Susan Koscis is the Director of Communications at Search for Common Ground.
Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
Washington Post TV Critic, Tom Shales, beautifully captured the essence of Walter Cronkite’s place in the hearts of America. “He was ours, we were his, and he didn’t so much deliver the news to us as join us in experiencing the world outside our own homes and schools and towns. He won virtually every award that is given out in the annals of broadcasting, but he won a lot more than that. He earned our friendship, our trust and even, as we perhaps now realize more than at any other time in the relationship, our love.”
Before coming to Washington DC to work at Search for Common Ground, I was head of public relations and publicity at CBS Records in New York during the Cronkite years. Mr. Cronkite was a legend throughout CBS. But working at the record company, and not at CBS News, I didn’t have a chance to meet him.
But then, CBS put together the most famous Cronkite broadcasts from his decades as anchor of the CBS Nightly News, packaged them, and released them as a multi-disc record set (they were records back in those days). I was chosen to work with Mr. Cronkite on the PR. We travelled to Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles – where Mr. Cronkite appeared in record stores to sign copies of the spoken-word multi-record set. In each location long lines formed of people wanting his signature on their collection, and to shake his hand. He cheerfully stayed as long as there was anyone left on the line.
But it was his behaviour away away from the public and cameras that most impressed me. He was the most easy going of “stars” that I had worked with — grateful for what was done for him; noticed what was done well and acknowledged it; sought out the people behind the scenes to thank them; and was curious about everything. The record business was new to him and wanted to know details of how it worked. He asked questions I had never considered, and I worked in the business!
He made sure that the limousine drivers got their meal when we were at lunch or dinner. He approached each record store employee for helping to make his appearance a success. Appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was no big deal and he took it all with equanimity.
He became significantly central in American culture and was credited with being able to move public opinion. Surveys found him to be “the most trusted man in America.” He helped us understand the significance of the news we heard and what it all meant. He did this naturally and without pontification. Although his friends were among the elite, he didn’t lose interest in people and what made them tick. Everything was interesting. And almost everything could be a source of amusement.
My experiences with Mr. Cronkite “on the road,” sailing on his beloved boat off of Martha’s Vineyard, and working with him at CBS, were among the most memorable of my career and I’m grateful for them. Smooth sailing dear Mr. Cronkite.
Read the full article, “And That’s the Way Cronkite Was…” in The Washington Post
VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Alexandra Jacobs in DRC
Alexandra Jacobs is a intern with Search for Common Ground Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known locally as Centre Lokolé
In the wildly successful American musical Rent the protagonist declares “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation!” It wasn’t until my time here in Eastern Congo that I began to agree with this statement. Search for Common Ground’s (Centre Lokole in DRC) participatory theatre program has shown me the power of creativity in a conflict zone.
Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
Here in Bukavu we recently celebrated World Refugee Day, an event that is especially relevant in this part of the country. Repatriated refugees must confront the social and economic challenges of returning to their country, while others are simultaneously fleeing their homes as rebel and national armies alike continue to wreak havoc on rural communities, creating new groups of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on a daily basis. When asked by UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) to put together a commemorative presentation for the event, Centre Lokole bypassed speeches and statistics and instead sent a local youth drumming and theatre troupe to a section of Bukavu that has recently received a new group of IDPs. The drummers, ranging in age from 8 to 18, played with electric abandon, and spectators clambered up into trees to get a better view.
Yet what was truly exceptional is what happened when the music stopped. Five of the drummers put down their instruments to begin the theatre installment of the event, a sketch in which they depicted a former refugee returning to a community that is less than thrilled to share its limited resources with a newcomer. The characters argued about sharing access to water, housing, and whether or not community members should trust someone from a different region and who is of a different ethnicity. Just as the tension was rising, and the actors’ voices grew agitated, and audience members’ eyes began to widen, the troupe’s leader ran onto the dusty patch of ground that had been transformed into a stage and yelled “STOP!”
What followed illustrated the real power of the creative process in the context of conflict. The troupe leader summarized the action that had taken place and then appealed to the audience. Who is willing to give some of these characters some advice? Slowly but surely hands started flying up. Some children timidly voiced their opinion about how the refugee should be treated more fairly. Some others boldly stepped onto the stage area and moved the actors around, putting them in perfect position to heed the proffered advice. When the troupe leader gave the signal to resume action, the energy in the audience had changed. Everyone leaned in a bit more, and those who had shared their opinions wore expressions of invested interest. The performance was now the shared property of both the performers and the audience, for it was the audience members who had crafted its conclusion, in which the refugee was ultimately treated with respect. This feat of creativity was a two pronged attack against the damaging effects of war.
Contributing audience members were inhabitants of a community that has seen refugees and IDPs come and go for over 10 years, and may have been displaced people themselves. But the dynamic performers had also seen their share of destruction. Many of the drummers had escaped lives as child soldiers or child prostitutes in the service of armed groups. Their bodies had once been manipulated to serve the desires of forces corrupted by years of conflict. But on that day their bodies were their own; they were free to beat their drums together, dance together, and act together. Peace is certainly still the opposite of war, and the objective behind much of Search for Common Ground’s work. But participatory theatre proves how creativity can help pave the way towards that ultimate goal.
CG NEWS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Reviving Pakistan’s Founding Principles
By Haroon Nasir
Map of Pakistan. Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan – On 11 August 1947, a newly-formed Pakistan had its first session of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed to write Pakistan’s constitution and serve as its first parliament. Joginder Nath Mandal, a Hindu from a caste that traditionally had been socially marginalised, was nominated as its chairman. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, declared, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples; you are free to go to your mosques or any other place of worship in the state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
Thus, Jinnah set a pluralistic model for Pakistan to grow as a modern Muslim state. After his death in 1948, however, this model was largely ignored and incumbent leaders in Pakistan, which is 96.5 percent Muslim, have often used religion as a tool to divide rather unite.
In 1949, the Objectives Resolution was passed as a preamble to the constitution, declaring Pakistan an Islamic state governed by Islamic principles. The Ahmadiyya, a Muslim community that believes the second advent of Jesus has been fulfilled, were declared non-Muslims by the National Assembly in 1954. And Christian missionary educational and health institutions were nationalised in 1972 resulting in the degradation of standards and performance, and the marginalisation of the Christian missionary community that was running these institutions quite effectively before.
Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, in an attempt to gain legitimacy for his military rule, President General Zia-ul-Haq started an “Islamisation” process. His government began to implement shari’a (a legal system based on Islamic principles), by enforcing the Hudud Ordinance. This law allowed punishments such as stoning, amputations and lashings for extramarital relations, theft and consuming alcohol, based on the rulings of certain Islamic jurists who believed there was a historical precedent.
During those years, the public school curriculum was revised to incorporate an overwhelmingly religious component to build “Islamic character” in the nation’s youth and glorify Muslim heroes. The new curriculum overlooked non-Muslim Pakistanis and their role in national development, polarising society along religious lines.
Despite these policies, however, ordinary Pakistanis never lost hope for the model envisaged by its founders: a pluralistic society within a Muslim-majority country.
Finding in religious extremism a common threat, Pakistanis of all faiths, ethnicities and cultures have begun working together for a more tolerant Pakistan. Support for victims of the 2005 earthquake and internally displaced people as a result of conflict between the Taliban and the government transcends religious boundaries.
A growing presence by civil society organisations, campaigning for human and women’s rights, civil liberties and civic responsibility, demonstrates a will for equality. And a number of volunteer grassroots initiatives, such as the Critical Mass Movement, the Lawyers’ Movement and Hum (We) Pakistani, are reviving a collective sense of hope by providing aid and support to displaced people and organising youth to help clean cities and run awareness campaigns that rise above religious, cultural and ethnic loyalties.
The country needs to build upon these movements and act immediately to correct the mistakes of the past and transform this challenge into an opportunity. The following steps can help put the country back on track:
1) Reform the public school curriculum so that it accommodates all Pakistanis and inculcates students with a mindset that is respectful of differences and emphasises the benefits of pluralism in a modern nation.
2) Revise madrasa (Islamic religious school) curricula to include subjects like social and natural sciences, math, foreign languages and literature, social and civic studies and world religions, all of which expose students to a broader understanding of domestic and international affairs.
3) Highlight the constructive contributions of non-Muslim Pakistanis in the media. Through proper training, media can play a role by covering positive stories and refraining from defaming minority groups.
4) Remove and change discriminatory laws that are making the mutual coexistence of Muslims and non-Muslims difficult, such as the blasphemy law (Sections 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code), which has often been used to try non-Muslims accused of defiling the Qur’an or making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, and the law of witness, which claims that a woman’s testimony is not equal to a man’s and that a non-Muslim is unable to testify against a Muslim.
From the time of Pakistan’s founding, non-Muslims have been an integral part of the state. The flag of Pakistan reflects this diversity: the white portion of the flag on the left representing the non-Muslim population and the dark green portion on the right its Muslim constituency.
It will be no easy feat but Pakistanis need to revive the spirit of unity in diversity that shaped its founding principles.
* Haroon Nasir is a research associate at the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. This article is part of a series on pluralism in Muslim-majority countries written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Read the full edition of this week’s Common Ground News Service.
VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Lisa Inks in Sierra Leone
Lisa Inks is an intern at Search for Common Ground Sierra Leone.
Search for Common Ground, known in West Africa as Talking Drum Studio, supports community radio as a tool for peacebuilding. Owned and operated by community members, these radio stations often serve as rural communities’ only means of communication, providing audience-generated content and programs on local issues. Radio Wanjei is one such partner station, located in Sierra Leone’s Pujehun District—considered one of the country’s most underdeveloped areas. Talking Drum Studio provides training, programs, and other support to Radio Wanjei, which, since its establishment in 2006, helps to inform and educate the Pujehun community.
Day of the African Child, Day of the Child Radio
Fourteen-year-old Paul Kpakra moderates a discussion about the rights and responsibilities of the child on Radio Wanjei, Pujehun District’s community radio. Paul and his classmates took charge of the radio station on June 16 to celebrate the Day of the African Child.
Children made their voices ring across Sierra Leone’s Pujehun District by taking to the airwaves on June 16th, the Day of the African Child. On this important day commemorating the 1976 massacre of children in Soweto, South Africa, each year young people gather in the district capital of Pujehun town to perform plays, sing songs, and broadcast their views through Radio Wanjei, a community-owned radio station and the only station in the district. This year, 14-year-old Paul Kpakra moderated the boys’ on-air discussion about the rights and responsibilities of the child, which followed a girls’ discussion on the same topic.
For Paul, a junior secondary school student who has taken part in Radio Wanjei’s community discussions in the past, going on the radio is a good way to bring up important issues for kids. “Many parents don’t know our rights and we, the children, don’t know our rights sometimes. So we go on the radio to let them know,” Paul said. “We also have responsibilities, and we are telling the government.” During the radio discussion, Paul, as moderator, posed questions to his peers about the rights of the child to “sensitize people and educate colleagues.”
While Paul presented the discussion, Radio Wanjei staff member Mustapha Abubakar—Mustapha, like all staff at Radio Wanjei, volunteers his time to the station—stood by for technical assistance. Paul’s classmates packed themselves into the station’s guest studio on the other side of the glass, filling the small, hot room with dialogue and laughter. In a town with scarce electricity, the radio station is run entirely by a donated generator, which uses fuel that is sometimes paid for out of the pockets of the volunteer staff members themselves. Radio Wanjei is one of many community radio stations throughout West Africa supported by Talking Drum Studio.
After the holiday, students were grateful to the station staff for the chance to bring up issues that matter to them. Paul said, “They gave us great responsibility and opportunity on that day.”
CG NEWS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Displaced Pakistanis Speak Out
By Mustafa Qadri
Karachi, Pakistan – Pakistan is in the middle of its largest operation against the Taliban in the troubled Swat Valley and adjacent areas.
Pakistan's Shah Mansoor camp has become a temporary home to thousands of displaced Pakistanis from the Swat area of the country. The camp, run by UNHCR, is a small village surrounded by farmland. Photo from from Flickr courtsey of Voices for Creative Nonviolence used under a Creative Commons license.
Although a small first wave of refugees has begun to return as part of the government’s efforts, up to 2.5 million people are believed to have fled the once quiet, scenic mountain ranges. At a camp in Risalpur, 50 miles south of some of the fiercest battle zones, I spoke with some of the displaced.
“We travelled by foot from Mingora to Kokkari, then we went to Sangar… some nine miles, [before taking a bus to Risalpur]”, says Mohammad Yahya, former mayor of a village near Mingora.
Entire communities, including women, children and the elderly, made the journey through high mountainous terrain. Almost all were forced to travel on foot because public transport was either too dangerous or expensive.
The displaced communities live a rudimentary life typically huddled together in cramped dwellings or tents without running water or electricity. Mountain dwellers their entire lives, they are not used to the extreme summer heat of the lower lying districts of Mardan and Risalpur, nor of Peshawar, some 55 miles south, where most have sought refuge. Diarrhoea and water borne diseases, exacerbated by the heat, are very common, particularly among the youngest.
“One night there was a series of explosions on the outskirts of the village”, says 11-year-old student Mannu, whom I met in one of the bare dwellings of Risalpur’s industrial area, donated to the displaced by local businessmen. Mannu’s entire village, around 13 families, approximately 200 people, decided to flee their homes the morning following the blasts.
But homelessness is only one of the impacts of this war. Swat is famous for its rich array of fruit and other cash crops. Because the conflict started at the height of the harvesting period last May, the largely agrarian population has lost much of its earnings for the year.
Mingora, the largest city in Swat and one of the epicentres of the clashes between the Taliban and army, was transformed into a fortress by the insurgents. It was only recaptured after devastating military bombardment that, according to locals and unofficial army sources, killed overwhelmingly more civilians than militants.
Many of the displaced are staying in the homes of friends, families or complete strangers, putting a massive strain on people who were previously untouched by the conflict. Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
However, when asked who bears the responsibility for these crises, it appears that the displaced harbour deep resentment towards the Taliban for their role in annihilating their once peaceful neighbourhoods.
“These Taliban say they fight for the rule of Islam”, says Purmanari. “They say there is no Islam in Swat. But what, are we not Muslim?”
“The Taliban say they want shari’a (a legal system based on Islamic principles), but what kind of shari’a is this – killing and looting? It is just a game to them”, says Mannu.
Mannu dared to seek an education in a region of Swat where the Taliban openly forbade women from doing so. “I’m not afraid of going to school”, she says defiantly when asked about her studies. Risking physical harm as the Taliban destroyed over 200 schools, Mannu continued to attend one of the few schools that remained open before she eventually fled with her family.
“We are not afraid because we are doing the right thing”, says Ziauddin Yousufzai, a school teacher. “The people who are preventing our female students from getting an education, they should be afraid. Islam teaches us that getting an education is compulsory for everyone. This is the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad. I own Islam as much as it is owned by the Taliban. Why should I be dictated to by the Taliban? Islam instead motivates me to give education to my children because education is light and ignorance is darkness.”
The darkness seems to have engulfed Swat. Yet the displaced are using poetry, such as these words from Mannu, to brighten their plight:
“My sweet Swat has caught fire, not just from one side but from everywhere./ The fire has engulfed everything – our people, our customs, our schools, our markets./ My beautiful Swat, with its valleys and peaks, its perfumed flowers, all have lost their lustre./ In every direction there is war. The people, who laughed, who sang, are now silent./ The once majestic and peaceful River Swat has dried up./ I pray to you God, bring back the paradise, the peaceful Swat I remember.”
Mustafa Qadri (mustafaqadri.net) is the Middle East and South Asia correspondent for The Diplomat magazine and newmatilda.com. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Read the full edition of this week’s Common Ground News Service.
VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Marie Weiller in Guinea
Marie Weiller s is an intern with Search for Common Ground Guinea.
Evaluating the Impact of Wontanara in the Forest Region
In Guinea, people who arrive on time are a rare breed, let alone those who come early. Yet, participants to the focus group could be spotted ahead of time, climbing the road to Macenta’s only Radio Station. Listeners of Wontanara, from this little town in the Forest Region, had been called on to give their opinion of the show, which aims to change behaviours in regards to good governance. They seemed eager to have their voices heard.
Sunset in Macenta, Guinea. Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license
Having barely sat down, a question that I had been asked a few times before was raised: Why the title? “Wontanara” is a term that can very often be seen on posters in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. It means “doing together” in Soussou, a term that perfectly encompasses Search for Common Ground’s values, the content of the radio show, and what Guineans need to motivate change in their country. Despite all these advantages, the use of the term raises the question of Guinea’s regional identities. In Macenta, it means nothing. It is foreign and misunderstood. But it does not seem to deter people from listening.
As everyone agrees, the content is indeed what matters most. And now the participants are very enthusiastic. Wontanara talks about everyday stories, problems that everyone faces. It talks to them, the youth worker, the woman who works in an environment dominated by men, the high school teacher who worries about the honesty and transparency with which exams are conducted. Thanks to the soap opera, “people learn”, they say, about their rights, about ways of dealing with adversarial situations, about the role they can play, about democratic change. “There is a lack of trust between the people who govern and those who are governed” and the first step is to “change perceptions”.
In a country that seems to have lost confidence in its transition government, such a proof that people themselves can continue, and want, to learn is like a breath of fresh air. “When people listen regularly, they change, and exchange”. This reminds us that despite evolving social and political environments Search for Common Ground continues to aim at deep rooted sustainable change. “If Wontanara had started a long time ago, says a civil society member, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
