Peace has many faces. This booklet presents eight stories which show how people in Zimbabwe managed to deal peacefully with conflicts. We hear about Chishuwo (23) in Epworth, Memory (31) in Murehwa and Jabuliso (92) in Bulawayo – how they succeeded in overcoming potentially disastrous divisions in their community or their cooperative, how they managed to forgive people who had treated them violently or had caused other harm to them.
Women talk about how they became victims of politically motivated violence – and how they learnt to make the most of their lives after their terrible ordeal. We hear how a community forum can encourage divided residents to lay aside their different opinions and ideologies and plan together for the development of their village, be it the construction of a well or a school.
All eight stories have one thing in common: In each case, the best way out of an apparently unsolvable conflict or a hopeless situation was found only after the intervention of a Zimbabwean peace organisation.
These eight organisations have one thing in common as well: They are assisted by expert personnel from the German Civil Peace Service (CPS) programme. Lawyers, mediators, psychologists and other CPS experts advise Zimbabwean peace organisations on how to implement their projects. They all contribute to a more peaceful Zimbabwe by encouraging people to change their behaviour and tackle conflicts in a peaceful manner.
The eight stories are meant to show the impact the respective peace organisations could achieve with their interventions. Each story stands for itself, and yet it fits into a wider context and carries a message beyond the documented cases.
Disclaimer:
This book is produced by Civil Peace Service Zimbabwe. The book’s aim is to provide a vehicle for encouraging discussion and informed debate. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this book are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to the other organisations represented in the book
