Category: Justice and Peace Page 2 of 6

125th Anniversary Antislavery Campaign – Bulletin of Justice and Peace, Rome

CfSC Press Review – March 2014, Malawi

2014-03 Press Review

CfSC Press Review February 2014, Malawi

2014-02 Press Review

CfSC Press Review October 2013, Malawi

CfSC Press Review LogoOctober 2013 Press Review

Last part of the interview with Carl Stauffer

Carl StaufferIn this part Carl shares with us about his own way to deconstruct and to process systemic violence. He introduces the term “new historicities” as a tool to question oppressive dominant discourses in history. He gives us insights from attachment theory in order to understand the dynamics between child soldiers and their commanders. He creates awareness on the demands of being exposed to traumatize people and living in traumatized societies. Finally, he shares about the role of imagination and the new understandings of power. READ MORE
See also the first part of the interview: Interview with Carl Stauffer
 
Carl Stauffer 4

Interview with Carl Stauffer

Interview with Carl StaufferCarl Stauffer was born and raised amidst the war in Vietnam. In 1994, he and his family moved to South Africa under the auspices of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a faith-based international relief and development agency. In South Africa, Stauffer worked with various transitional processes such as the Peace Accords, Community-Police Forums, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Local Community Development structures. From 2000 to 2009, Stauffer was appointed as the MCC Regional Peace Adviser for the Southern Africa region. His work has taken him to twenty African countries.
This interview is a very interesting resource for our JPIC commitment. In this interview, divided in three parts, Carl Stauffer shares with us how he is deconstructing and processing the systemic violence he has found during his ministry in Africa and now in the States. In the second part of this interview he remarkably uses a whole imaginary from the African traditions to develop the seven roles of a peacebuilder. He says: “I wanted to find a new language, and I wanted that language to be contextual to Africa, as well as contextual to my Christian faith, and many of the Christian leaders I was working with in Africa. So the language borrows from all of those, different streams and my need for creativity. I wanted to make it as contextual as I could within what I was experiencing at a gut visceral level, on the ground, in practicing peacebuilding in Africa for 16 years.”
Links:
Anti-Slavery campaign Interview Series with Carl Stauffer (Part 1)
Carl StaufferAnti-Slavery campaign Interview Series with Carl Stauffer (Part 2)
Carl Stauffer
Part Three will be posted next week.

Do we still have a functioning state in Zambia?

Caritas ZambiaPress Statement on behalf of Caritas Zambia by Samuel Mulafulafu, Executive Director, Caritas Zambia
For a visitor who may have come to Zambia in the recent months this year, he/she would be wondering whether there is still a functioning State in Zambia. The level of chaos, hooliganism and lawlessness in Zambia has reached such unprecedented levels that one would be right to question whether there is a functioning government in Zambia. The dangerous part of this situation is that the political party in power, the Patriotic Front (PF), which was elected by the people to guarantee their rights, peace and security and justice, is deeply at the centre of these problems. The majority ordinary Zambians are yearning for a peaceful life that satisfies their basic needs, yet those they entrusted with this duty of promoting the common good have abdicated their role in preference for endless squabbles for power and fights for dominion and hegemony? Even as this exhortation is being written, the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) is severely rationing water causing great danger to patients and visitors to the hospital and yet our leaders don’t see such problems as priorities when compared to political squabbles. READ  MORE
Also:
In-Fighting in the Ruling Party
Illegal Land Occupation
Freedom of Information Bill
The Constitution making process

Interview with Michael A. King

Michael A. KingTreasuring the Dance of Life
Challenges to Religious Formation in an ever-changing World
New interview with Michael A. King who has been dean, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Vice President, Eastern Mennonite University, since July 1, 2010.
Michael shares with us his vocation journey, his vision on Seminary Formation in an ever-changing World and the way he treasures the Dance of Life.
He says: “We never encounter the world outside of a story or stories that have already told us countless things about the world, our place in it, and how we should then live.”
He invites us to be aware of the danger of living caught in a fictional world: “Even a script rooted reliably in history and God and able to tell us what is really true remains fictional unless we appropriate it.” Part one  Part two
Michael A. King 2Michael A. King 3

Revealed: Qatar’s World Cup ‘slaves’

The Guardian LogoDozens of Nepalese migrant labourers have died in Qatar in recent weeks and thousands more are enduring appalling labour abuses, a Guardian investigation has found, raising serious questions about Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar Nepal Composite -This summer, Nepalese workers died at a rate of almost one a day in Qatar, many of them young men who had sudden heart attacks. The investigation found evidence to suggest that thousands of Nepalese, who make up the single largest group of labourers in Qatar, face exploitation and abuses that amount to modern-day slavery, as defined by the International Labour Organisation, during a building binge paving the way for 2022.
According to documents obtained from the Nepalese embassy in Doha, at least 44 workers died between 4 June and 8 August. More than half died of heart attacks, heart failure or workplace accidents. READ MORE

The Constitution Review Process in Zambia Needs Legal Protection

Oasis Forum LogoThe Oasis Forum has consistently urged Government to consider protecting the on-going constitutional review process with a legal framework.  Evidently, the history of constitution making in Zambia has shown that in the absence of such legal provisions, this process as well as the outcomes have been prone to manipulation and capture, all sorts of inefficiencies and outright confusion.
For sure, history seems to be repeating itself today with the current constitution making process.  The recent statements attributed to the Spokesperson of the Technical Committee on Drafting the Constitution clearly illustrate the repercussions of undertaking constitution making processes without paying serious attention to the importance of underpinning the process within a legal framework.
First and foremost, it is saddening to note that the Committee has failed to avail the people of Zambia with the final opportunity to validate their input in the process.  The shortcoming in time could have been a foreseen challenge had the process been premised on a clearly laid down roadmap.  Second and perhaps more threatening, reminiscent of past tendencies, it would be a serious error for the document to be handed only to the Republican President.  It is only just and fair that this document lands in the hands of the Public who are the rightful custodians, the Republican President and Parliament at the same time!
It is on this basis that the Forum is earnestly appealing to the Patriotic Front Government, Members of the Drafting Committee and the Minister of Justice to exhibit genuine patriotism by adhering to principles of constitutionalism.  In fact, it is not too late to institute a process of legally protecting the on-going constitution making process.  This request is in the interest of all well-meaning Zambians!
Fr. Cleophas Lungu
(Oasis Forum Spokesperson)
Previous statement:

Attack on a peaceful gathering of several civil society organisations in a church – Lusaka

Antislavery Campaign in Mozambique

Os escravos de teatro copieBy Padre Florent S. Sawadogo, M.Afr, Missionarios de Africa, Paroquia de Dombe
Well prepared and discussed during sector meetings in Mozambique, the antislavery campaign finally took place in the absence of the Sector Superior, Timothée Bationo, who went to Burkina Faso for the Plenary Council. On the 29th August 2013, a minibus well decorated with writing about slavery took off from Beira to Dombe with two seminarians and a driver. The next day was the opening day of the campaign.
In Dombe, the thirsty ones for Justice & Peace awareness were ready early morning to embark to Sussundenga led by Florent S. Sawadogo en route to Tete at about 500km from there. Richard Ujwigowa was already in Tete for the ground work.
In the morning of the 31st, people from various parishes in Tete gathered at the Cathedral longing to take part into the inputs of the day. The following parishes were represented: Changara, Boroma, Matundu, Sao Pedro, Sao Jose, Moatize Cathedral and Matema. There were also some representatives from the Catholic university (UCM), other universities, the commission of Justice and Peace of Tete and some individuals like the Bishop, two visiting Brazilians and some authorities from political circles and NGO’s.
Among the Missionaries of Africa, two Fathers, two stagiaires and two seminarians spread the message of our founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie to 108 people originating from Sofala, Manica and Tete.
The topics for discussion were: the history of slavery, the slavery of yesterday and today, the traffic of human beings and commerce of human organs, medical assistance on these cases, testimony of an elder about slavery in Mozambique and a drama which summarized this issue.
In the morning of the 1st September, Richard and Florent celebrated the closing Mass of the campaign at the outstation of Matema where the Missionaries of Africa are planning to live and work at the parish.
The seed of “the fight against slavery” has grown in Mozambique. May the Holy Spirit strengthen the hearts of men and women of good will to fight against modern slavery!
The Antislavery Trade Campaign in Chimoio
By Maurice Odhiambo, Stagiaire in Dombe Community
The Antislavery Trade Campaign came to Chimoio on the 7th and 8th of September 2013 at the Catholic University of Chimoio. Richard Ujwigowa welcomed the 500 participants present. Other organizers were Florent S. Sawadogo together with the stagiaires Maurice Odhiambo and Serge Kasongo. The conferences focussed on historical and new forms of slave trade, human trafficking and their devastating consequences.
Different dramas, dancing, reciting of poems, drawing and singing took place at the end of the day. It was a very wonderful night. So much so that no one could sleep. It was accompanied by music to keep the atmosphere conducive. At the end, the juries combined all their results and the first three winners in each item presented won different prizes. It was not only for the best performers but there were also rewards for all the participants. The function closed with the Holy Mass on the 9th at the same venue.

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