Forest Whitaker praises Constantia Glen on Cape Town visit
Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker has posted photos from a Constantia wine estate while in South Africa, where he is also carrying out peace work for UNESCO.
Actor Forest Whitaker has given his followers a look at his time in Cape Town, posting pictures on Instagram from the Constantia Valley, IOL reported.
The photographs were taken at the Constantia Glen wine estate. Whitaker thanked the estate for hosting him and his group, and called the visit a lovely start to his stay in the Mother City. “What a beautiful place to begin my journey in Cape Town!” he wrote.
Why he is in South Africa
The wine estate was not the only item on his schedule. Whitaker is in the country as UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, and he is travelling with Lee Merritt, a federal civil rights attorney in the United States.
In talks about peacebuilding, Whitaker pointed to a UNESCO youth initiative on creating a new culture of peace. According to the report, a group of 145 young people spanning 135 countries put it together. It offers recommendations for strengthening peace in the face of conflict, discrimination, polarisation and disinformation.
Whitaker said the real test was putting those ideas into practice. He stressed the need to “translate its recommendations into action”.
The foundation’s work locally
His message ties in with the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), which he founded in 2012. The organisation trains young people to take on leadership roles in building peace. In South Africa it works with young people, schools and communities, concentrating on conflict resolution, peace education and projects led by communities.
The WPDI’s own figures for 2025, as cited by IOL, give a sense of its reach in the country:
- 339 Youth Peacemakers were trained and, through community projects, reached 15,041 people.
- The organisation partnered with 40 schools, where 8,119 learners completed Conflict Resolution Education.
- 250 correctional officers at Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison received training.
These numbers come from the organisation itself and have not been independently verified in the report.
What to note
The report does not say how long Whitaker will be in South Africa or whether any public events are planned. For readers, the figures show where the initiative already operates: in schools, in community programmes and inside Pollsmoor. Anyone interested in the programme can look to the WPDI for details of its South African work.
This story is based on reporting by IOL.
