Tag: South Africa

AMERICA’S MOST PERSISTENT ILLNESS: RACISM

Posted on by kathiemm

By Guest Author Emmanuel Mbaezue

Editorial cartoon criticizing the usage of literacy tests for African Americans as a qualification to vote.
Image is in the public domain.

Statistics have that in the United States, the number of unarmed  black men and boys gunned down extra-judicially by white police officers since the killing of Michael Brown appears to be rising. Unfortunately for the future of the country, these human rights abuses do not just take America back to the shameful days of the Jim Crow Law, they also plunge the nation’s image into a downward spiral of distrust on the global scene.

Even some developing countries in the African, Asian and South American continents seem to enjoy better police-civilian relations than much of the US. The murderous disposition of some white police officers towards people of color in America is not only reminiscent of the dark days of apartheid South Africa, it also appears to be the new face of the Ku Klux Klan.

No great country ever escapes its past, although it can try to rectify its wrongs. The US continues to be plagued by racists moving blindly ahead in their murderous persecution of people of color. One of the most valuable truths that all Americans could learn is that the greatness of America cannot be measured in its military might, economic wealth, or scientific innovation.

True greatness can come only from respect and opportunities for the diverse peoples and cultures living here today—a respect that can enrich everyone far more than greed and prejudice. Borrowing the words of Yanni, the Jazz Man: “I am first a human being, then an Italian American, an Israeli American, a Chinese American, Iranian American, an African American…” 

A leader with courage and integrity

Posted on by kathiemm

Film review of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, by guest contributor Dot Walsh

With the recent passing of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa, this film takes on a historical quality.

The movie and story line quite accurately follow Mandela’s autobiography of the same name, highlighting the background of the rise and brutality of apartheid resulting in conflict and suffering. Actual film footage is woven into the script making the movie interesting and real.

Idris Elba, in his role as Mandela, does an excellent job of portraying the emotional turmoil within this man and the poignancy of the journey.

After 27 years of incarceration, Nelson Mandela emerged as a political leader with courage and moral integrity, able to unite both black and white in the country he loved.

One sad note is that Mandela had to separate from his wife, Winnie, who was unable to leave revenge behind.

This is not a film to miss!

Dot Walsh is a lifelong peace activist and member of the Engaging Peace Board of Directors.

Father Michael Lapsley addresses the healing of trauma, Part 1

Posted on by kathiemm

By guest author Dot Walsh

“UBUNTU” in the Xhosa culture means: “I am because we are.”

On Veterans Day, November 11, it is good to recognize that many of the women and men who have served at war in Afghanistan and other foreign countries return to their homes without adequate support for the trauma they have experienced.

Trauma is an invisible wound. We have learned a lot about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and have identified it in individuals engaged in current wars. But soldiers who returned from Vietnam and Korea often remain victims of their pain and sometimes victimize others.

A recent visit, interview, and workshop with Father Michael Lapsley of South Africa gave me some insight into the effects of trauma and the possibility of healing. Father Lapsley is an Anglican priest from New Zealand who experienced his own trauma as a result of his active participation in speaking out against the apartheid regime in South Africa.

In 1973 during the height of apartheid, he was sent by his order to Durban, South Africa, to serve as chaplain for both black and white university students. As a witness to the atrocities and injustices of apartheid, he began to speak out on behalf of schoolchildren who were being shot, detained, and tortured.

Because of his public stand against the government, his life was threatened. It became necessary for him to leave the country and go into exile in Zimbabwe. In 1990, he received a letter bomb that was hidden inside two religious magazines. The bomb exploded with a force that blew off both of his hands and blinded him in one eye, along with covering his body with serious burns.

After a long recovery in Australia, he returned to South Africa to become chaplain of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture, which became part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). This work led to the creation of the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM), an organization that focuses on individuals who tell their stories in workshops where they can begin to work through their trauma.

[to be continued]

Dot Walsh is a lifelong peace activist and member of the Engaging Peace board of directors.

Engaging in peace: A personal story (Part 2)

Posted on by kathiemm

By guest author Dorothy Walsh

Coming from a middle class family, I had to learn about what Gandhi called the worst kind of violence: poverty.

Dot Walsh in South AfricaMen and women on the streets struggling with addictions or homelessness needed someone to hear their stories and not judge them. I found I could offer kindness and compassion without becoming a victim myself.

Working at STEP, a treatment on demand facility with staff members and clients coming out of prison, reinforced my connection to my brothers and sisters.

Over the years, I have taught a mediation course at a local college and organized and developed a volunteer program at the homeless shelter, Rosie’s Place. I also supervised students from nine schools in the Boston area who set forth emboldened in the quest to show that there are alternatives to violence even in an unjust society.

While at the Peace Abbey, I met and greeted peacemakers from all over the world. I had the honor of presenting Rosa Parks with the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, giving a big hug to Joan Baez, sitting with Maya Angelou, and traveling to South Africa with the Mandela Award. More recently, I participated in giving a Courage of Conscience Award to the Benebikira Sisters of Rwanda (http://engagingpeace.com/?p=1155).

I have found that in every situation someone shows up who can help us find the courage to begin again, to rise above the dark clouds and find the rainbow. This was true even in the closing of the Peace Abbey, a sanctuary of peace not only for me but for countless others.

Before long, I was introduced by friends to storytelling and writing and began telling prison and other stories from my life’s  journey. In a world with much violence, we do well to remember the words of Gene Knudsen Hoffman (1919-2010), “An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.”

This story-telling venture led to the “Oneness and Wellness” program I am currently hosting for Dedham Cable TV, sharing the stories of guests who seek to make this world a better place for all.

Dot Walsh, lifelong peace activist