Building Peace from below...... In an effort to expand the frontiers of national peace and reconciliation through grassroots communities, Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HTZ) held a seminar on the 24th of September 2014, in Harare, on how to build peace from below. The presenter, Mr. John Bond, spoke about how the Australian government was persuaded to acknowledge its past cruel policies against the Aborigines while Ms Amina Dikedi-Ajakaiye narrated her own experiences in diffusing and resolving communal tension and conflict respectively. The seminar which was held under the theme, “Civil Society as Building Blocks for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation,” was attended by 37 community leaders and civil society members. Mr Bond, who served as Secretary of the “Sorry Day and Journey of Healing movements in Australia” from 1998 until 2008, emphasized that the citizens’ conscience can initiate change from below. The seminar participants learnt that for decades, the Australian Aborigines were denied their democratic right to food, health, education and development by the ruling racial elite. Aborigine children were put into foster homes that had appalling living conditions. This was all done in a bid to destroy the Aboriginal race. However, through grassroots peace campaigners, in 1995, an inquiry was commissioned and it looked into the Government’s policies against Aborigines. The Government refused to accept the findings in 1997 until when in 2008 the new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave a national apology on behalf of the Government, the Australian Parliament and the citizens who had been a part to the violations of the Aborigines and denied them their rights. A seminar participant, Mr Mudimu, however, observed that it had to take a change of Government in Australia before the apology could be made or the reconciliation and integration of the Aborigines in the country had to occur. The Nigerian peace campaigner Ms Amina Dikedi-Ajakaiye, who organizes the Coordination Group for the work of Initiatives of Change in Africa, also told the seminar participants that peace and reconciliation is possible despite people’s religious and cultural differences. However, a strong peace movement should be “within, between and among the people.” Ms Amina’s experiences in the Great Lakes country of Burundi and Chad and Sierra Leone emphasized the importance of building trust and transforming political conflicts through dialogue, promoting ethical leadership, bringing people together and preparing the people’s minds. She highlighted the work of Mr Imam Ashafa (a Muslim preacher) and Pastor James (a Christian) working for peace in Nigeria’s Baringo region and Kenya respectively. Both were religious militia leaders and immortal enemies intending to kill one another. However, they transformed into peace builders when Pastor James lost his hand while Imam Ashafa witnessed the death of his two brothers and spiritual leader during the Nigerian Christian-Muslim conflict in 1992. Today, both religious leaders work with grassroots churches communities to bridge societies, resolve tensions and conflicts between Muslims and Christians. The lessons drawn from the seminar are vital for Zimbabwe as the country heals from the wounds inflicted during years of political violence, physical and mental torture, destruction of their houses and livelihoods assets and basic human rights violations. Amina noted that farmers’ dialogues, post-war training for police, military and civil society, creators of peace circles and clean election campaigns are some of the strategies used to promote peace and reconciliation in Kenya, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The community peace campaigners in attendance appreciated that for Zimbabwe to achieve true peace and reconciliation there is need to transform our societies commencing with individuals before moving onto communities and national levels. A participant, Sithembile Mpofu from the CCMT also added that beyond religious and political conflicts, there are structural causes of violence which should be addressed. Lack of social and economic livelihood provisions resulting from unemployment, poor education and service delivery are structural causes of conflicts. The Zimbabwean Government has failed to provide some of these provisions with unemployment standing above 80%. The same Government is yet to set up the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission as is required and provided for under the country’s new constitution. This provision in the constitution was made to create institutions that serve as the pillars of democracy. Accepting responsibilities for the wrong around us, listening to people’s stories and hearing their experiences, healing and renewing relationships are central to building peace from below. The courageous presenters, Amina and John, were applauded for their work and for bringing positive lessons to Zimbabwe’s peace campaigners.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 08:53:11 +0000
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