Search for Common Ground Newsletter - December 14, 2005

Search for Common Ground
1601 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.: (1-202) 265-4300
Fax: (1-202) 232-6718
E-mail: search@scfg.org
Web: www.sfcg.org

Search for Common Ground
Rue Belliard 205 bte 13
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: (32-2) 736-7262
Fax: (32-2) 732-3033
E-mail: brussels@sfcg.be
Web: www.sfcg.org

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Winter 2005-2006

Dear Friend of Search for Common Ground,
As our 23rd year comes to an end, my colleagues and I have the distinct pleasure of wishing you joyous holidays. Despite the precarious state of the world, there is much to be thankful for. Here at SFCG, we are overwhelmingly optimistic. Our hope for 2006 is that many more people - and nations - will realize that everyone on the planet shares common humanity and that all of us can do much better in resolving problems peacefully.

BURUNDI. Burundi provides reason for optimism. We began work there in 1995 after genocide swept through neighboring Rwanda. Lionel Rosenblatt, then head of Refugees International, challenged us: If we could not take action to help stop Burundi from becoming a mass killing field, how could we, in good conscience, call ourselves a conflict prevention organization. Lionel was absolutely right. A month later Susan Collin Marks and I, accompanied by the late Yvette Pierpaoli and Lionel, arrived in Bujumbura. We were armed only with support from Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative (and now a SFCG board member).

Societal Conflict Prevention. We launched a multi-pronged effort to help defuse violence, and Burundi soon became our biggest project. We made a long-term commitment, as we have done elsewhere - in Africa, in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in Indonesia, and in the US. Here is what we started in Burundi:

Studio Ijambo. We launched a radio production studio that employed Hutus and Tutsis and that ABC News' Ted Koppel called "the voice of hope in Burundi". The goal was - and is - to make programs (including our first-ever radio soap opera) to counter hate radio and promote reconciliation. Today, we produce 15 hours a week of original programming that airs on five Burundian radio stations.

Women's Peace Center. To mobilize women as peacemakers, we opened this center to work with thousands of women's associations in organizing training, facilitating interethnic dialogue, providing information about women's legal rights, and supporting resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Victims of Torture Project. This activity brings together the expertise of organizations working in peace-building, traumatic medicine, community organizing, and human rights advocacy. It promotes psychological healing, furnishes legal assistance, and aids in reintegration of victims.

Domestic Shuttle Diplomacy. We engaged Jan van Eck, a former South African ANC Member of Parliament, to promote dialogue and help solve problems among leaders of conflicting parties, including groups outside official talks. Jan became a widely trusted intermediary who is still engaged in good work in Burundi.

Youth. Originally called the Working with Killers project, this effort involves providing young militia members with alternatives to violence. Activities include sponsoring football (soccer) tournaments, training youth in conflict resolution, and widely distributing comic books that deplore violence. . Originally called the Working with Killers project, this effort involves providing young militia members with alternatives to violence. Activities include sponsoring football (soccer) tournaments, training youth in conflict resolution, and widely distributing comic books that deplore violence.

Cultural Events. We organized a national dance competition, along with singing and drumming festivals. We produced music for peace radio programs and enlisted reggae star Ziggy Marley to record public service announcements (PSAs).

Have we made a difference? Burundi has moved back from the brink of genocide. A top-level mediation process led by Nelson Mandela resulted in a political settlement, national elections, and interethnic power sharing. Independent evaluators found that our work contributed greatly to changing the political and social environments. Unfortunately, one rebel group continues armed conflict; many political leaders refuse to abandon their zero-sum approach; and Burundi remains fragile. But compared to ten years ago, there has been extraordinary progress, and we are proud to have played a positive role. To understand better what this means on the human level, here are a few of the stories that describe our work - and there are literally thousands more:

Saving Lives in Kinama. In February 2001, rebel forces invaded Kinama District, and the residents fled. Several Hutu women hid with their children in the homes of Tutsis they had met during conflict resolution trainings organized by our Women's Peace Center. Our staff learned of the crisis after some of the women and their children had been without food for five days. While we do not normally provide humanitarian relief, we worked with both Hutu and Tutsi partners to organize donations and distribute food, while avoiding detection by both the Tutsi-led military and the Hutu rebels. After the fighting ended, a woman came to our office in Bujumbura to say, "When you gave me that small bag of food, I had just lost my child, and my two others would have died today without your help."

Crossing the Divide in Busoro. Léonie Barakomeza and Yvonne Ryakiye were both born in Busoro but did not know each other. In 1993, fighting broke out, and their community was destroyed. Léonie and her fellow Tutsis fled to one side of the river; Yvonne and the Hutus went to the other. In 1996, the two met through the Women's Peace Center and began to work together. Unlike most of their neighbors, they were willing to cross the river. They were accused of being spies and traitors, but they persisted. Other women followed their example, and links grew. The two created a women's association, whose name translates as We Want Peace. They urged people to return home. Despite meager means, the women pooled their resources and built 40 brick houses for both Tutsi and Hutu families. Their efforts were recognized, when, along with eight other Burundian women, they were nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Reconciliation in Rusengo. The Women's Peace Center has trained hundreds of Burundian women to be facilitators in reuniting divided communities. In 2004, one facilitator was invited to Rusengo, where many ethnic killings had occurred. The community had reached the point where it wanted the violence to end and asked us to facilitate a reconciliation process. A meeting was convened, and our facilitator formed those present into two lines: on one side were the perpetrators; on the other were the families of dead victims. One by one, those in the first group stepped forward to admit guilt. Then, those in the second group took the hand of the person who had confessed and granted pardon. The session ended with a stirring twist. A young man, who had stood with the victims and had just taken the hand of someone who had murdered one of his family, suddenly crossed the space between the lines, joined the perpetrators, and reached across to take the hand of a woman whose husband he had killed. He was forgiven.

SIERRA LEONE. While our Burundi program celebrated its tenth birthday, we reached another milestone in Sierra Leone where our daily radio soap opera produced its 1000th episode. Called Atunda Ayenda (Lost and Found), it airs on all 11 of the country's radio stations. Hugely popular and influential, it tells stories - laced with themes of conflict resolution - of ex-combatants who come home, look for lost loves, and rebuild their lives.

Presidential Soap. In October, Ambassador George Moose, Vice Chair of our Board and a former US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, was part of a visit that a group of our investors took to Sierra Leone. The investors met with, among other people, the President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Needless to say, they were pleased to hear that President Kabbah is a regular listener of Atunda Ayenda and that he believes our radio programs are playing a key role in helping restore peace to Sierra Leone.

PALESTINIAN MEDIA. In partnership with the Ma'an Network of Independent Palestinian TV Stations, we have co-produced a 13-part TV drama series. Called Mazah fi Jad (Seriously Joking), it features three families - two Muslim and one Christian - and focuses on the problems of everyday life for ordinary Palestinians, particularly the young. Themes of peaceful problem-solving abound. The series was televised during this fall's Ramadan holidays.

It shatters Palestinians' stereotypes about themselves. - USA Today

The new soap opera has captivated viewers. - Voice of America

Magazine Series. Since August, we have co-produced with the Ma'an Network a twice-weekly TV magazine series for Palestinian viewers. The segments, which are produced by the ten local TV stations that comprise Ma'an, tell stories that convey the positive, human-interest side of Palestinian society. Episodes to date have profiled the gold market in Tulkarem, tobacco cultivation in Jenin, a look at Bethlehem University, and a portrait of a disabled man in Nablus who lives a wholly self-sufficient life.

Legislative Redux. In 1997, Palestinian authorities arrested Daoud Kuttab, a leading Palestinian journalist, for airing live TV coverage of the Palestinian Legislative Council, including discussions of alleged corruption. Daoud was kept in prison for eight days, and the broadcasts stopped. Since August 2005, the Ma'an Network, in partnership with Daoud, Al Quds Educational TV, and us, has resumed broadcast of the Palestinian legislative sessions. We believe that these C-SPAN-like programs promote transparency and non-violence in the Palestinian political process.

AFRICAN ELECTIONS. During recent Burundian and Sierra Leonean elections, we formed consortia of journalists to report on results. By having reporters on the ground as the votes were being counted, we reduced the possibility of fraud and violence. This fall, Liberia held elections, and we partnered with UN Radio and a private station to cover them. The Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven, described the initiative thusly:

Let me mention a recent success of our cooperation with civil society: during the Liberian presidential elections, the first since the civil war, we funded the NGO, Search for Common Ground. This NGO relieved social tension during the elections through radio broadcasts in sixteen local languages. The programmes featured debates between the candidates, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and former soccer player George Weah, and gave callers the opportunity to denounce any irregularities live on the air.

ANGOLAN YOUTH. In Angola, as elsewhere, we put special emphasis on working with young people. We bring together youth from the MPLA and UNITA, the opposing sides in the former civil war, to empower them to co-create projects that promote reconciliation. This work is particularly important in dealing with youth violence, which has a highly negative impact on Angola. Here is a statement made by a participant in one of our workshops:

I began by disrespecting my teachers and assaulting stores with an armed street gang known as AKM. Then, I wanted to leave that life behind because I was tired and a guy by the name of Paixão told me about the trainings. Today I am completely different as a result of the trainings… They gave me tools with which to resolve conflict without violence.

THE DIFFERENCE OUR INVESTORS MAKE. Financial investment from people like you is crucial to our work. Individual support represents a personal commitment to a non-adversarial way of dealing with conflict, and it enables us to expand greatly our reach and our impact. We are committed to changing the world, and, as you can see from the descriptions in this letter, we are working with some of the most courageous and extraordinary people on the planet. Your support strengthens their resolve and ensures their viability and sustainability. My wife Susan and I make a substantial annual contribution to Search for Common Ground. We ask you to join us as a Common Ground Partner and make a three-year pledge. Please mail in your reply or click on our secure website, http://www.sfcg.org/help/help_home.html .

With best wishes,

John Marks
President