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Today is the 30th annual International Day of Peace, and we’re looking back on achievements our programs have made in building peace.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)a major break-through was the non-aggression pact facilitated by Search between the Munzaya and Enyele ethnic groups in Equateur province. The pact was signed on March 31st 2011. Before this event SFCG had established an office in Dongo, to work more closely on confidence-building between the disputing communities.
Enyele folk dancers at the reconciliation festival.
From there SFCG had conducted participatory theatre activities designed to present alternative ways of dealing with conflict. SFCG also helped to organize joint activities, conflict management trainings, and the creation of a joint management committee of the disputed fishing ponds which were the catalyst for the initial conflict. International media literally followed in our footsteps and undertook the five-hour walk through the forest to the conflict-torn communities, to see the seeds of peace beginning to blossom. Their coverage can be seen at TV5 Monde from France.
In Liberia SFCG designed a training program to increase the overall capacity of the radio station Kintoma. This included technical assistance as well as a special focus on the inclusion of women working for the radio. The goal was to strengthen women’s voices and to reach out to the female community of Lofa County. Programs and initiatives of women’s organizations in Lofa have been publicized on the radio, motivating them to do even more. read more…
In this May 20, 2010 file photo, American hikers Shane Bauer (left), Sarah Shourd (center), and Josh Fattal, sit at the Esteghlal Hotel in Tehran, Iran (AP Photo/Press TV, File)
In addition to International Peace Day, today SFCG is celebrating the release of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, the American hikers imprisoned in Iran for more than two years. SFCG has worked toward the release of the American hikers since they were arrested in July 2009, through a continuous series of high level meetings and dialogues with individuals in the U.S. and Iranian governments, with third-party countries, as well as with the families of the hikers.
Bishop John Bryson Chane and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick welcomed by Ambassador William Miller and SFCG President John Marks at Dulles Airport upon returning from Iran on Monday
This culminated in last week’s trip to Iran by Bishop John Bryson Chane of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington. Ambassador (Ret.) William Miller, SFCG Senior Advisor, arranged for the two clerics to travel to Iran to meet with officials at the highest levels, including an hour-long meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“President Ahmadinejad told us that it was because of our presence that they were able to move the process forward in releasing the hikers,” said Bishop Chane.
Amb. Miller stated, “The return of the hikers to their families is an important step, a confidence-building measure, in the process of re-engagement and the restoration of friendly, normal relations between Iran and the United States.”
You can track the progress of their trip home through CNN’s live blog. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was released last year on humanitarian grounds for medical reasons. She and Bauer became engaged during their imprisonment.
Search for Common Ground has been working towards improved relations between the United States and Iran since 1996.
(from www.episcopalchurch.org)
The fate of the American hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal,who have already been imprisoned for over two years, still hangs in the balance, although Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reaffirmed his plan to release the two on humanitarian grounds. The two has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of espionage.
Recently, Search for Common Ground helped to arrange for a delegation of Christian and Muslim leaders to travel to Iran, hoping that religious channels could open discussion in ways that diplomacy has not. The delegation was invited by President Ahmadinejad.
While the hiker’s case was central to this visit, the long-term value of the delegation is their ability to build confidence between the two nations, as William Miller, senior adviser to Search’s US-Iran program told the Episcopal News Service.
Miller also spoke with The National Catholic Reporter, saying, “The primary purpose (of the trip) was to try and deepen the relationship between the two countries by direct human contact on the basis of religious leadership.”
SFCG has worked to keep open channels of dialogue between the US and Iran for over ten years. In the absence of official diplomatic channels, the need for understanding and respect between the people of America and Iran is even more pronounced and SFCG has worked toward this goal through the facilitated exchange of people and ideas.
By Prince El Hassan bin Talal
Amman – Over the past ten years, much has been written in an attempt to make sense of what happened on 11 September 2001. It is a difficult task. Analysing evil is not easy. Terror makes no sense to the rational mind. All that seems clear is that, for millions of Americans and the world at large, the events of that day will never become just a memory but will remain something they carry with them for the rest of their lives.
It has not been a happy decade – nor has it been an “American” decade. Economic decline, social immobility, cultural and artistic depression, and a loss of opportunity for ordinary people have all contributed to a future that no longer seems full of possibility. Optimism has eluded us. The factors are many and the reasons complex – but having grown up in a volatile region, I cannot help but believe that to some extent, this atmosphere is the by-product of the so-called “war on terror” – a war which seems to have no end in sight. read more…
“I can’t promise my child a life without bias. We’re all biased. But I promise to bias my child with multiple perspectives”
–Raghava KK
Civilian and military discuss solutions to challenges at the Lobi Mokolo Ya Sika workshop. (Photos: Ilunga Kalala)
By Ilunga Kalala
Kinkole is approximately 30k due northwest of Kinshasa. It is one of the more popular ports near the Congo River and thus, for a long time, a common weekend escape for residents of the city of Kinshasa. It was also the site of Lobi Mokolo Ya Sika’s (LMYS) first joint activity of the summer. Lobi Mokolo Ya Sika (“Tomorrow is a New Day”) is SFCG’s program to improve civilian-military relations and increase the accountability of the armed forces. It utilizes media, targeted trainings around key issues and facilitated discussions.
During the planning portion of the activity, I descended upon the city with Mao Makusudi Omari, our local partner from ECC Meru (Church of Christ in Congo – Ministry of Refugees and Emergencies) to meet with the LMYS Naval Base organizing committee and Colonel Bayumbo Zikpe-Lembe of the LMYS steering committee. After our meeting and at the Colonel’s request, I tried maboke, a local fish cuisine that is all the rage (and for good reason), while we discussed the history of Kinkole.
“Nkole means slave,” Colonel Bayumbo explained.
“This,” he said motioning to the area surrounding us, “is where the slaves were.”
He went on to describe how captured slaves destined for the transatlantic slave trade were brought to Kinkole and then made their way to Matadi towards the Atlantic Ocean.
It was with this history in mind that he began to describe the reality that current residents face every day. read more…
