The ultimate goal of peace education is to move from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace and non-violence. This is not an easy task. The culture of war and violence that is exhibited in many countries and communities around the world did not happen overnight and it will take many years to make this transition. In some ways the culture of violence is so ingrained in society that these things become normal. A culture of violence can be reflected in the way we talk, the way we act and the way we treat one another. Things may vary from community to community but we can find examples of a culture of violence all over the world. I recently facilitated a peace education session where we talked in great detail about this culture of war and the way it is reflected in our daily lives.
A culture of violence and war includes the following characteristics:
1. Belief in power that is based on force
2. Authoritarian governance
3. Secrecy and propaganda
4. Male domination
5. Having an enemy
6. Armament
7. Exploitation of people
8. Exploitation of nature
A country or community does not have to be “at war” to be in a culture of war and violence. This also includes physical and structural violence, power dynamics and interpersonal relationships. For example, Congo is technically a country that is in a state of peace but still exhibits many characteristics of a culture of war and violence. These characteristics are not unique to Congo, however; we find them in other countries around the world including the US. Here are some examples of the way violence is expressed in daily life that came out of our discussions with our committees this week:
- - Belief in a power that is based on force is exemplified here in Congo by the fact that some military personnel rob and steal from civilians. Many of our committee members felt this was due to the fact the military is highly underpaid therefore that is also an example of the exploitation of people.
- - The power of an authoritarian government was made very apparent to me when this past week the government limited our communication by cutting off our ability to send text messages. This was in an attempt to minimize people’s ability to mobilize and organize opposition movements in the wake of the announcement of the election results.
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- Our discussion also brought up stereotypes about various ethnic groups that contribute to the creation of an enemy. For example, it has been said that the Lendu think the Hema smell like cheese and milk because they drink a lot of milk as a part of their culture. There was also a tendency for the Hema to look down on the Lendu because the stereotype was that the Lendu eat rats.
- Armament is very apparent and visible in Congo. The military, police, and security forces walk around with automatic weapons that are very visible. To me this creates an image of violence although these weapons could actually be used to protect people. It is very shocking for me coming from a country where weapons are concealed to a country where you walk by police officers with huge guns. Leading up to the elections, there were rumors that the Ugandan and Angolan Armies are ready to cross into Congo in the case of violence related to the elections. It is not apparent if this is to protect the civilians of Congo or if it is to protect the interests that these countries have in Congo. My guess would be the latter.
- Examples of secrecy and propaganda were also given as it relates to the election. Out of the 11 candidates for president, the current president, Kabila had a great advantage over the other candidates in terms of campaigning and raising support. We even saw pygmies deep in the Ituri jungle, an area that does not even have cell phone service, with Kabila t-shirts and other propaganda. From what I could tell, no other candidate had the means to drum up such support from the local populations. Kabila tied up much of the countries flights so that he could travel to different areas and preach his message of the “modernization of Congo.”
- Other examples of a culture of violence and war included children’s games and theatre performances that were about violence, violent tv shows and movies, a lack of respect for human rights, gender violence, the fabrication of weapons, misrepresentation in the way people talk, the creation of taxes that do not exist, and bribes paid to get people to change their stance on certain issues.
With all this said, establishing a culture of peace in such an environment seems to be a daunting task although, history shows us that change can happen and it often starts with a small group of people. When we look at the success of leaders such as Gandhi and his non-violent fight for India’s independence from the British, Martin Luther King’s fight for the injustices of all people, and the recent uprisings in the Arab world that brought about a change in leadership, we see that change is possible.
In my work here in Congo, I have also seen change happening. It is on a smaller scale but it is still change. Each week we work on the field in Vilo breaking down rocks with sledge hammers and carrying them off the field. This is a community effort including adults, youth and even children as young as 4 or 5 years old (don’t worry, this is not child labor, it is truly voluntary J). Through our involvement with the community, we are moving from being called “Mzungus” to being referred to by our names, “Selina, Stephen and Scott”. This may seem like a small step but to me this is a great accomplishment because there is a shift from being seen as the “white people” coming in with all the money and resources to being seen as members of a community that all have something to contribute, working towards a common goal.
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| Working on the field in Vilo |
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| Singing with the kids in Vilo |
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| Peace education small group activity |
In this short time I have also seen a willingness of people to be more open-minded. One example of this occurred in an ice breaker activity during a peace education session. We talked about how people may be excluded from groups for one reason or another. We discussed what it feels like to be a part of a group and also how it feels to be left out of a group. The conversation began with committee members stating that it was the person on the outside’s responsibility to find out what he/she needed to do to fit in with the group but as the conversation progressed, the idea changed. People started to realize that it was the community’s responsibility to include people that are typically left out such as people living with disabilities and people of other ethnic groups to work together for the betterment of all. They began to realize that people that are left out may feel isolated and as a result get involved in destructive activities that could harm themselves and others. If such a shift in attitude can come out of a 15 minute ice breaker activity, I am really excited to see what else we can accomplish through our weekly peace education meetings. I realize that change requires more than just a shift in attitude. That shift in attitude has to be accompanied with a shift in behavior but we are well on our way to creating an environment conducive to peace and positive change.
