N-Peace Awards 2013: Last chance to nominate!
The N-Peace Awards 2013 nominations period ends April 13th, so hurry and nominate your candidate! We’re collecting nominations of women leaders and peace advocates from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the Philippines.
Last year, we successfully brought to light the stories of 100 peace advocates and engaged over 55,000 supporters in the campaign around the awards. The inspiring stories of both nominees and awardees generated a lot of buzz and the campaign concluded with the President of the Philippines presiding over the N-Peace Awards Ceremony. In 2013, we plan to make the campaign even better!
Awards Categories
Similar to last year, we have three awards categories. The lead category, Role Models for Peace, recognizes women who have shown leadership in the areas of conflict prevention, resolution, reconstruction and peacebuilding. Special categories of the N-Peace Awards also acknowledge Emerging Peace Champions, to support the leadership of young women engaging in peacebuilding, and Men who Advocate for Equality, to recognize efforts of men who have championed women’s rights in communities affected by conflict.
Nominate candidates!
To nominate, please visit: http://awards.n-peace.net/. Enter a candidate’s profile and award category. Then get your colleagues in other projects to do the same!
World Health Day: Why Violent Conflict is a Health Issue
By Susan Collin Marks
Susan Collin Marks, Sen. Vice President of SFCG
We know that violence impacts our health, and the health of our societies. Physical violence can injure, maim and kill. Emotional violence can cripple our souls and do irreparable harm to our psyche. Structural violence that enshrines discrimination and oppression into society’s laws and culture can crush the spirit of its victims. Intuitively, we know that violence in whatever guise has a profoundly negative effect on our well-being.
A comprehensive 2002 report by the World Health Organization confirms this intuition and our experience that violence is bad for our health.[1] Nelson Mandela says in the foreword to the report that while the 20th century will be remembered for its wars and large scale violence, we must not forget the legacy of even more widespread day-to-day suffering through domestic violence, abuse, bullying and self-inflicted wounds. And a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study cites violence as one of the top ten causes of death in the US for people up to age 64 in 2007.[2] Violence lurks not only in war zones in our cities and in the world, it also takes root in the individual human heart.
Health means wholeness.[3] It is the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit.[4]
It is often represented as a circle, that ancient symbol of oneness and infinity. It is the feeling we have when our bodies are well, our minds are clear, our spirit is settled, and we have peace in our hearts. Like grace, it is a gift that can never be asked for but only received.
Violence breaks the circle tearing the fabric of our lives and our societies, paralyzing us with fear, breaking trust, sending us scrambling for safety. It eats into our soul and ties knots in our stomach. It strikes terror into our hearts, changing us. In the grip of violent conflict, we often dehumanize the enemy, which allows us to attack because, in our minds, the other is no longer human. And perhaps even more insidiously, in order to dehumanize others, we have to first dehumanize ourselves, cutting ourselves off from the common humanity that binds us all together. Violence cuts us adrift from ourselves, and from each other, with far reaching consequences for perpetrator
and victim alike.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Conflict and violence are not the same thing. Conflict is a normal part of human interaction, and is in fact a good thing. It is natural for people to have differences, and in fact it is these differences that keep society and our world dynamic, pushing us to find the best of competing views, ideas, and visions. The challenge is not to try the impossible – to eliminate differences – but to learn how to manage them constructively and without violence.
The good news is that violence is only one in a range of possible responses to conflict, which means that violent conflict is not inevitable. In fact, the opposite would seem to be true. Peace is much more prevalent on our planet than war; it just doesn’t make the headlines. Most people live their lives peacefully with their neighbors, working out their differences at home, in the workplace, and in their communities. Even internationally, most disputes are amicably settled. Every day, the world whirrs with cooperation – from telephone and postal services, to sharing scientific and academic data, to high-wire diplomacy.
Those of us who work as peacebuilders have learned that the best path to peace is prevention; just as preventive medicine seems to provide the optimal way to good health. We need to take responsibility for our health, and the health of those around us. Peace also starts with each of us. Remember Gandhi’s admonition we “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Thus health and peace, ill-health and violent conflict, are pairs. To maintain peace and health, we need to attend to symptoms as they arise, quickly discover underlying causes, restore balance, and mend what is broken.
Each of us can make a contribution by choosing again and again to take care of ourselves and each other. This Cherokee proverb teaches us to mind ourselves first. The health and wellbeing of our planet, and all life, depends on it.
“There are two wolves fighting inside me,” the Cherokee Elder tells his grandchildren around the fire. “One is fearful, greedy, cruel, and violent. The other is gentle, kind, understanding, and generous. They have fought each other my entire life.”
“Which one wins, grandfather?” asks one of the children. Grandfather reflects.
“The one I feed,” he says.
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Susan Collin Marks is Senior Vice President of Search for Common Ground. A native South African, Susan worked as a mediator and peacebuilder during her country’s transition from apartheid to democracy. Her book about that process, Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution during South Africa’s Transition to Democracy (US Institute of Peace, 2000) was also published in Arabic in 2004. She has also overcome major illness, learning along the way how profoundly our individual wellbeing is tied up with the world around us, and vice versa.
[2] Violence as a Public Health Risk. ajl.sagepub.com/content/5/5/392.abstract
[3] Origin of the word health: O.E. hælþ “wholeness, a being whole, sound or well,” from PIE *kailo- “whole, uninjured, of good omen” (cf. O.E. hal “hale, whole;” O.N. heill “healthy;” O.E. halig, O.N. helge “holy, sacred;” O.E. hælan “to heal”). Healthy is first attested 1552. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/health.
[4] Merriam-Webster Dictionary online.
A young life at stake – Denied medical care due to tribe
Imagine the US presidential candidate you voted for wins the election, but before you have time to celebrate, a brick crashes through your window. Screams cut through the night air. You reluctantly approach your window to find the members of the losing party attacking people who voted for the winner, smashing cars, killing their neighbors and setting homes on fire. It sounds more like a blockbuster movie than a reality.
Photo courtesy of Evelyn Hockstein, The New York Times
During the election five years ago, it was reality for many Kenyan families. Members of the losing tribes erupted into rioting, arson, and murder to protest the Kikuyu tribe’s presidential victory. Kikuyus retaliated, and the violence escalated.
One Kikuyu woman barely escaped alive when her neighbors torched her home. She carried her two-month-old baby boy for several days, walking to a make-shift camp for those left homeless.
The problem with violent conflict is that even if you escape the front lines, the danger remains. The over-crowded camp lacked enough food and water. Disease was rampant. It wasn’t long before her baby became sick.
Without the right medical services, the mother carried her son several miles to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, when she signed in her Kikuyu last name, the nurse in charge refused to admit the baby. She barked,“Take him to a Kikuyu hospital.”
The baby boy died.
Violent conflict doesn’t end when the smoke clears. Even if bombs, guns, or machetes don’t hurt you, the fear and prejudice behind them can still kill.
This week we recognize World Health Day by addressing violence as a major health issue. Violent conflict cripples every facet of society, especially related to health and well-being. While remembering the problems that accompany violence, we also choose to celebrate the solutions.
After the violence quieted, the mother moved out of the camp. Soon after, she passed the same nurse on the street. To her horror, she found they were now neighbors.
Months later, the mother attended a Search film and discussion group on the conflict. One man confessed he destroyed his neighbor’s property during the riots. He asked for forgiveness. People from every tribe spoke about that terrible time. Nobody wanted it to happen again. Moved, the mother decided to reach out to the nurse. As they talked and cried together, the nurse openly expressed her regret.
She attended our group with the mother, and there they found the courage to reconcile. Without Search’s program, the mother admits she could not have reached out to the nurse. The nurse was inspired to join a group fostering peace in her community. She promised,
“I will never again withhold medical care because of my patient’s tribe.”
Just last month, after 5 years of painstaking work, Kenyans experienced a largely peaceful presidential election. On World Health Day, we celebrate their courage to change and work together for a healthier future for all Kenyans.
To learn more about our programs in Kenya, click here. Look for blog “Why Violence is a Health Issue”, by Search’s VP Susan Collin Marks, coming soon!
Text to Elect? Palestinians pick a President via reality TV
By Stephanie Fagan
Reality shows are all the rage these days. From The Voice to The Apprentice, nearly every profession has a reality series dedicated to discovering its next superstar. There are programs for chefs, fashion designers, dancers, and entrepreneurs….why not for politicians?
Well, fear not, because that void has been filled by Palestine’s newest reality show, The President! Last week, the Ma’an Network, in partnership with Search, launched the series that will document the journey to find a young Palestinian leader capable of earning trust and effectively representing his or her people.
Airing in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, the 36–episode series is blazing a new frontier for Palestinian TV. The President is a unique initiative that combines reality television with constructive content. The goal is to showcase democracy in action, promote good governance, and support the development of a new generation of leaders.
The series features 50 contestants under the age of 35 that dream of becoming president. Starting April 12th, viewers will cast their votes via text messages for the young person they believe embodies the qualities they wish to see in the next Palestinian President. The winner will have to overcome significant challenges, such as: answering hard questions about issues affecting Palestinians; taking part in problem-solving exercises; showing self-discipline; being on call “24/7”; participating in live debates; and managing a large enterprise for a day.
Like any popular reality show, the series features prominent judges who lend their expertise to the project and critique the candidates’ performances. The chosen three are:
- Ahmad Tibi, an Arab-Israeli politician and leader of Ta’al, an Arab party in Israel. He currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset.
- Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian legislator, activist, and scholar.
- Ammar A. Aker, the CEO of Palestine Telecom Group and a member of Paltel Group’s Board of Directors.
The first episode began airing on March 14th, and we are extremely excited about the incredible support it has already received from the public! Over one thousand Palestinians auditioned to be candidates, and viewers are already raving about the constructive yet entertaining commentary from the judges.
After the airing of the first show, SFGC Jerusalem’s Ziad AbuZayyad explained:
“The President’s combinations of popular dramatic reality TV and political issues will bring together a new generation of Palestinians that are enthusiastic and ready to change their future. The Arab Spring changed the Middle East, but today Palestinians have opted for a creative and non-violent approach to the problems they face, using reality TV to communicate the demands of the people.”
With this new series the Ma’an Network has revolutionized reality television and morphed it into an instrument for leadership building. Search helped launch the network in 2002 and in little over a decade it has flourished into a force for constructive dialogue. The innovative nature of The President demonstrates that the Ma’an Network deeply understands the nature of the “common ground approach,” wherein one uses creativity to address important and sometimes controversial topics.
This new project reminds us that progress can emanate from the most unlikely of sources…even reality television.
Watch episodes of The President on the Ma’an Network’s YouTube channel.
Visit the series’ Facebook site to stay updated on the show’s progress.
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Stephanie Fagan is a graduating senior at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where she studies international affairs with a concentration in contemporary cultures and societies. She believes that understanding nuanced cultural differences is essential to the peace building process. Stephanie is the new media intern at Search for Common Ground.
Fishing for Change in the Niger Delta
By John Lynch & Stephanie Fagan
We want to share a story with you from Nigeria’s Niger Delta.
It begins with Oyowe, a widowed fisherman from Kobe. Oyowe’s community knew him as a tireless worker whose sole purpose was to provide for his adopted daughter, Tosan. One day, while pulling up fish from the river, Oyowe noticed a gang of youth dumping toxic waste into the water. He confronted the group and reported their illegal activities to the police. Oyowe did what he had to in order to protect his livelihood and the community’s ecosystem. Sadly, this act of bravery cost Oyowe his life. In retribution for telling the police, the gang members murdered Oyowe and raped his daughter.
This tragic series of events leads us to Sissy Caro – Oyowe’s sister-in-law and now acting guardian of Tosan. At first, Sissy wanted vengeance for the pain inflicted on her family. However, she realized that striking back against the gang would only escalate the violence. So, she decided that real change happens when you address the root of a problem – why were boys in the community joining gangs? To find answers, Sissy brought people, families, and communities together to discuss illegal oil refining, rape, and the effects armed conflict on the Niger Delta. 
The surprise ending to this story is that Sissy Caro doesn’t exist. Well, not exactly. While her struggle is one that Niger Deltans face every day, Sissy is actually a character from the Search radio drama, “Day Don Break ” through our Tomorrow is a New Day project. We learned on World Radio Day that radio moves people in the same way as TV shows and movies. Story-telling, through any format, provides us with new ideas on how to address our own problems, and shows us that we do not struggle alone.
There is more to this show than just entertainment; it’s an outreach tool that helps facilitate constructive dialogues on painful issues. Although Sissy is a fictional character, she has practical ideas about how to bring change to conflict-laden Niger Delta communities. Each week, the fifteen-minute show is followed by an on-air discussion about relevant topics addressed in the latest episode. Popular on-air personalities and community leaders moderate the after show and use it as a tool to reconcile problems that affect the public. “Day Don Break” is only halfway through its twenty-six episodes, but it has the potential to transform the dynamic in the Niger Delta.
The Trauma Healing Assessment adviser, clinician and local research assistant plan their movements for the day
Another way Tomorrow is a New Day facilitates peace is through trauma-healing activities. Search has sent psychology professionals into distressed communities to understand the conflict dynamics. This information will be used to start a productive dialogue. Tomorrow is a New Day tailors all of its outreach to each unique circumstance and enables the type of community healing that Sissy Caro demonstrates in “Day Don Break.” Franklin Moulin, a local participant of the Tomorrow is a New Day project said this:
If it were not for TND, I would have still been looking out for what my community could do for me rather than what I can do to develop my community.
Franklin’s experiences with the TND project have inspired him to run for local office in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.
It turns out that life can imitate art just as much as art imitates life. Sissy’s problems are highly realistic and so are her solutions. The Niger Delta experienced unfathomable tragedies in the past decades. The hope is that programs like “Day Don Break” and Tomorrow is a New Day will help make positive, lasting change in the community. Click to read more about our programs in Nigeria or to listen to Day Don Break.
The final installment of our blog series celebrating International Women’s Day finishes in Tunisia, with two empowered young women, destined to become future leaders in their country.
You might ask yourself: Why has Search, a peacebuilding organization, dedicated decades to women’s empowerment? For one, women are key voices in the pursuit of peace. In Liberia, a group of women put the pressure on the politicians to make peace. Second, violence is not only physical action like war or domestic abuse. Ways of thinking and talking can be violent. Laws can be violent. When we seek women’s empowerment, we’re working to end violence against women in all its forms.
Take Tunisia, for example. Women played an instrumental role in the 2011 revolution. Since then, Search has been building up women leaders for peace.
National Meeting of Youth Councils in Tunisia- group photo
Nour El Houda Bayou, 30, and Rania Jmii, 31, serve on Search’s Youth Leadership Councils. Both young women attended Search’s recent National Youth Leaders Meeting. The initiative brought together youth leaders of different regions, ideologies, political affiliations, and religious views for the first time at the national level. Nour and Rania were kind enough to share their thoughts how Search’s leadership project in Tunisia has impacted their lives.
How are women traditionally perceived and treated in your community?
Nour: There is no real equity and equality between men and women. Women have a lot of rights in Tunisia compared to other Arab countries, but we are not necessarily respected.
Rania: It is far from the level required… Some women are their own worst enemy; they believe that they are naturally inferior to men.
What have you learned from working with Search?
Nour: Before, I was very stubborn and bossy. I have learned to listen to other points of view and seek common ground.
How do you feel youth council has impacted your life?
Rania: Through this experience I realized that the disagreements, clashes, and disputes are just futile. The group’s interest is what is most important.
What is your favorite thing about being on the council?
Nour: The very strong relationships I have built with youths not only in Zaghouan, but at a national level. We share the same mind-set; we saw and felt this during the first national meeting.
Rania: The success of the first round table was just unbelievable. The number of attendees and the interest they showed… was amazing. This will remain as a special moment in my mind.
What progress have you seen since being on the youth council?
Nour: We think, we commit, and then we act. We now know where we want to go and have a strategy.
Rania: The cohesion of the group is strong and the intellectual skills have improved. We are moving really fast towards our goals.
How do you see yourself as a leader now in your community and what do you hope to accomplish?
Nour: The civil society now shares our ideas and perspectives on the different issues in Zaghouan. Our work model is inspiring new associations. We are well known and trustworthy. Our objective is to be a link between all the civil society organizations in Zaghouan and to try to efficiently work and change together.
Rania: I can convince and transform my idea into reality. For the interest of my region, especially the youth, I’m working with the youth council to improve conditions at the local level.
If there is one thing you want people to know, what would it be?
Rania: Search’s program has literally changed my life. You must believe in your full potential and what you can really achieve by committing to your values and ambition!
On International Women’s Day, we recognize women making a difference. Nour and Rania are two such women. They rejected restrictive cultural norms and took hold of their own destinies. These women are natural born leaders, and their presence on the Youth Leadership Council helps to solidify women’s place in Tunisia’s future political structure. So let’s celebrate these women! Happy International Women’s Day!!!
For more information on our projects in Tunisia click here.
