Mimi, the "Shy Rebellious Arab Girl"

Mimi
Oman

“My eldest sister gave birth to a baby girl a few days ago. The girl is seven or eight days old now. I thought they’d done FGM on her when she was still in the hospital (and I was in Muscat) but today I realized that I was mistaken. They actually did it on her today.”

***

My worst day in 2012 must be today.

My eldest sister gave birth to a baby girl a few days ago. The girl is seven or eight days old now. I thought they’d done FGM on her when she was still in the hospital (and I was in Muscat) but today I realized that I was mistaken. They actually did it on her today.

Women in Salalah spend the 40 days after birth in their mothers’ houses (another bad phenomenon in Dhofar) so I have my sister and her children at home these days.

I knew that my sister had it done on her little baby today when her 10-year-old daughter came to my room and said to me, “Auntie I saw mum tie the baby’s legs.”

When I heard that I really thought I was going to lose my mind! I looked after my baby niece last night. I fed her and carried her in my arms and let her sleep on the bed next to me. I didn’t know my sister was planning to do that to her in the morning! If I knew that I wouldn’t have let the baby out of the room!

Anyway when I heard that I rushed out of my room looking for my sister, but I found mother with the baby in her arms. My mother was smiling when I said, “Are you people still doing this?!”

Of course they’re still doing it, but I just didn’t know what to say, and I was already shedding tears. Mother felt that I was angry so she said, “It’s a Sunna.” She was still smiling. It’s the first time I talk to mother about it. I responded, “It’s not a Sunna! You people just enjoy doing it!”

Crazy answers. I wasn’t thinking when I said those words.

My mother laughed, “So you’re saying you’re not going to do it on your daughters?”

I couldn’t control myself, “You’ll see what I’ll do when anyone of you think of hurting my daughters! I’m going to kill! God will punish you for what you’re doing, and you’ll see!”

Because that’s what they believe. God will punish. I know it was crazy to say that to my mother but I couldn’t control my feelings. My mother didn’t say anything but kept smiling, and I left her with my niece. I went back to my room and kept crying.

I didn’t talk to mother much today. I didn’t even smile at her. I really hate to upset mother because she went through a lot in her life, and I always apologize to her when I say something I shouldn’t. But since this was about FGM I’m not planning to apologize today.

The one who did FGM on my little niece was an old Dhofari woman, as usual. It wasn’t even done in a clinic.

Shortly before lunch my eldest sister called me and asked me to help her with something. She gave me her baby girl and asked me to take her to my bedroom. My niece was sleeping on my bed when my sister came in with the diapers and some other things. My sister wanted me to help change her daughter’s diaper.

I was so sure I was going to lose my mind when changing her diaper. Yes her legs were tied by a piece of cloth. And the diaper was wrapped around her body in a strange way so that it wouldn’t hurt her. And there was some medical cotton in that place. It was full of blood!

I was crying and I couldn’t say anything. The girl was crying so hard! It must be too painful to her! My sister didn’t say anything to me but she noticed that I was really angry. I haven’t talked to her since then. Tomorrow I will talk to her!

My mother’s belief that people should keep on doing this can be justified, but my sisters? They have no excuse to be as ignorant as the others!

My eldest sister, who’s exposed her daughter to this stupid practice today, is a holder of a master’s degree in mathematics. Can you believe she would let such a thing happen to her daughter?!

I have four sisters and all of them are already in their 30′s (except my 24 year old sister, who publishes her videos on youtube). My sisters are really special to me, but sometimes I feel they’re not different from any other Dhofari woman. I mean they have the same mentality as many Dhofari women.

One of them is a physics teacher. She is the smartest sister to me. She has won two scholarships in the UK ,(but she missed them because of my parents’ worries. I’m lucky to be born in 1989 don’t you think so?) and she seems to be always the best whether at school or university or work.

I once talked to her about FGM. I asked her to rethink about it, but I remember that she said and kept repeating things said in the Arabic forums. Contradictory things like: it doesn’t make a difference, or it lessens the sensitivity of that area (which is said to be an advantage in the Arabic forums).

I’m very disappointed and I’m very tired of all this. And I’m sure most of Dhofari girls will go to heaven.

***
This was originally posted on Mimi’s blog, A Shy Rebellious Arab Girl.

 The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Wanjiru Kamau

“…These things happened not just because of racism or sexism, but because of ignorance, and [we] help them go beyond that ignorance, to build peace.”

***

Wanjiru Kamau is the founder of the African Refugee and Immigrant Foundation, which facilitates the effective transition of African immigrants to American society and supports their productive, sustainable integration into their new homeland.  She won a 2011 Purpose Prize for her work with the foundation. The Purpose Prize honors someone who made a change late in their career to work for social good.  Prior to moving to Washington DC  to found the African Refugee and Immigrant Foundation, Wanjiru Kamau was a university administrator and adjunct professor in State College, Pennsylvania.

Blog and Social Media Manager Caroline Anderson interviewed Wanjiru about how her work and how it contributes to peacebuilding. 

What inspired you to change your career?  How did you make the decision to do so?

The problem presented itself to me.  When I met with African refugees and immigrants in State College I noticed that some Rwandese people who had been resettled in the US were adjusting badly.  They had not lived in urban areas of Africa, and the United States was very different from their homes.  I felt that they needed help in adjusting to the United States, and that I could help them.  My graduate work was in multicultural education, which sensitized me to valuing difference and allowing differences to exist so that we can all learn from one another.  From this sensitivity I was in a much better position to educate immigrants and felt compelled to help them adjust to their new home while retaining their identity.  My background in mental health also helped.  These refugees had had their emotions injured from devastating wars, family loss, and separation, so learning how to deal with these traumas was also a part of adjusting.

Can you describe some of your work?

The African Refugee and Immigrant Foundation (AIRF) became the bridge between the two cultures. I have lived in the U.S. and in Africa, and I mediate between the two cultures.  I find that people in the United States only know about hunger, malnutrition, and war in Africa.  This also makes it harder for immigrants to integrate.  People don’t know anything about them, so it is necessary to train caregivers – mental health workers, and other professionals who work with the immigrants – in African cultural sensitivity.  We also try to educate teachers, hospital workers, and ordinary Americans.

In addition, we help Africans who are from different countries to better understand each other, train parents to get adjusted more quickly so that they can understand their children (who often acculturate faster than their parents and guardians), and mediate domestic disputes.  The problem of domestic violence is a particularly important one, because what is reportedly acceptable in some African cultures is not here in the United States.  We have established a Council of Elders, consisting of people from different countries who can mediate disputes and cases of domestic violence and explain what behavior is the norm in the United States.  We always make sure to have a man and a woman in the meetings if the trouble is between a husband and wife, and also ensure the mediators are from the same countries as the disputants.  Both of these conditions are important so that everyone is heard and understood.

Where does the Foundation do its work? How do people find out about the services you provide?

The organization caters to people in the DC metro area, but we also get calls from around the country, and from refugee camps in African countries. Our constituents are mainly low income, and our mission is to help make them productive in their new home.  Physical contact is very important to our work, so we focus on the DC metro area where people can meet face to face.

Constituents discover us through word of mouth, on our website, on Facebook, and soon on Twitter.  But most are not computer savvy, so it’s mostly word of mouth and referrals.

How do you see yourself contributing to peacebuilding through the work of the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation?

When people are crossing borders there is so much need to understand one another.  The work we do helps with understanding on both sides.  Endowing newcomers with cultural and linguistic skills empowers them with peacebuilding tools.  When we understand one another we can talk to one another and reduce stereotypes.  It may seem that we are building peace indirectly, but I think we are doing it directly in a variety of ways.  For example, these immigrants are often products of violence, and we help to restore their mental health and find peace.  Our foundation has mediated between Hutu and Tutsi individuals to help them forgive each another.  Even though our focus is not peace, we end up building peace.  Last November we had a conference and taught the youth about African restorative justice.  We showed them how to use restorative justice in cases of school bullying. Immigrant children are bullied a lot because they are different, and we taught them ways of responding and of combating ignorance. This helps to create peace.  All of this builds peace – if you don’t have personal peace you can negatively impact so many others.

What we have been trying to do is to have the very refugees who have been victims forgive those they have left behind, the conflicts they have left behind.  We try to explain to them that these things happened not just because of racism or sexism but because of ignorance, and to help them go beyond that ignorance, to build peace.

What is your favorite success story that has come out of the Foundation’s work?

There are many stories, but one of the most meaningful is about a conflict between a Congolese family and an African American family.  This is an especially fraught relationship because the two groups (Africans and African Americans) look alike but are culturally different – a lot needs to be done to work through and understand these differences.

The story began in 2004 with a fight between the children of two families who were neighbors, one Congolese and one African American. The African American kids could not understand why the Congolese family did not speak English and hence, play with them. They started fighting and the police (all of whom were white) came. When the police arrived, the African American teenagers blamed the situation on the mother of the Congolese children, who could not speak English.  The mother was arrested and it was a very bad situation.  What we did in response was train the police that there was a population in their community who were different, and who might not speak English.  We worked with them to increase their cultural sensitivity to this situation.  You cannot just assume that people who look the same are culturally alike.  We helped the police better understand these cultural barriers.  It just leaves you wanting more to teach people how to understand one another.

Looking back over 10 years of the Foundation’s work and your own contributions, what have you learned?

Any older person who would like to make a new start should turn to something they are passionate about.  Doing this will really give them a love of life.  The kind of successes I have had with youth and families have excited and inspired me.  There are ways to find great satisfaction that are not measured by money. Particularly when you helping others, I have found that it releases you from your personal prison.  You can help yourself by helping others.  I would encourage others to find some service to do. After all, we are here in the world to serve other people.

Find out more about the work of the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation.

Women in Bakuvu. From right to left: Adele Safi Kagarabi, Liliane Waku, Lili Civava Ntamwinja, and Wilhelmine Ntakebuka

Christina Mitchell
United States/Democratic Republic of Congo

 “A failed state does not mean a failed people or, more notably, failed women.”

***

After three years of preparation, I finally met the women of the eastern Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, regions hosting what has been called Africa’s World War.  These are women who have seen the worst, but work toward the best.  Who have fought and survived despite the too common media story showing them as only helpless, voiceless victims.  I had previously confirmed that the victim narrative was baseless despite the very real vulnerability of Congolese women and the pandemic of rape accompanying the armed conflict.  I arrived to meet these women who had caught my imagination, to hear their points of view and to learn their reality.

Most of the reporting on the women highlights the horrendous accounts and high instances of rape that are instigated as a regular tactic of the conflict.  Although the violence is real, international peacekeeping, aid, academic, and conflict resolution entities represent gendered experiences as homogenous.  Women are victims, and men are victimizers.  Subsequently, the homogenization determines the definition of peace and processes of peacebuilding are developed that exclude the needs and voices of women.  For example, reintegration of combatants assumes that all combatants are male and, thus, does not make necessary arrangements for the special needs of reintegrating female combatants.  Furthermore, abuse, rape, malnutrition, constrained rights, etc., all remain a reality for women long after the armed hostilities are over.  Women are simply invisible beyond providing startlingly high numbers of victim narratives.  A failed state does not mean a failed people or, more notably, failed women.

Too often the relevant actions of Congolese women during decolonization, independence, and the armed conflict are relegated to rumor or irrelevance.  I am just now located again in the United States, beginning to uncover the scraps of written history by and about politically active Congolese women.  Rumor and irrelevance have promoted the victim narrative for the women, subsequently placing them in a secondary (and thus ignored) position in public and political decision-making.  This subjugation occurs despite promotion of equality and/or adoption of politically correct rhetoric. But Congolese women do organize, voice opposition, fight, and become politically active even in the most dangerous regions.

I finally entered the DRC in May of this year after a failed attempt in June 2010.  What I discovered in meeting these women was more than I could have ever imagined.

‘Peace’ for Congolese women is a straightforward concept encompassing basic services, sustainable living, and equal rights.  The most touching definition of ‘peace’ was provided by Liliane as having the stability of “knowing tomorrow.”  The women are aware they are depicted as victims, and find the depiction insulting and without merit.

Women in Goma. From right to left: Alyne Nziau, Charly Katsova Sivihwa, Mamu Bastola, Folestine Mutsinelu

Adèle noted that the international organizations use negative images of the women to justify their presence.  There are a multitude of grassroots women’s organizations operating in the country with little, if any, support or recognition by the government and the international aid, peacekeeping, and development organizations.  With tremendous foresight and fortitude the women have tackled issues as complex as disarmament and as necessary as food cooperatives.  The women desire an equal role in ending the violence and stress the importance of their role in the subsequent development of the DRC.  The women believe they have a say in the operation and running of their country and that their voices should be fully acknowledged.  For the women, justice and equal rights are intertwined.

All of these organizations provide some type of advocacy work coupled with political action (e.g., sit-ins or demonstrations) and conflict resolution practices. Networks of organizations have been integral to providing micro-loans, organizing women’s cooperatives, and coordinating demilitarization efforts.  These organizations also provide legal support for victims of violence, coordinate workshops on rights and gender, and register voters.  Planning relies on grassroots community initiatives called “peace groups” or “peace committees,”  mixed-gender groups of volunteers from the community, police, civil society, and army that produce their own peace-building mechanisms to address priorities set by the group.  They stated emphatically that it is through their successful efforts that the world has been made aware of the situation facing women as a result of the conflict.  The women were cognizant of their invisibility to the international community in terms of acknowledgement of their efforts, and they looked upon the snub with animosity.

The women are not opposed to international assistance.  However, they want international entities to work in cooperation with the government, establish priorities according to the needs of the targeted communities, leave when projects are no longer necessary, and fund and use local organizations to carry out the work.  These women deserve proper recognition, to have their voices made relevant and active, and look to aid groups only for support as they determine their own futures.

The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Aya Chebbi

Aya Chebbi
Tunisia/Thailand

“We, people from 17 countries, speaking more than 10 languages and holding different beliefs, achieved peace at that island, so why can’t we achieve peace in one country speaking the same language, having the same religion and nationality?”

***

The pursuit of happiness is everyone’s quest.  But does everyone know there is no need to look for happiness anywhere, because it exists in their centre? Mankind has tried to establish peace through impressive speeches, international treaties, and peacebuilding operations. However, to make world peace a reality, I believe that we should start within our own minds and behaviour. Recently I travelled to Thailand and was introduced to a brightness of wisdom and a redefinition of life, happiness, and peace. I walked away from the experience with the simple equation that if you calm the mind you can access deep strength, love, and wisdom within yourself.

I travelled across the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Thailand in order to meditate … yes, to meditate. A lot of my friends laughed and said: “You are crazy to go by yourself!” “Do you trust these people?” “Are you going to convert to Buddhism?”

Some of them were supportive instead and said “You’re a brave young lady”… “Proud of you, and enjoy every moment for yourself.” In fact, the driving force for me to go into the experience and trust people whom I’d never met was meditation. Meditation is the moment for everyone’s self-discovering … discovering our inner peace, our strength, our positivity, and appreciating ourselves more. Buddha said: “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way and not starting.” I started and I wanted to go all the way to Thailand to learn more, to discover more, and most importantly to be happy and peaceful from inside out.

I arrived in Bangkok and the following day I went to the Mooktawan Island. The place was a perfect one for inspiration and relaxation with the sounds of nature. It offered an inner security. The training provided an in-depth introduction to meditation and its applications to nonviolence, peacemaking, and social change. I lived some of the best moments of my entire life at the retreat site. I knew the true meaning of the word “thank you” and the deep meaning of a smile. I knew the importance of one’s smile when one of the fellows, with whom I made friends, gave me a sheet of paper saying “ When I found your smile was lost for about eight hours, I felt like a part of my happiness was gone … but today I saw your particular smile and it enlightened my day. Just keep your smile everyday.”

The group on Mooktawan island

I found myself a global citizen with those unique people and started asking myself: We, people from 17 countries, speaking more than 10 languages and holding different beliefs, achieved peace at that island, so why can’t we achieve peace in one country speaking the same language, having the same religion and nationality? We overcame our differences and found power in our similarities while living together for some days, so why can’t we find this positivity with people with whom we share the same history and the same background and with whom we have lived for a lifetime? Based on the answers I found, I came back to my country with a lot of love and kindness to share, because I found a solution for our peaceful coexistence: simply that we should always think about others because we can’t live without being in a community, and that we should live simply. The simple life clarified my mind and helped me make the right decisions. We usually complicate our lives and forget about the real mission of our existence. I believe that everyone has a mission to accomplish before leaving this world. It could be a small thing but would have a great impact.

The most important thing I learned in Thailand is that life is a continuous journey of self-discovery. This experience gave me, a young Arab-Muslim woman living in North Africa in a post-revolution environment, a driving force to keep my true colours shining and to get involved in my country’s peacebuilding. I challenge you to try this new way of establishing peace.  It’s a new way that can be used regardless of religion, culture, language, or background. Everyone needs a smile every morning to embark on a long day. I recommend that you start meditating this morning. Meditation will give you the power to believe in your powers as a human being with a body and mind that can be used wisely. You’re the only one who knows yourself well and you can let people see your inner beauty and positivity as you try to see people’s inner beauty and positivity. No one is perfect, we all have bad habits, but, as the teaching monks say, we just have to draw the line between “good & bad,” “right & wrong,” “should & should not,” and it will lead us to behave well.

In this new year I hope for freedom for the oppressed, equality for the discriminated against, shelter and food for the homeless, health for the sick, education for the illiterate, and peace for every human being. I wish for prosperity, development, and peace for my country Tunisia, for the neighbouring countries, for Africa, and for the entire universe. And finally, for me, I wish to continue what I’m doing with passion and commitment. Now I’m living more fully in the present and discovering my unique contribution to life.  What about you?

 The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Nela Milic's friends in Turkey

Nela Milic
Turkey/United Kingdom

“When you tour Istanbul’s palaces you learn about the weapons of the army as the biggest treasure of the nation.  But women do the opposite – they negotiate, they communicate, they share and collaborate. “

***

Recently I visited Turkey on business and pleasure – I was holding a workshop with my colleagues at the new media conference at Sabanci University, but I came to Istanbul before it started and stayed after it was over with friends.  In the process I got an overview of the city from some of its residents and came to a conclusion that I never expected, that women run Turkey.

Amidst a struggle between the military and the government, women raise children. They invest in the future of the country by taking thought and action for its development, not wasting time on power struggles.  Women also occupy spaces of culture, education, and domesticity, where the structures of progress are planned and made.  But when steps towards progress are attempted in public, male domination overtakes their effort. Women fight for justice:  the improvement of legal systems, the respect of minorities, peace, and all that matters for a healthy and a happy country. Men either consider women’s plight trivial or they want to woo them to their side so they fight for their causes; they humiliate them in the way they treat them, sometimes even through physical violence. Still, the women are better fighters in this place that prides itself with a history of war.

When you tour Istanbul’s palaces you learn about the weapons of the army as the biggest treasure of the nation.  But women do the opposite – they negotiate, they communicate, they share and collaborate. During the two weeks I spent in Istanbul, their daily investment in the positive changes in Turkey was my biggest impression of the country. I did not care as much about Topkapi palace as I did about the peaceful demonstration of Turkish, Kurdish, and other women at Taksim Square.  These women were quickly surrounded by police who pointed water cannons at them.

The tourist sites cannot be compared to the introduction to Turkish and minority culture I got through the music of Kardes Turkuler, where the ladies play the beating instruments I previously saw used only by men.  The Istanbul Biennale was a minor event in comparison to the Fenerbahce football match.  The Fenerbahce team invited only women and children to one of their games as an apology for being associated with paying other teams to lose.  And, from now on, I will watch the Eurovision song with skepticism, because stars like Sebnem Ferah, a senior rocker who can stand above MTV celebrities, isn’t chosen to represent Turkey.

The crowd of women and children at Fenerbache stadium

To me, this women’s strength is more powerful than the army. Women fully occupied Fenerbahce stadium for the game played by the ashamed team. The men were hopelessly navigating the entrance points, but the ladies broke through the gates. Male guards were useless at keeping the order, and even put the ladies in danger as the children got squashed between the crowd, some crying out in distress. The men looked on from a place of safety above them. They leaned on the balcony, smoking and watching this commotion like the women were not supposed to be in a male space.

Rather than football, I imagine Turkish women would prefer to take their children to the Istanbul Modern for the retrospective of Turkish women artists entitled “Dream and Reality.” The quality of these artists’ work shines over the art selected for the biennale and displayed in hangars next door to the gallery of modern art. Local women artists outshone the international arts scene, which this year in Istanbul had a hefty topic – art and politics. Political protests around the city made the artwork in the Biennale seem irrelevant.

As a final reminder of both the power women wield in Turkey and the hurdles they face, the day before I left I met a fellow countrywoman who grew up in Turkey and was imprisoned there for her activism… The women run this country; the men just stand in front of their light.

The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

At the DDR sensitization workshop in El Fasher. Jose Tenga is first left, with his colleague Steven Moore, talking with one of the female delegates.

Jose Tenga
Canada/Sudan

“This is the very first time in my life when I have been asked to suggest ways and means for ending this war. And it has happened because you called this meeting. This is an opportunity of a lifetime to make my contribution to the search for peace in my country.” (Female delegate to the DDR Sensitization workshop in El Fasher, North Darfur, August, 2011)

 ***

Mention the name Darfur and the mind immediately conjures images of death, destruction, and desolation caused by more than a decade of relentless factional fighting between rebel groups in that Sahara Desert region of western Sudan. On my first visit in July 2011, I braced for scenes of burnt villages and extensive destruction, as well as refugee encampments that spread as far as the eye can see. But there was more. Much more than I expected, especially among the women who bear the brunt of armed conflicts across the world. And I was in for pleasant surprises.

My assignment in Sudan was contracted with Canadem, the Canadian agency that recruits Canadian professionals for international organizations, including the United Nations.  My assignment called for providing technical advice to the government of Sudan’s Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) Commission. The government of Canada was responding with this deployment to a request from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sudan, for Canadian experts to assist with the DDR preparatory programme in Darfur as well as with the national programme in general. When I arrived at the Sudan DDR Commission in June 2010, I found myself dealing with administrative (including training and capacity building) and budgetary projects, in addition to programmatic issues like introducing the DDR programme in Darfur. The evidence suggested that while senior personnel of the Commission were working for a successful DDR programme, they faced the shortcomings of operating under a military dictatorship that was preparing for war in the search for peace. The road to restoring peaceful co-existence in Sudan would be a long and tortuous one.

A cross-section of delegates and participants at the workshop

Darfur was quite an initiation into the interesting culture of Sudan. My first night in a much cooler El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, was my first outside of hot and dusty Khartoum, on the Nile. The Sudanese eat their dinner at midnight! That night, at the official residence of the ‘Wali’ (Governor), we were served a giant tray filled with a 12-course meal of grilled lamb and flatbread, roasted chicken, vegetables, tomato gravy, and patisserie. Quite a meal for that time of day. I had a hard time eating; my stomach is too weak for late dinners. When I inquired what time my Sudanese colleagues went to bed, they responded: “Just as soon as we’re done eating dinner” – meaning, anytime between 12:30 AM and 01:30 AM.  And the women would continue serving and cleaning until all the men retired for the night. Meanwhile, the conflict continued on the outskirts of the city.

Women are always the worst victims of armed conflicts. They lose their husbands and children. They lose their homes, they are raped and killed. They get abducted, battered, and enslaved. And in all of this suffering, they have no voice. No one asks their opinions or seek their inputs into decisions that affect their lives. Nor are they consulted on ways out of conflicts that are created by men. They witness the mounting danger of war in silence. They see the unusual movement of armed strangers into their communities; overhear dark and ominous conversations as attacks are planned.  If only they could voice their thoughts! But alas, in the male-dominated Arab culture of Darfur, they wait; that is, until the United Nations Development Program organized the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) sensitization and community mobilization workshops.

The DDR workshops brought together all the stakeholders in the region: traditional leaders and state politicians, religious leaders, women and youth groups, and more, to make their voices heard in the search for peace in their region. Organized by UNDP and funded by Canada and the EU, the preparatory programme provided the opportunity for the people to give their views on how to proceed with disarming and demobilizing thousands of fighters and reintegrating  them into the communities in hope of restoring the peace and co-existence of the past. For most of the participants, especially the women, this was the first opportunity to make their voices heard. And their suggestions were revealing.

The women recommended that the federal government stop arming militias loyal to chiefs and tribal leaders as a first step towards reducing violence. They wanted the chiefs to stop distributing weapons to their friends and supporters, because this only spreads proliferation and undermines successful DDR. They promised to continue public sensitization through songs and street theater (Hakamas) and asked for support from their men. The women also reminded the gathering of the growing menace of opium cultivation in South Darfur and its effects on the war. Opium and conflict are symbiotic: the conflict environment and accompanying lawlessness support opium cultivation and trade, while the huge income from opium trade fuels conflicts.

After three days of conferencing it was clear that at last, the women of Darfur were raising their voices and contributing to the search for peace -and their views provided practical and irrefutable suggestions about the way forward for peace in Darfur!

 The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Alexandria University students hard at work

Yasmine Mahmoud Fakhry
Egypt

“It is time for us to build Egypt and contribute to peacebuilding and positive change, rather than engage in violence and create chaos.”

***

This is a time of great turbulence in Egypt, during which the country has been shaken by violence and political instability and people have become increasingly desperate and frustrated every day.  This is especially true because the Egyptian media’s focus has been only on negative and disturbing news. In such a critical time, I seized the opportunity to engage my students at the College of Engineering in Alexandria University and inspire action.   The first week of January more than 100 students participated in a “Celebration of Human Rights through Art” to promote, defend, and raise awareness on human rights issues through the medium of art. Through this event, we sought to shine light on human rights and send a clear and positive message to our society.

As a human rights educator, I encourage my students to relate human rights issues to their own lives and experiences, become aware of their rights, and be active participants in promoting human rights; to not only be recipients of rights granted by others. My focus is on empowering my students to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world. Since I understand what it means to be a change agent and how crucial this role is to social transformation, I thought that we could use art as a creative tool for the dissemination of knowledge and to influence public opinion on violations of human rights and global issues. The idea of planning for this event came upon the desire to urge young students to raise their voices and become agents for change, and to send a positive message to our community and call for action.

Students with their human rights art show display

The aim of the event was to give voice and bring about greater awareness of our human rights and enable young people to develop critical understanding of their life situation, to bring about attitudinal change and action. “In this event, we want to show our commitment to the promotion of human rights ethics and values,” 18-year-old Nada Mamdouh commented on the Facebook page we set up.  The event invited students to explore their beliefs, judgments, and visions of social justice.  We asked them to think about issues ranging through discrimination, child labor, gender inequality, human trafficking, poverty, climate change, education, democracy, diversity, and freedom of religion, conscience, and opinion. The goal was to celebrate young people’s talents and give them a platform to address and explore the causes and effects of inequality and paint a future based on dignity and respect.

More than 100 students gathered in the garden in front of the main classroom building to campaign for human rights and represent their vision of human rights through art. The students made caricatures, cartoons, portraits, slogans, and simple drawings that criticize the negative aspects of our everyday life and send a message of peace to our society. Concurrently, an art exhibit took place at the back of the main building on the other side of the garden, where more than 20 students displayed posters expressing key articles from the UN conventions. The posters illustrated real stories of violations.

All students enjoyed the cooperative experience and felt positive about the meaningful contribution they made to their society. Karim Ismail, a freshman student, stated: “I feel very proud that we could really enjoy our right to use our voice and express our opinion freely, probably for the first time ever. We never participated in something like this before, and we were never encouraged to take part actively in our community.” They liked working with their friends and sharing and analyzing with others their vision of the world. The group work and participation in one campaign increased positive interpersonal peer relationships, self-esteem, and sense of security. Students also sent a strong message to the community, especially to all those who have been engaging in violent acts lately: “It is time for us to build Egypt and contribute to peacebuilding and positive change, rather than engage in violence and create chaos”.

 The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Stella Paul

Stella Paul
India

“With my attacker dead, I decided that there was nothing I could gain by telling his stories. Instead, I could try helping his family…”

***

One evening I was at the dentist’s clinic. I sat listening to him as he showed the x-rays he had earlier taken of my teeth and gum; there were several small cavities, one of my front teeth was almost dead, and, there was a big cyst in my gum.

“I can fix this, though we will need multiple root canal surgeries,” he said, before adding, “But I am really curious about how you got that cyst. You must have had a bad fall, a bad injury. There was internal bleeding.”  “I don’t remember,” I said.

We left his clinic with an elaborate treatment plan in hand.

My best friend, who knew me well, was walking beside me. I could sense her curiosity and her eagerness to know yet another story of my life. But it didn’t come.

I came home, had dinner, and went to bed. But all night through, between the sound of passing vehicles and barking dogs, I kept hearing the doctor’s voice: “There must have been an accident.”

Yes, accident it sure was, but a deliberate one; one that broke my gum, but saved my dignity, my life.

I was in 8^th grade then. The family next door was celebrating the homecoming of their eldest son – a soldier in the Indian army. Handsome, smart and quite flamboyant, he was a favorite of the entire neighborhood. When he came home, all the neighborhood kids would crowd around his house, sharing the happy vibes that he sent around.

This time, there was another reason for them to be there. It turned out that the young man had been an apprentice dentist and was good at ‘tooth jobs.’ Now all the neighbors were eager to have him take a look at their children’s mouths and fix their cavities.

The ‘doctor’ had a special room with heavy curtains –  a rarity in that small village of ours in the hilly northeast region of India where everything happened right in front of everyone. There was a Victorian armchair on which he had the patient lie down while he sat on a stool, almost hovering over.

Whenever I got a chance to peep, I found that the doctor’s hands were almost resting on the chest of the patient. But I would be shooed away quickly.

One day, it was my chance to be on that armchair. My tiny frame was almost buried in it, making it almost impossible to move, let alone stand up.

The doctor was “at work” soon. I felt his hand on my chest and soon his fingers were fiddling with my frock’s button, while his breath was on my mouth. I tried to scream, but his gloved hand shut me up. In the panic that followed I kicked my legs up, jumped, and while making a dash to the door, hit the door panel, hard.

I could feel the numbing pain not just in my swollen gum, but also in my heart and in my head. But I was already this unwanted, ugly child who was lucky enough to be alive. Over a dozen girls had gone into that room and reported nothing – how could I say anything? And who would listen? So, I suffered in silence.

Stella Paul

In the years that followed I grew up, left my nest, and went to high school. Though my life didn’t become a bed of roses, I eventually found my voice and called a spade a spade.

And yet I have decided never to tell anyone about that man who had perhaps molested many children and would have molested and maybe even raped me, had I not fought back and escaped.

Why did I decide something like that? Because, by the time I started voicing my thoughts, I learned of the death of that man. A heavy drinker, he had died of liver cirrhosis. Now his wife and his two young daughters were struggling to survive.

With my attacker dead, I decided there was nothing I could gain by telling his stories. Instead, I could try helping his family; I could see that his daughters – who already had suffered a lot because of his alcoholism – were not taken advantage of by a creep because they were poor and fatherless.  As the editorial head in a community media organization, I contacted the family and extended an offer for them to earn a living by making videos.

It wasn’t easy.  But I had two options: to talk about a bad guy who was now dead, or to invest my energy in preventing more of such cases in future.

I chose the latter. And I am happy. Sometimes, you need to let go to make peace.

***
Follow Stella Paul on Twitter at @stellasglobe

The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Credit: Ben Depp

Iderle Brénus Gerbier
Haiti

“We need to advance the struggle of women by redefining the concept of feminism in Haiti.”

***

Interview by Alexis Erkert, Other Worlds

Iderle Brénus Gerbier has worked with many peasant organizations in support of women’s rights and food sovereignty. She is a member of the Haitian National Network for Food Security and Sovereignty (RENHASSA), campaign coordinator for Food Sovereignty in Haiti, advisor of the National Confederation of Peasant Women (KONAFAP), and organizer for the Haitian Social Forum for Food Sovereignty.  This interview originally ran on Other Worlds.

In Haiti, peasant women play a special role in the home and in agriculture. We consider peasant women as the poto mitan, central pillar, of economic activities.

When neoliberal structural adjustment programs are imposed on the Haitian government, like they have been for 20 years, they affect our peasant women. They require that the state implement fundamentally anti-peasant programs that threaten to destroy the whole peasant sector. They mean the Haitian government doesn’t adequately fund our agriculture and has left the small farmers unable to compete [with cheaper imported goods] in the local market. Many farmers are forced to abandon agriculture to go work in factories or other activities, in the cities, or in the Dominican Republic. And when a man leaves the rural community, the whole responsibility falls on the back of his wife.

The Haitian society is essentially macho, and the Haitian politicians and international interests oppress Haiti’s own children. Farmers become victims again and again and women are always held back. But these women continue to support their country.

Our goal is to achieve respect for the rights of Haitian women. Despite their position as poto mitan, as the main carriers of the national economy, rural Haitian women always suffer in our society. Most of these women have no direct access to agricultural lands and income is strictly controlled by men, despite their role in agriculture.

Many rural residents are forced to give away the children they love because they don’t have the financial capacity to keep their children at home and send them to school. The majority of these children become the slaves of women living in Port-au-Prince and in other cities. If women farmers could earn income from their hard work, they’d be able to keep their children at home.

The majority of the women working in the informal economy in the city come from the countryside. Many rural residents lost their lives because they were at the heart of the earthquake looking for employment in Port-au-Prince, working for pennies at a factory, or selling bottled water in the streets. The earthquake increased the responsibilities that were already too heavy for these poor women.

Credit: Ben Depp

I’ll repeat over and over that these women who lost their lives, their children, their husbands, and other loved ones in Port-au-Prince lost them mainly because of lack of infrastructure resulting from the neoliberal policies in the country. But they’ll never be discouraged. They’ll always be involved in all kinds of constructive activities and keep supporting their country. After the earthquake, they went to Port-au-Prince searching for their children and ended up offering help to others who were in need. In the cities and in the countryside, these women work without rest.

We need to advance the struggle of women by redefining the concept of feminism in Haiti. To do this we have to reshuffle the cards and reduce the differences between our urban and peasant women. Right now there are two kinds of women: women with a capital W and women with a small w. Even within the women’s struggle, there are a lot of contemptible practices that have yet to be overcome. Most of the urban well-off women look down upon the poor countryside women, calling them tèt mare, wrapped head, because of the kerchiefs rural women often wear on their heads. The rich and educated town women forget that the poor peasant women make up the core of the rural communities that constitute the greatest part of the country. It’s not fair that a small minority have the privilege of monopolizing almost all of the society’s resources and wealth.

Peasant women are always present in all activities to win human rights, respect for life, and food sovereignty. October 15 was declared “Day of the Haitian Peasant Woman,” but unfortunately this day has never been commemorated. We have to recognize and appreciate women farmers for their significant socio-economic worth. We have to give them the compensation they deserve and support their efforts. We need to increase their visibility in efforts to build food sovereignty in the country. Rural women and those struggling with them, here in Haiti or overseas, need to shore up their strength. We must advocate for the rights of women.

Many thanks to Joseph Pierre for translating.

Alexis Erkert is the Another Haiti is Possible Co-Coordinator for Other Worlds. She has worked in advocacy and with the Haitian social movement for the past three years.You can access all of Other Worlds’ past articles regarding post-earthquake Haiti here.

The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.

Patricia Hynes

H. Patricia Hynes
United States

“Democracy in Iraq has been crushed for women.”

***

In the third week of December 2011, a confluence of political events profoundly affecting Iraqi and American women took place.

In that week, the remaining occupying US troops in Iraq were withdrawn, unceremoniously in a fortified concrete courtyard, with only a small band playing as the US flag was furled.  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta avowed that the price was high, but the US invasion and occupation “gave birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq.” Iraq President Maliki did not attend.

By contrast to the discreet exit, President Obama welcomed returning US troops at Fort Bragg with big, American-style braggadocio.  The war was “one of the most extraordinary chapters in American military history.”  Having sacrificed so much for “people they never met,” the returning soldiers are part of what makes “us special as Americans.”  Unlike other empires, which wage war for resources and territory, “We do it because it’s right.”

The same week, Yanar Mohammed, founding director of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), was interviewed on the state of Iraq as the American occupation ends.  She described Iraqi cities full of destroyed buildings and broken streets, with intermittent electricity and unsafe drinking water.  Iraq, she said, is now a country of 99% poor and 1% rich living in the Green Zone, burdened with the most corrupt government in the world that is giving control of oil resources to multinational oil companies.

Iraqi women “are the biggest losers” in this war, Mohammed asserted, ending up with extreme lack of freedom, lack of social security, lack of opportunity, and increased sexual terror.  Her organization has conducted extensive high-risk investigations into the prevalence and plight of Iraqi widows, women kidnapped and killed, and women trafficked into prostitution. Fifteen percent of Iraq’s 1 to 2 million widows are seeking temporary marriages out of economic desperation and extreme insecurity in being a single woman. By 2006, OWFI had observed an “epidemic rise” in the number of women prostituted in brothels, workplaces, and hideouts in Baghdad. Through covert investigation, they learned of the trafficking of women within Iraq for Iraqi men in all regions and for US military, as well as to nearby countries.  Democracy in Iraq has been crushed for women.

American women soldiers in Iraq were big losers, also.  Nearly 200,000 served there, in as dangerous situations as men.  Though barred from combat, they patrolled streets with machine guns, served as gunners on vehicles, dismantled explosives, drove trucks down bomb-ridden streets, and rescued the dead and injured in battle zones. These same women found themselves, concurrently, caught in a second, more damaging war – a private, preemptive one in the barracks.   As one female soldier put it, “They basically assume that because you are a girl in the Army, you’re obligated to have sex with them.”  Resisting sexual assault in the barracks spills over to the battlefield, according to many women veterans, in the form of relentless verbal sexual harassment, punitive high-risk assignments, and the morbid sense that your back is not being watched.

An Iraqi family talks to a U.S. soldier. Credit: The U.S. Army

An estimated one in three active duty women[1] is sexually assaulted; nearly all report constant sexual harassment.  Patricia Resick, a psychiatrist who researches PTSD in women at the Boston Veterans Administration, asserts “sexual trauma is a more significant risk factor for PTSD than combat or the types of trauma that men generally experience.” Resick adds that sexual trauma, unlike combat trauma, is caused by people who are supposed to bond with you and protect you and that betrayal by those you need to trust with your life deepens the harm.

In another key event of the week, the State Department released the National Action Plan (NAO) on Women, Peace and Security, championed by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.  The NAO brings the US into compliance with the UN resolutions that call for integrating women as full partners in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.   Its purpose is to assure that US diplomatic, defense, and development policies are gauged in part by their impact on women in countries where we engage diplomatically, militarily, and economically.   One example of implementing the National Action Plan would be to “strengthen protection for women and girls in conflict situations, with greater focus on greater legal accountability for rape and sexual violence.”

Tragically, our diplomatic and defense policies in Iraq created the opposite: conditions in which up to two million widows are penniless; legions of women were killed by fundamentalists squads in Basra; thousands have been trafficked for prostitution; and Shari’a domestic law in which “women are worth ½ of men legally, and ¼ of men socially,” is embedded within the new constitution.  The same war has left tens of thousands of American women soldiers broken physically, mentally, and spiritually from military sexual trauma instigated by fellow soldiers.  Having the fortitude to acknowledge publicly that women are the biggest losers in our vainglorious militarist policies in Iraq and elsewhere would give substance and integrity to the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. (Check out Peace X Peace CEO Kim’s take on the National Action Plan.)

 The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Peace X Peace.