Joining
hands with the adversary. . .works
25 October 2014
TO RECONCILE
conflicting parties, we must have the ability to
understand the
suffering of both sides.
If we take sides, it is
impossible to do the work of
reconciliation.
And humans want to
take sides.
That is why the
situation gets worse and worse.
Are there people who are still
available to both sides?
They need not do much. They need do
only one thing:
Go to one side and
tell all about
the suffering
endured by the other side, and
go to the other side and tell all
about
the suffering endured by this side.
This is our chance
for peace.
But how many of us
are able to do that?
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Vietnamese Buddhist Monk
Alienated Citizens
JOINING HANDS IN AFRICA
Adults and
children with albinism suffer exclusion and humiliation, and sometimes kidnapping and
ritual sacrifice due to superstition and inherited cultural practices.
Traditional funerals have included burying live albinos with the bodies of
deceased chiefs.
Today citizens with albinism live in great fear and have fled to hide.
One man -- Offuh James Offuh
-- and his team are facilitating citizen-to-citizen Dialogue and shining light
on albinism and albinos -- their crises, and hopeful, inclusive steps forward.
Historic
Albino ~ Non-Albino Reconciliation
September 2014 - Cote d;Ivore, West Africa
http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeriaivorycoast.htm#8
Physically-handicapped
youth and adults suffer
heartbreaking discrimination, neglect, humiliation, and rejection.
Take heart in this citizen-driven initiative to build bridges between
Physically Handicapped People (PHP) and Non
Physically Handicapped People (NPHP).
One couple -- Elesse and Virginia Bafandjo -- too, PHP
and NPHP by their hands to help them experience (1)
giving principles and skills of community-building Dialogue, (2) dignify
the PHP, (3) create compassion for PHP by NPHP, (4) help NPHP discover the equal humanity of PHP,
(5) begin PHP-NPHP joyful, sustained relationships,
(6) and establish a strong citizen-driven model for lowering walls and
diminishing all kinds of discrimination, to be adopted locally and
worldwide by NGOs, religious and educational institutions, and grassroots
women, men, and youth.
Dignifying
Citizens with Physical Handicaps in DR Congo
August 2014 -- Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of Congo
http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeriadrcongo.htm#10
Alienated citizens
JOINING HANDS IN PALESTINE-ISRAEL
Positive
personal contact
among individuals from adversarial groups works, as an entry point to life
beyond war.
In pre-camp and post-camp studies, Israeli and Palestinian youth participants
of Seeds of Peace camp -- http://www.seedsofpeace.org
-- reported feeling more positive toward, close with, similar to, and trusting
of the other side.
Just one close relationship with someone from the other group enabled
campers to develop the most positive attitudes toward the other group.
Indeed, forming one friendship was as good or better a predictor of
future attitudes toward the other group than the total number of friendships
that a person formed.
Peace
Through Friendship
Juliana Schroeder and Jane L.
Risen
New York Times -- Sunday
Review -- 22 August 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/opinion/sunday/peace-through-friendship.html
Two young
Palestinian women --
Raghda and Amani --
describe their experiences of face-to-face engagement with quality listening
that humanizes and dignifies adversaries, and brings people closer from
their participation in Building Bridges -- http://www.buildingbridgesshift.org
Raghda
has something to say
14 October 2014 -- 1-min
video
http://youtu.be/WAw4gBjIiys
Amani has something to
say
45-sec video -- 29 September
2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVrtcZA5ACU
Neighbors of
Peace is an
initiative formed by Arabs and Jews from the Wadi Ara region during the last conflict in the Gaza strip and as
a relationship-building response to the horrible violence on both sides of the
border in south of Israel, whose goal was to show that they want to live
together and refuse to be enemies.
Every Friday during recent months they stand together in public wearing white
shirts and signs that read Neighbors of Peace.
For more information, contact David Amitai at
Dudu_Am@givathaviva.org.il
Neighbors
of Peace
3-1/2 min video - Arabic
and Hebrew -- July 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nd3ZtuUe9Q
Jews and
Arabs around the world
have been sharing loving images of coexistence and using the hashtag #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies
in an effort to change the discourse online.
As millions go
online to share information about the Gaza conflict, a social media campaign
calling for relationships, familiarity, and mutual dignity is building.
Jews
and Arabs refuse to be enemies
BBC NEWS Magazine -- 23 July
2014
2-1/2 min video
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28439551
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This message is on the Web at http://traubman.igc.org/messages/680.htm
Hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm