The president of the Central African Republic, H.E. Professor Faustin-Archange Touadéra, planted a tree in the Grove of Nations below Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, in a ceremony on May 10, 2017. The tree-planting ceremony formed part of a three-day visit of Israel by the president and his entourage.
Also present at the ceremony were the Central African Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Charles-Armel Doubane; the country’s Minister of Energy and Water, Mr. Leopold Mboli-Fatrane; the Israeli ambassador to the Central African Republic, Mr. Ran Gidor; the person in charge of the President’s delegation, Mr. Jean Cohen, and the KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol, Mr. Andy Michelson, who led the ceremony.
Andy Michelson opened the tree-planting ceremony with these words: “I am sure that during your stay here, you are having many meetings with important people. Soon you will return home, and you will no doubt remember many things from your visit. I am sure that one of the important things that you will remember is that you planted an olive tree in Jerusalem’s soil. You will be able to come and visit your tree, just as we have trees planted by other heads of state who come to visit often.”
This was President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s first visit to Israel, and he was excited to plant a tree in Jerusalem in his country’s name. The president thanked KKL-JNF for the ability to plant an olive tree in Israel, and noted in his speech that he was sure that the connections between Israel and the Central African Republic will deepen and strengthen, just like the roots of the tree that he was planting. The president expressed enthusiasm about the activities in the field of water technology that KKL-JNF is leading in a number of African countries.
President Touadéra added: “I will plant this olive tree here in the name of the Central African Republic and in the name of the entire nation, with deep thought and respect for all its communities, and in prayer, that God will bring about peace and social cohesion among all of the Republic’s communities. Thank you for the opportunity to do such an important deed.”
Faustin-Archange Touadéra served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 2008-2013. During President Bozizé’s rule as prime minister, he was considered the person who succeeded in directing the government towards efficiency and good governance. Before that, he was a senior member of the previous ruling party, Kwa Na Kwa. Trained as a professor of mathematics, he is considered a fair and honest leader among his countrymen, something which helped him get elected as the country’s president in February 2016. He represents a source of hope for the nation, who saw in him the leader who would put an end to the ethno-religious violence that has dominated the country. The voters saw in him the promise to end the division between Christians and Muslims, and the wave of violence that had left thousands of dead.
Andy Michelson recited the traditional prayer in Hebrew for planting a tree, which was simultaneously translated into French for the participants. The president planted the olive tree, and after the planting he was awarded a certificate of appreciation by KKL-JNF.