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The 5th Creators of Peace International Conference took place in
From the moment delegates started arriving at The
Collaroy Centre, on Sydney’s stunning north coast, there was a buzz in the air
– the kind of energy that is generated when 235 women from over 30 countries,
come together to share their hearts and lives. We had gathered together to
attend the 5th Creators of Peace International Conference which was all about
exploring 'Creating a Culture of Peace – what will it take?'
At dusk we gathered on the sloping lawn, overlooking
It was a wonderful way to start the conference: standing
together, side-by-side in a circle, feeling a sense of kinship and being
welcomed so graciously by our Indigenous sisters in a way that spoke volumes of
their generosity of spirit.
Later that evening we were challenged by the power of
truth-telling as the New South Wales Minister for Community Services, Linda
Burney, gave the stark statistics of disadvantage among Indigenous women and
children. A member of the Wiradjuri nation, Linda was the first Aboriginal
person to be elected to the NSW State Parliament.
Day 2 kicked off with a wonderful reflection on the art
of listening with Kay Lindahl, founder of The Listening Centre in
In a plenary session on 'what destroys
peace and what builds peace' – Filomena Dos Reis, a poet and women’s advocate
from Timor-Leste, told how she had struggled for five years 'to overcome my
feelings' after the disappearance of her husband during the conflict in her
country. Since then she has worked for restorative justice. 'If you live with
your hatred and anger, you block yourself off from others,' she tells her
daughters. 'We have to deal with the past as a teacher, to learn things for the
future.' After she had spoken, a moving reconciliation took place with the
Indonesian women present, bringing tears and embraces. In the following days,
as regional groups met, Indonesians and Timorese combined their efforts in
planning to carry forward the process of Creators of Peace Circles.
Mary Lean from the UK talked us through the importance of
inner listening – or as she put it 'paying attention to the true self' and the
role it can play in peace creation. We heard that 'silence is a nesting place
for hope' (Wendy Robinson) and that waiting is all part of it. When asked to
complete the sentence 'Silence is…', women responded with various words –
'uncomfortable', 'confronting', 'a time to connect', 'a transformative space'.
Silence, we learnt, is perhaps our greatest tool in becoming the creators of
peace we long to be.
We heard from many inspirational women such as Mahboba
Rawi from Afghanistan who, despite her own personal tragedies, set up a charity
called 'Mahboba’s Promise' which supports thousands of orphans in and around
Kabul. She shared with us the pain of watching her beloved country torn apart
by Russian occupation. Zhanna Petrukovich, a young Russian woman, took the
opportunity to apologise to Mahboba for the actions of her country – the first
time Mahboba had heard any Russian apologise.
Throughout the conference we were honoured to hear many
stories from the First Australians, women who have had so much taken from them
– language, culture and in some cases family – and yet are willing to forgive.
In the words of Indigenous woman, Walda Blow, 'I need peace in my own life
before I can promote peace in the lives of others.'
At a public meeting on the Saturday afternoon, the
auditorium filled to capacity to hear several extremely accomplished women
speak about their commitment to creating this culture of peace in communities,
homes and their own lives. Women such as Barbara Perry, Minister for Local
Government in the NSW Parliament, who shared how her faith has taught her that
we are to be the salt and light of the world, called to live beyond ourselves.
Lina Hamade, co-founder of Linlataki, spoke about the movement bringing
dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon. Anna Kima, deputy
chairperson of the South Sudan Government's DDR programme, shared gripping
stories of women forcing their men to dialogue during the conflict in Sudan,
and Jean Brown, initiator of the Creators of Peace circles, challenged women to
accept the huge responsibility they have 'for creating peace or perpetrating
conflict through what we tell our children'.
Throughout the conference the word 'forgiveness' came up
repeatedly, like 'a golden thread weaving through every session'. So it was
only fitting that the final reflection was on 'the power of
forgiveness/apology'. Rwandan woman, Didacienne Mukahabeshimana, told the
astounding story of how she moved from bitterness and hatred towards the
perpetrators who killed her family, to caring for them and even creating
'Umuhuza', an NGO which helps rehabilitate prisoners and the families of all
those affected by the genocide.
As the conference drew to a close, the delegates one by
one revealed the experience that had been most transformational for them. Many
commented on the sacredness of the story-sharing, some identified areas in
their life needing healing; others spoke of the freedom they had found in
forgiveness. One delegate put it like this: 'Often in our everyday lives we
don’t see each other or know one another but during this conference we’ve
really looked into each other’s eyes – into each other’s hearts... I see God in
each one of you and I hope you see God in me.'
So what will it take to create a culture of peace? A
willing heart, listening to understand, the courage to forgive and perhaps most
of all the vision to see things, not as they are now, but how they could be.
This week was a glimpse of just that.
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