“NEVER AGAIN” is a central rallying cry of Understanding Others, Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Restorative Transformation programs. It is a justice system intended to be both preventive and restorative… [read more]
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Thank you for beginning to discuss this topic at least in theoretical level, for its practical application is challenging, daunting and demands hard work. Transformative reconcilliation brings regeneration and uplifting dialogue by eliminating threats, bi-directional violence
and vengeance. When the backbone of Apartheid was broken in 1980s, there was a growing need for transformative peacemaking between the camps of Botha, the followers of Dismund Tutu and the ANC. The inhumanity of Sharpville and Swetto had already brought the Apartheid intellectuals to see light at the end of the tunnel to avoid bloddshed that can be directed against the whites. That lead to the release of Mandella and the winning of the Nobel Prize by the famous prisoner and De Kilerk. Each one of the nemeses programmed exit strategy for the other. I have optimism that self reflection, self reconcilliation with ourselves regarding social justice and national reconcilliation with good faith effort can solve the problem of Africa. The issue of reconcilliation, creative non-violence, transformative conflict resolution and peace making must be discussed by our people without self-censorship. Its central beutiful concience is forgiveness. The cycle of vengeance and conflict is detrimental and costly in human suffering. Reconcilliation does not mean that those who have perpetrated gross sin cannot be punished by human law. But they can be forgiven without forgetting the violation so that it cannot repeated again. There is no “Jesus” in african warring conflicts. All have transgressed our moral, religious and common values. But the perpetratoprs and the victims are our brothers and in Africa. The BETTER way to go forward is through transformative reconcilliation, conflict resolution and peace making. The other way is anguish, violence and generational vengeance. Globalization has persuaded conflicting parties in the globe to arrive at workable solutions. The Cold War Era is over. Rodney Kings message of ” Can’t we live together brother” is working. There is a complete paradigm shift in favor of reconcilliation. But the need has to be real, sincere and genuine from all conflicting parties. Everybody needs peace and self-preservation. May God, Hashem , Allah who is called by several names lead us to forgiveness. May the better of us blossom forgiveness and reconcilliation for all Ethiopians young and old.
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January 25th, 2012 at 2:52 PM