For those living in Liberia, a country in West Africa that experienced 14 years of civil war, most of the time peace has been perceived as the absence of the sound of guns and rockets. On the other hand, it has also been considered a time when we have food on our tables and can go to sleep without going out at night to watch for our safety. This has all been perceived as PEACE.
In May 2015, sponsored by Bread for the World’s Civil Peace Service (CPS) program, I had an opportunity to attend the peacebuilding training of the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute (MPI). My interaction with peacebuilders and facilitators from various countries around the world gave me a broader insight and perspective of peace.
I was not aware of the different concepts of peace, such as positive and negative peace. This realization has improved my analysis of the context within which I live and work.
At the National Adult Education Association of Liberia (NAEAL) where I work, we integrated a community peacebuilding component in the level two literacy manual. This component is now supporting community dwellers to live at peace with each other. Two of the communities within which NAEAL works have had a running land dispute for several years. However, with the help of trained peace facilitators, both communities agreed to and did participate in a football and kickball peace tournament. This was one component that led to the conflict being resolved.
Court cases have noticeably been reduced over the years, and alternative dispute mediation approaches are increasingly being utilized by community dwellers.
Peace starts from within. Once we can be at peace with ourselves, then we can collectively work together.