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| Praxis
Department
Reconciliation Expansion Project
For more information contact: hd1_hmiis@sancharnet.in
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Women's Interfaith Journey A few years ago, HMI explored the use of "Journey" methodology as a means of supporting and empowering women and their organizations in peace building and reconciliation work, in situations of conflict. The concept of using a journey as a means of moving away from stereotypes and creating new environments where women from different faiths came together to ponder on interfaith dialogues was an innovative idea. The idea materialized into an experimental project in 1998/99 organised in collaboration with the United Church of Canada. A team of nine women (four Indians, four Canadians and one facilitator) traveled together for a period of seven weeks, for three and half weeks in India and after nine months later in Canada. Reflections from some Journeys Conference on Women's Interfaith Journey The starting point for women in interfaith dialogue is not dogmas, theology or Holy Scriptures. It is their own lives. They narrate stories of their lives as sisters, mothers, daughters and friends. Women do not talk about interfaith; they connect with each other in a holistic way. Their connectedness is across interfaith boundaries and forms bridges of understanding across diversity of faiths. The "Journey" methodology creates the need for exploration of the self as well as explorations of the beliefs and concepts. The exploration helps not only in understanding their own faiths but also leads to appreciating the universal truths underlying all faiths. Women create space for discussion. This space sets the agenda for discussions and reflections through dialogues. Often this process of discussion and reflections was through the use of a new methodology of interaction used by Native Americans called "talking circle". It is simple method of listening, discerning, finding direction and becoming centered in a group. Encouraged by the success of the first Journey HMI planned and completed a second project based on the "Journey" methodology in India. Eight women belonging to different tribes and an indigenous community from Manipur in North East India together with a representative from HMI and a facilitator traveled through tribal areas in North India for 3-1/2 weeks. The team explored new methods of bringing about peace and created new avenues for inter-personal relationship and dialogues. Through the interaction between this traveling team and the local groups the team gained a better understanding of the challenges faced by tribal/indigenous peoples, especially women, in North and Northeast India. The journey provided an opportunity for the team to reflect together on the process of alienation between tribal/indigenous people and to start the process of decreasing inter-tribal tensions, by focusing together on common problems and possible solutions. It further strengthened the networks, which unite women of diverse backgrounds together. HMI went on to coordinate and organize two more interconnected interfaith women's journeys that focused on selected situations of inter-religious tension at the international level. The main objectives of the project were: • To identify from women's perspective, the underlying issues in existing conflicts. • To discern the contribution of religious and spiritual identities to such conflicts; and • To explore alternative models of peace-building that arise out of women's experiences and collaborations. The emphasis was on exploring the use of journey methodology as a means of supporting and empowering women's organizations in peace building and reconciliation work in situations of conflict. The Journeys took place in India and Kenya in 2002 and in Sri Lanka and South Africa in 2003. Each journey consisted of a traveling team of nine women drawn from two regions traveling together on two visits separated by approximately one month. During the visits the team interacted with groups and individuals who could illuminate women's perspectives on peace making. These interactions included a final workshop event in which selected women leaders from the region participated. The project will conclude in October 2007 with a final international consultation to explore and evaluate key learnings and to open up the discussion of using the journey methodology as a conflict transformation tool with a focus on women’s perspectives on peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Reflections from Some Journeys Carolyn Pogue from CanadaDifferent RealityOn Sunday evening, we were invited to a local church service. I was shocked back into a different reality when, after their service, we were invited into a home. The women ran around and served us tea and cake and the men sat in a row and looked at us. Suddenly, one man leaned towards me and said, “The men are the head of the household.” Everyone held their breath, including me. How could I respond to our host without being rude? Finally I said, “That’s one perspective.” And then I waited. “Where are your men?” he demanded. Silence fell. I looked at one in our group who is lesbian and wondered if she would answer, but she only smiled. And then Diane said, “Oh, they’re at home cooking and looking after the children!” We laughed, but our hosts did not. I remember sitting there, searching desperately for a point of contact for common ground. They were after all, Christian. Like me, But… maybe not. One of the women offered me some literature about the Bible saying that women must submit to their husbands. I thanked her for the delicious cake. The enormity of our task was summed up in that little piece of cake, served by a woman who understands that her religion forbids her to speak her own story without the approval of a man. On the way home I thought about “women’s place” and about the silent scream of women and children throughout the world. I thought about women living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. I thought about women being raped in East Timor and other places of war and so-called “peace.” I felt paralyzed by the enormity of our task. But paralysis, in this case, is a luxury we cannot afford. Time is running out. Deepthi SumumarThe familiar landscape of Chennai faded away as I sank into the identity of stranger. I sped on to become a stranger among strangers. My mind, a confusion of disconnected spirals; caste, dalit, women, men, conflict, reconciliation, resolution, struggling to get connected. What is peace ? Is it the connectivity of these spirals? In Nagpur I took my space among my co passengers, truth like a thunderbolt hit me – I was not alone in my space, the breadth of my dalit community was on me and whose touch I could not shake off. I looked at my copassengers, do they understand this burden of the pain of oppression, denial, invisibility and untouchability in my space or do they feel this burden to be an intrusion of discomfort to their space? We the women of Kenya, caste women and Dalit women of india travelled through Nagpur and Tumkur and saw the dalit women of these lands through the windows of our different minds. As we travelled along I saw the space around me growing as some of my journey sisters allowed my burden into their space. In Nagpur I saw the face of conflict of intellect and illiteracy, buddhism and hinduism, political power and subjugation, elitism and poverty in the shadows of Dhiksabhoomi. The mind and soul of Ambedkar overpowered me in the silence of Dikshabhoomi. The struggle and pain of this dalit leader and his strength became my energy and hope. In
the silence of Dhikshabhoomi I heard the voices of the dalits of Nagpur. As we travelled together and familiarity grew, we allowed each other to see our unmasked faces. We struggled through the pain of our differences, coming together as women but the burden of oppressor and oppressed, individual and community keeping us apart. In
Tumkur our next station of the journey the strength and energy of
the Dalit women was visible in their struggle against oppression and
untouchability. Their strength was their opportunity of support for
empowerment and their energy was their recognition of oppression,
denial and untouchability. The dalit struggle was translated into
a peoples movement and the pillars of this movement was the organisation.
The face of the dalit of Tumkur was woman with hope, confidence and
expectation. But in my perception was the shadow of the cross of Dalitology
over the dalit struggle. Would this cross lead to justice and peace
or conflict. Can
there be reconciliation without equality? Jasmine Nordien, South AfricaThe Peace Process through gendered lenses “The fourth round of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE resulted in the appointment of a committee to ‘ensure the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process.’ This is indeed a welcome development which will hopefully lead to mainstreaming gender issues in the peace process.” … Testimonies have shown that women articulate peace differently to men. As those who have dealt with the severe consequences of conflict, women tend to discuss conflict in more humane terms, and use common grounds to build trust between adversaries. Instead of concentrating on the abstracts, women focus on the “real” issues such as equality, human rights, justice, housing, education etc… The appointment of the committee also highlights the lack of women’s participation in the main peace process with the exception of Adeke Balasingham, women have been conspicuously absent from the peace process.” “The obstacles to women’s participation in the peace process / constitution making process are numerous. It could possibly be due to one or a combination of the following factors: a lack of women in decision-making positions, masculine models of politics, i.e. political life is organized according to male norms and values and in some cases male lifestyles, the lack of party support for women’s involvement, the traditional roles of women and the public / private distinction and the dual burden that women carry as homemakers and participants in public life.” “Any constitution making process and peace process should take into account issues such as accountability, impunity and post-conflict reconstruction. Women’s role in conflicts ‘Women
and children are the losers in every conflict’ is a popular belief.
Are women always the innocent victims? The truth is a bit cloudy. Women
are as much caught in escalating the conflict, as are the men. For example
the mother of a cattle rustler sees her son as a hero. Women are aware
of plans and preparations for raids and attacks. Similarly upper caste
women in India are equally aggressive in their stances against the dalits.
They create images of the ‘other’ in dramatic terms in the minds of
their children. They perpetuate the traditions of conflict in a society. |
