Princess-Calvina Coleman

Born and raised in Liberia, Princess is a dedicated and passionate peacebuilder. Prior to her work with Interpeace, Princess worked for a number of years as a social worker and researcher. On the back of the success of the Nimba County Reconciliation Project, Princess is actively working to implement the Platform for Dialogue and Peace (P4DP) programme in Liberia. The P4DP seeks to bring together members from all levels of society to discuss the obstacles for peace on a national and local level from their own perspective.

We had a conversation with Princess she talked about the challenges she faces and what she sees for the future of Liberia.

First of all, as a member of the peacebuilding community, what does peace mean to you?

For me, peace means living with the complete assurance that my country and I will never have to experience violence and war ever again. For too long, life in Liberia was dominated by constant terror, hunger, disease and total anarchy. Nobody wants to go back to that. Additionally, for me, peace means living in an environment where one can reach his or her potential without fear.

How do you know whether or not you’re making a difference?

Sometimes it’s hard to tell, since the peacebuilding process is such a long-term process. Firstly, we do not claim ownership of what emerges from our work but attribute all gains to local communities. We often use the metaphor of “blank sheets” to describe the facilitation role we play while the local people fill in the sheets and drive the process. Secondly, the fact that local communities are gradually adopting and utilizing dialogue as opposed to violence to settle disputes gives me a sense of fulfilment in terms of transforming lives and communities.

Each day, I try to achieve this, because I know that it starts at personal level, then spreads to society and eventually the West African region as a whole.

What is the situation like in Liberia now?

Obviously we are still facing some problems economically, unemployment is high. But for me, if you look at the past five or ten years, the situation has greatly improved. Jobs are being created, and Liberia is benefiting from a lot of international goodwill, and we are very appreciative of that. I guess what you learn from war is that it takes very little time to destroy, but a lot more time to rebuild. It’s a work in progress and I’m optimistic for the future.

Is there anything else you would like to say to others?

Yes, simply that working on this project to help rebuild my country has changed my life. Being given the opportunity to participate in this momentous undertaking motivates me every day to remain impartial and contribute to the peace process in Liberia. For me, peace is priceless, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure that Liberia never has to experience war again.