JULY 2012 PEACENOTES
U p d a t e s f r o m F r i e n d s o f t h e A f r i c a n G r e a t L a k e s I n i t i a t i v e When Forgiveness Interrupts t he Plan The Great Lakes Initiative is a community of restless Christian leaders seeking to embody God’s vision of reconciliation and to inspire, form and support other leaders in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa through community, formation and learning shaped by biblically inspired content and methodologies. The African Great Lakes Initiative is a partnership of Duke Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, Mennonite Central Committee, and World Vision. B y C h ri s t i n a H o l d e r P e a c e N o t e s S ta f f W r i te r Participants on a pilgrimage reflect on pain and hope at the 2012 GLI Leadership Institute in Kampala, Uganda. Deogratias Nshimiyimana is the director for African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM) in Burundi. In 1972, a neighbor ordered the killing of Deogratias Nshimiyimana’s father and then murdered his two uncles in the midst of Burundi’s civil war. Deo and his surviving family members were forced to leave their schools and homes and move to an internally displaced persons camp for six years. The young Burundian was filled with pain and bitterness and vowed to kill the neighbor’s two children. “In my mind I said to myself, ‘Now I think I will take a machete one time and chop their heads. I know they will kill me, but I want to make them feel the way I feel,’” he said. “So that kept growing into my mind, ‘72, ‘73, ‘74, ‘75.” Continued on Page 2 I N T H I S E D I T I O N When Forgiveness Interrupts the Plan Peace-­‐Building Conference Brings Together Warring Tribes in South Sudan Reflecting on South Sudan’s First Anniversary A ‘New We’ Join GLI in Kampala! Resources for Reconciliation PeaceNo tes, the GLI Newsletter, a ppears each April, July, and October to lift up stories of lament and hope, reconciliation, and new creation i n East Africa. Send your stories, prayers, and news to Gann Herman at [email protected] PAGE 2 Continued from Page 1 In 1976, a friend shared with Deo the Gospel message of God’s love. That message did not resonate fully with him at first. But as Deo reflected on Jesus Christ dying on the cross in order to bring healing and hope to the world, he began to feel the need to forgive the neighbor, named Anthony. Deo also realized he wanted to do something radical — to ask for Anthony’s forgiveness. Deo believed that he had killed Anthony’s children in his mind. That meeting was difficult and painful, but it ended with Deo and Anthony reconciling before the then-­‐elderly neighbor died in the late 1990s. Now Deo works with his fellow Burundians, urging them to forgive and reconcile with one another. That Deo was able to forgive is a testament that others can too, he said. “People need space, they need time,” Deo said. “Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things. To forgive Anthony was very painful for me. It was painful for me to learn that I needed to reconcile with him. It is a process that does not take place in a minute or a day.” JOIN US IN PRAYER: Pray for people throughout the world who are struggling to forgive. Pray that those who have been victimized and those who have lost loved ones would know and feel the love of God today. Pray that God’s love would shape more leaders like Deo, who has made the courageous, difficult decision to forgive. Peace-­‐Building Conference Brings Together Warring Tribes in South Sudan PeaceNotes Correspondents: Peter Garang and Célestin Musekura More than 50 leaders from two warring tribes in South Sudan convened in Turalei from April 2-­‐4 for an historic, three-­‐day peace-­‐building conference organized by African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM) and World Vision in South Sudan (WVSS). The conference brought together clergy, community leaders, chiefs, and under-­‐represented groups such as youth and women to discuss tensions among the Dinka and Nuer tribes and to form a unified, grassroots leadership community that will pursue peace and reconciliation across tribal lines. Participant Michael Gadual offered a sign of hope to the conference participants. When one of Gadual’s relatives organized a raid of a rival’s cows, Gadual returned the livestock to the owner. Gadual saw this as one way he could instill the precedence of peace within his community. Conference participants discussed how a community can better pursue peace in the aftermath of a situation such as Gadual described: When tensions rise and some community members retaliate against others, the community should hold the individual responsible instead of the entire tribe. The Turalei conference report cited several complex challenges to peace-­‐building in South Sudan: The church often has been silent on ethnic issues and tensions, government leaders have practiced political manipulation of the people whom they serve, there are not enough resources to secure the longevity of peace-­‐
building initiatives, and generations of families hoping to secure their communities have let pride inhibit peace. “In the three days of the peace-­‐building conference, the facilitators witnessed incredible impacts of the trainings on the participants,” the report noted. “Despite the language barrier between the two tribes, participants were able to share their views freely in the conference room and requested forgiveness from one another about the past.” The conference was a cornerstone event for the two communities. Participants recommended that conference organizers hold the next conference in Mayom County Unity State. PAGE 3 Reflecting o n South S udan’s F irst A nniversary B y C h ri s t i n a H o l d e r P e a c e N o t e s S ta f f W r i te r Fr. Martin V uni spoke on a panel about reconciliation and his work in South Sudan on May 30, 2012 at Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., USA. As a young seminary student in Sudan, Fr. Martin Vuni attempted to join the Sudan People's Liberation Army in the 1990s. Now a Catholic priest, he said he was convinced that joining the fight for liberation from the Sudanese government was the right answer back then. But the military commander who could grant the young Vuni entrance into the army turned him away after learning that Vuni was on a track to holy orders. That moment changed everything for Vuni, he said. It was a moment in his call to ministry. “That gave me another thought,” Vuni recalled of that moment standing in front of the commander. “Say, but now here I am, and these guys, they are desperate for manpower and especially people with a bit of education, and he’s telling me to go back? Now what is it really?” The encounter led Vuni to pursue his plans for ordination as a Catholic priest, to serve Sudanese people displaced by the civil conflict, and to organize soccer matches to bring together youth vulnerable to the deep tensions between people living in the north and the south of the country. Later he organized human rights workshops to lead Sudanese people to stand on common ground. “The real minimum standard for people to coexist is they respect their rights,” Vuni said. Vuni said that when South Sudan recently celebrated its one-­‐year anniversary of becoming a new nation, tensions in the country remained. He is calling for a time of reflection on the past year’s events. “Having a war and a liberation struggle is just one little part of it,” Vuni said. “And building a nation and b uilding a real society is another thing.” Vuni said that reconciliation does not happen quickly and may not be realized in this lifetime, but something far greater is at work. He knows the resiliency of the Sudanese people. He has experienced the power of confession in individuals. He sees those voices of truth building a collective movement of peace in the country in the future. “My hope is based on the reality of our faith,” Vuni said. “I think God did not intend to create people to just have chaos. He really created people to b ecome peaceful.” Do you want to build your conflict resolution skills? The GLI team has heard about this opportunity, and w e want to tell you about it! The GLPI training is from Oct. 1 -­‐27, 2012 in Gitega, Burundi! This dynamic event is part of a world network of peace-­‐building institutes and offers training for leaders working in francophone Africa. PeaceNotes readers are invited to apply. Tuition room and board for one month is $1800. Get more information by following this link: https://sites.google.com/site/burundiglpi/ Email or call GLPI Coordinator Oscar Nduwarugira at [email protected] or +257. 79.316.791. PAGE 4 A ‘NEW WE’: Join G
LI i n A Reflection on the 2012 GLI Institute Kampala! By W ilfred Mlay Planning for the 2013 African Great Lakes Initiative Leadership GLI Ambassador Institute is underway. Space for a "new we,” for inspiration. Apply now! To see God's vision of new creation. Don’t miss this unique, powerful opportunity to share your voice and to work with remarkable An invitation: To join on a journey, African leaders involved in ministries of reconciliation A pilgrimage to a new place. throughout East Africa! An invitation to die — Now in its third year, the Great Lakes Initiative Leadership Institute partners with African Because there is no new creation w ithout the cross. The 2012 GLI featured leaders working in ministries of seminars on topics such as reconciliation to cultivate reconciliation with youth, And as we die, we begin to grow women in leadership, and relationships with Christian the role of church leaders leaders and gives them time to in times of turbulence. Like a mustard seed planted in the soil, study and reflect over the course of five days. Participants take courses exploring Christian To go to a new place we don't know, to become a big tree in the garden. theology, leadership, and peace-­‐
building and engage in And as that tree matures, the birds come to have their nest in it — a place of conversations with diverse peace-­‐
new life and new creation. builders across the region. This year the five-­‐day Institute Let the experience of the GLI form you. will be held from January 13-­‐19, 2013 in Kampala, Uganda. Take the gifts out and let God use them. Please e-­‐mail Gann Herman God will form new creation in you. ([email protected]) for an application. RESOURCES FOR RECONCILIATION We Are Witnesses: The African Church a nd Governance Peace Office Newsletter (April-­‐June 2012) Mennonite Central Committee http://peace.mcc.org/peace_office_newsletter See especially articles by David Otim and Gopar Tapkida, MCC staff who have been leaders in GLI. To contact the African Great Lakes Initiative: Gann Herman, International Programs Coordinator ‒ Duke Center for Reconciliation ([email protected]) +919.660.3594 Wilfred Mlay, GLI Ambassador ([email protected]) +255.784785578 www.dukereconciliation.com July 2012 Issue Acknowledgments: All Photos by Christina Holder and Darriel Harris.