, as we draw upon the courage and legacy of Queen Nzinga and the extraordinary bravery of African women deminers who are on the front lines of peace. This is our moment to transform landmines into livelihoods, fear into food security, and the scars of war into a harvest of hope by educating future generations.”

Turn swords into plowshares. Turn mines to vines. Turn conflict into compassion. Turn books into opportunity.

THE WHITE ROSE: A SYMBOL OF PEACE

During the ceremony, Kuhn distributed White Roses to African Ambassadors. The roses were placed beside the MOU as a symbol of the commitment to eradicate landmines, restore agricultural land and cultivate peace.

The White Rose symbolizes the beauty and bounty of the Earth and the “seeds we have in common rather than those which separate us.” Its thorns are a reminder that peace requires courage, resilience and perseverance.

PUTTING “ACE” BACK INTO “PEACE”

The partnership advances PAX AGRICULTURA’s vision of putting ACE back into PEACE: P — People | E — Empathy | A — Agriculture | C — Community | E — Education

Together, landmine eradication, agriculture and education create a cycle of renewal:

Clear the land. Plant the trees. Feed the children. Educate the future. Cultivate peace.

Once land is no longer held hostage by landmines, farmers can return to their fields, children can safely reach school, trees can take root and books can reach rural communities.

A PARTNERSHIP FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

The MOU is a commitment to future generations—to reclaim land from war, restore the soil, educate children and cultivate a culture of peace.
As the world remembers September 11, 2001, the partnership offers a message of hope: We cannot change what happened 25 years ago. But we can choose what we plant today.

From mines to vines. From books to opportunity. From conflict to compassion. From the seeds of terror to the seeds of peace.

PAX AGRICULTURA and Books For Africa are planting the future—one field, one tree, one book and one child at a time.

ABOUT PAX AGRICULTURA
PAX AGRICULTURA — Peace Through Agriculture — is a global movement founded by World Food Prize Laureate and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Heidi Kuhn, advancing agriculture as a pathway to peace, food security, climate resilience and community restoration.

ABOUT BOOKS FOR AFRICA
Books For Africa works to end the book famine in Africa by distributing books to children and communities across the continent. Its partnership with PAX AGRICULTURA connects safe, productive land with education and opportunity.

Eduardo Botero
iVoice Communications, Inc.
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