Filomena Mascarenhas, uma construtora de paz dedicada, trabalha desde 2007 com Voz di Paz. Anteriormente, Filomena trabalhou no Ministério da Defesa Nacional da Guiné-Bissau, uma experiência que lhe deu um conhecimento profundo do funcionamento do círculo militar. Aqui nos conta a sua experiência, os preconceitos encontrados, os quais contribuíram a alterar o seu ponto de vista.
A experiência mais marcante da minha vida foi a minha nomeação para o cargo de Ministra da Defesa Nacional (de Abril de 2003 a Maio de 2004).
Esta nomeação estava fora de qualquer interesse meu, porque não me imaginava num cargo ligado à defesa. Em consequência, decidi não aceitar o cargo.
Seguindo isto, muitos amigos e conhecimentos foram ter comigo, aconselhando-me aceitar o desafio, sobretudo no momento em que se vivia no país. Por respeito acabei por aceitar.
O meu primeiro dia como ministra da Defesa Nacional foi muito atormentado. Coincidiu com uma reunião convocada pelo então chefe de Estado Maior General Veríssimo C. Seabra. No encontro que durou das 9:00 as 20:00, estavam presentes todos os chefes de ramos, inspetores militares, oficiais superiores e comandantes de zonas militares.
Durante o encontro, os militares falaram da difícil situação que se vive nas casernas e pediram-me para fazer chegar as suas preocupações ao Presidente da República Dr. Kumba Yala. Esta reunião foi a terapia de choque que me abriu os olhos. Primeiramente sobre os preconceitos que eu tinha como civil em relação aos militares, e em seguida permitiu-me conhecer os grandes desafios que tinha que enfrentar naquela instituição.
Passados poucos meses, parecia-me que sempre tinha trabalhado naquela instituição. O relacionamento com os militares foi dos mais francos que eu tive. Por exemplo, durante uma reunião de trabalho, o então chefe de Estado Maior General das Forças Armadas (FA), General Veríssimo Correia Seabra, na presença do Inspetor da FA Tagme na Waie disse-me: “Senhora Ministra, sabe que aquando da sua nomeação ficamos preocupados. O Inspetor Tagme veio ter comigo dizendo que o Presidente da República não tinha respeito pelos militares, e por isso nomeou uma mulher ao posto de Ministra. Ainda pior, falou duma menininha. Agora, você levou-me o Inspetor! Quando peço por ele, respondem-me que está no ministério com a senhora Ministra.” Ele continuou: “Um dia destes eu disse-lhe: ‘Inspetor, parece que está a gostar muito da nossa Ministra?’ O Inspetor respondeu-me ‘muito, … ela é minha sobrinha … o Presidente demorou para manda-la cá. Se estivesse cá à muito mais tempo, a esta hora esta instituição seria outra’”.
Muitas foram as provas de colaboração e respeito durante a minha estada no Ministério da Defesa Nacional. Mas também depois da minha partida.
A título de exemplo, o diagnóstico mais profundo das causas do conflito na Guiné- Bissau realizado por Voz di Paz, contou com a participação dos militares de diferentes categorias. Voz di Paz tem colhido frutos desta confiança, a começar pela facilidade de planificação de encontros diversos, a disponibilidade de instalações militares para efeitos de trabalho, e o nível de participação e franqueza nos debates.
Até hoje e com sinceridade, guardo boas lembranças daquela instituição e de relacionamentos francos e honestos.
Aprendi que era melhor não fazer promessas que não podem ser cumpridas a um militar. Também aprendi que se alguém quer ter autoridade, não pode usar nada que seja destinado para o seu proveito.
Termino com este conselho a todas as mulheres: “É bom que nunca lhes falte coragem e auto estima. Não há ninguém no mundo que tenha mais coragem do que uma mulher. A prova disto é o ato de dar à luz ”.
Obrigada
Filomena Mascarenhas
A dear colleague, friend and extraordinary mentor
On the morning of 1 March 2016, the Interpeace family woke up to the sad news that Dr. Naasson Munyandamutsa, a man dearly loved and respected, had lost his long battle against cancer.
Naasson left a lasting mark on everybody who had the privilege to meet him. His dedication to healing and reconciliation, his humble personality and his disarming smile embodied the core values of peacebuilding. It is this unshakeable dedication that led Naasson to leave his promising career as a psychiatrist in Switzerland following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to return home to Rwanda. Despite having lost almost his entire family, he chose to dedicate his life to rebuilding his country, putting his personality and his profession to the service of those suffering from trauma.
When Naasson returned to Rwanda, he found himself the only psychiatrist in the entire country. He led the effort of reconstructing the only existing psychiatric hospital in Rwanda, established the National Trauma Recovery Centre, and passed his knowledge and experience on to future generations of psychiatrists at the National University of Rwanda. Naasson’s transition into peacebuilding was a natural continuation of his post-genocide reconstruction work. He played a vital role in founding the non-profit Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP), where he served as Deputy Director until 2014. For the final two years of his life, he built up a programme focused on healing and governance with Never Again Rwanda, for which he served as Country Director. A mentor to so many in the Interpeace family, Naasson influenced Interpeace’s approach across the world, and most significantly in the wider Great Lakes Region.
Naasson understood, in a way few others can, the intrinsic connection between individual and societal healing. A true peacebuilder, he did not shy away from using his sharp intellect to contribute to critical analysis on issues he deemed important for holistic reconciliation and to help nurture future peaceful generations in Rwanda.
Many international institutions lauded Naasson as ‘the father of mental health in post-genocide Rwanda.’ He received several awards, most recently the ‘Geneva Foundation Prize for Human Rights in Psychiatry Award’ and the ‘Barbara Chester Award’ in recognition for his outstanding role in treating victims of trauma.
As countless people from Rwanda and abroad accompanied Naasson to his final resting place, surrounded by the hills of Kigali, it was not so much his awards or intellectual accomplishments that occupied the minds of the mourners. Rather, they all said goodbye to a friend. Family, friends and colleagues from around the world testified to his deep sense of empathy for others, his unshakeable sense of purpose, and, most importantly, his warmth of spirit and his big smile. Saddened by his passing, colleagues from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda mourned the loss of Naasson, a man who “incarnated in the human form, the abstract norms and values we aspire to” and who “managed to explain things others could not.” As one colleague said, “As soon as you met Naasson, it felt like he has always been with you.”
Naasson will always be with us. Our hearts go out to Naasson’s wife Dona and their four children. The Interpeace family will dearly miss ‘Notre cher ami Naasson’, but his legacy and his commitment to peace will forever remain an inspiration to us all.
“The youth in Rako were able to transform the situation from one of conflict to a peaceful one. This is what we are capable of doing as youth, if given a chance. Maybe it would be good for all the elders to watch this film in order to understand the importance of youth becoming more involved in peace processes.”
These were the words of Abdillahi Mohamed Yusuf, a secondary school student from Qardo in Puntland, Somalia. Abdillahi was speaking at a public screening organized by the Mobile Audio Visual Unit (MAVU) of the Puntland Development and Research Center (PDRC) to disseminate the story of a youth–led process that led to the resolution of a five-year conflict between two communities in the Rako district of Puntland. PDRC is Interpeace’s partner organization in Puntland.
Students at one of the film screenings on the successful Rako reconciliation in Puntland. Photo credit: PDRC
MAVU is an outreach approach that provides awareness through film forums and facilitated discussions. It is also used as a peacebuilding tool to facilitate dialogue between rival communities through the use of film, and to amplify the voices of marginalized groups such as women, youth and minority communities. The Rako reconciliation process is an example of a peacebuilding process facilitated by MAVU.
Spread over a period of 16 days in January and February 2016, the film screenings initially targeted secondary school students from Garowe, Qardo, Galkayo, Bossaso and Badhan in Puntland. It ended up reaching a total of 2,500 people across the five cities as non-schooling youth and adult men and women joined in to watch the film and take part in the discussions.
Youth enjoy a game of basketball ahead of an evening film screening. MAVU integrates sports in its youth outreach. Photo credit: PDRC
The MAVU team noticed that the youth grew increasingly interested in the film as they watched their age mates from Rako successfully driving the peace process, culminating in the signing of a peace agreement between the two communities after half a decade of conflict. There was a palpable sense of inspiration during the dialogue forums facilitated by the MAVU team after the screenings.
If Abdillahi’s words are anything to go by, it is apparent that the success of the Rako reconciliation struck a positive chord among many of the youth from the five cities. Such positive sentiments give the indication that MAVU’s engagement with the youth can contribute towards nurturing a generation of young agents of peace in Puntland and beyond.
Through dialogue and negotiation, Colombia is close to putting an end to more than fifty years of internal armed conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). However, Interpeace’s experience, in more than 20 countries around the world, has shown us that building peace involves a series of challenges that go far beyond signing a political agreement.
That’s why Interpeace’s Programme Development team and the Regional Office for Latin America began an exploration in Colombia in February. The project will seek to connect the different visions of peace with Colombia’s diverse society, and at the same time explore how the Interpeace approach can contribute to building lasting peace in Colombia.
During these visits, the Interpeace team met with representatives of government, civil society and the international community in different regions of the country including Antioquia, Cauca, Nariño, Caldas, Santander, Bolivar and Bogota. This enabled the team to understand the challenges and aspirations of the peace process in Colombia from the point of view of local actors. Proposals were generated which could allow Interpeace’s experience to make a constructive, innovative and complementary contribution to local capacities.
This intervention is based on the principles of the organization, principally that peace cannot be imposed from the outside. Interpeace believes that every society has the necessary capabilities to transform the problems that affect them, and at the same time, that peace can only be achieved when the different sectors of society work together to find participatory solutions to conflict.
At the first ever Ottawa Peace Talks speakers from diverse backgrounds and professions will share their personal stories that show how respect for diversity is essential to building peaceful and inclusive societies both at home and abroad.
Organized under the theme "Let's build peace through diversity", the Ottawa Peace Talks aims to inspire reflection and discussion about how diversity can promote more peaceful societies through inclusion, both in Canada and globally.
This event marks the first time the Peace Talks are held in Canada. Speakers coming from diverse backgrounds will share their personal experiences, stories and ideas to highlight the importance of building peace through broad and diverse participation. The Ottawa Peace Talks will also look at the role of individual Canadians, and Canada as a whole, to support greater inclusion for peace at home and at the global level.
Speakers appearing at the Ottawa Peace Talks:
ABOUT THE PEACE TALKS
Tuesday 19 April 2016
18.00 - 20.00 local time (GMT-4)
The Peace Talks are an international event series that contribute to a dialogue about peace. The Peace Talks began in 2013, with the first-ever Geneva Peace Talks being co-organized by the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and Interpeace.
The Ottawa Peace Talks are co-organized by The Global Centre for Pluralism and Interpeace, with the support of the Ottawa hub of the Global Shapers, One World Dialogue and Mirabaud.
Join the conversation using #OttawaPeaceTalks and find out more at www.peacetalks.net
Over 200 partners, and more than 600 participants, gathered in Washington DC between March 1st and March 3rd to discuss issues of fragility, conflict and violence at the World Bank's second annual fragility forum.
This year, Interpeace co-sponsored a panel with the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on the topic of resilience and how it relates to peacebuilding. In the context of peacebuilding, resilience signifies the capacities that enable individuals, communities and institutions to anticipate, prevent or transform conflict towards peaceful ends. Recognizing the importance of this issue, the Alliance for Peacebuilding and the French Foreign Ministry lent political support to the session.
Opening the session, the IEP presented its work on positive peace, the idea that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but also encompasses positive values such as equality, respect for human rights and economic development. With a dataset from 162 countries, and stretching back over the past ten years, their research aims to define the attitudes, structures and institutions that are crucial for peacefulness in society.
Their research has identified eight factors; based on statistical data collected for 162 countries over the last 10 years: well functioning governments, a sound business environment, equitable distribution of resources, acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbours, the free flow of information, high levels of human capital and low levels of corruption.
These eight factors are considered the basis of resilience and all contribute to peace. In contrast to this macro level research, Interpeace presented its Frameworks for Assessing Resilience programme (FAR) which has been ongoing for the past two years and has taken a country specific, and participatory approach, to identifying resilience capacities in societies. Experience from Guatemala, which is one of three case studies - the two others being Liberia and Timor-Leste - was presented.
Over a two year period, a broad and diverse range of Guatemalans were consulted to define and better understand the resilience that exists within their society. The emerging conclusions from these consultations were then used as the basis for a multi-stakeholder dialogue process that led to proposals to address some of the most pressing drivers of conflict in Guatemala, including socio-environmental conflicts and the fragility of state institutions.
Whereas, resilience has been applied in the humanitarian and disaster risk reduction fields to describe the ability of a community or society to ‘bounce back’ and recover from external shocks and crises, a key finding from the FAR programme is that a broader definition is required when applying the concept to peacebuilding processes.
"When it comes to building peace, people living in fragile settings are not satisfied with a definition of resilience that is limited to absorbing or adapting,” Otto Argueta, Learning and Policy Officer at Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America said during the panel. For these people, in a peacebuilding context, resilience must mean more than merely “bouncing back” from shocks.
"Conflict is a fundamentally different type of shock than natural disasters or climate change,” Graeme Simpson, Director of Interpeace US, said empathizing the point. “First it is internal to society rather than external, and secondly, it is incremental rather than momentous; and this requires that we broaden our understanding of resilience"
The following panel discussion and questions from the audience were focused on how these two approaches, IEP’s macro level focus on generic factors and Intepeaces in-depth country level approach, can inform and complement one another. The most important common denominator is that a focus on resilience, rather than fragility, has proven more effective at engaging stakeholders and directing interventions towards what works. However, a lot of work still needs to be done in order to broaden the understanding of resilience to the field of peacebuilding.
Sam Doe, a policy advisor for the UNDP, noted that there is immense potential to bring the resilience approach in to the mainstream of peacebuilding policy. He suggested that we can hope for more effective peacebuilding interventions on the ground if the statistical modeling of resilience for peace is successfully linked with the narratives of peace and resilience.
By continuing to look at resilience through a peacebuilding perspective, and by instigating creative partnerships with others working on resilience, an important contribution to the debate on fragility, conflict and violence can be made at the international policy level.
This was one of several events dedicated to resilience at the World Bank Forum, signaling the increasing momentum of the concept in relation to conflict and peacebuilding. Amongst the events on resilience, there was a high level dialogue on how resilience can connect the dots between emergency relief and development, a point that has been made throughout the FAR programme, in relation to Liberia specifically.
Interpeace’s work on resilience is conducted in partnership with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooparation Agency (Sida).
The event was moderated by Graeme Simpson, Director of Interpeace US. Panelists included Michelle Breslauer, Director of IEP’s America’s Program; Dr Otto Argueta, Learning and Policy Officer at Interpeace’s Regional Office for Latin America; Patrick Vinck, Director of Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s Peace and Human Rights Data Program; Steve Latham, Graduate Instructor on International Community Development at Northwestern University; and Sam Doe, Policy Advisor, Strategic Policy and Global Positioning, Bureau for Policy and Program Support at UNDP. The latter three were discussants on the panel.
