Part one - South Africa - a personal reflection by Tehmina Siganporia, International Coordinator of CoP

Arriving in South Africa, we were so graciously received by our hosts and friendly faces that our bags getting lost did not matter so much. We were taken to a farmhouse, just a little outside Johannesburg. The beautiful open space and natural surroundings of the property made for a perfect location. The family residing on this farmhouse had planted all the two hundred odd trees themselves, which were of different shapes, sizes and species. Similarly, the participants who attended the Creators of Peace three day workshop were like these trees. Women from as far as Zimbabwe and Cape Town, including Jo’burg and Soweto, black, white and coloured, young and older, had all come to be a part of this residential workshop.

Jean Brown from Australia and Ann Njeri Ndiangui from Kenya and myself were the facilitators. It was my first time in Africa. Being involved with Creators of Peace, I only recently felt able to call myself a peace creator when I decided to forgive my father. Although he has been dead for almost ten years now, I was still holding onto the pain and bitterness I felt towards him for physical and mental abuse I had faced as a child. When I let go of this hatred and forgave him, I felt a huge sense of liberation from within. It was this freedom which unblocked my heart and allowed me to build peace in myself. I was able to then call myself a creator of peace.

Workshop in South Africa

Forgiveness seemed to be either a stumbling or building block for most of the 60 women who attended our series of four workshops. Through various exercises, discussions and stories, during the ‘what builds and destroys peace’, ‘inner peace’, ‘qualities of a peace creator’ and ‘forgiveness’ sessions, a need was felt to forgive and ask for forgiveness.

A young woman shared that she was holding onto grudges for a long time and not wanting to surrender. This made her feel powerful, wallowing in this anger. She realized that she needed to forgive and ask for forgiveness of her wrongdoers.

One black woman, a mama, as they are respectfully and fondly called, put her hand on her heart and said, “I just cannot forgive.” Towards the end of the workshop, she stood up and declared, “It is my pride, just pride that stops me.” At that point, she made a decision to forgive.

Two women had been struggling in their relationship with each other for a long while now. As luck had it, they were sharing the same room during the workshop. Being able to actually share their personal stories deeply and honestly together and unite for a common purpose in creating peace, their frosty relationship was reconciled.

The first workshop lasted for three days. At the end of it, a retired receptionist from Cape Town summed up her feelings saying, 'We could not have asked for a better venue for the workshop as the miles of open space and the natural beauty allowed us to detach from our historical baggage. Aside from the powerful, formal sessions, we became one family as we wept with those who shared their stories. As we saw our personal faults portrayed during the listening exercises, hilarious laughter lifted the tension. This release of emotion led to reconciliation with great rejoicing. I found further healing.' She continued to say, I sincerely hope that these Peace Circle workshops will take off in South Africa, a country urgently in need of such guidance.

Workshop in South Africa

On the final day the participants shared what the weekend had meant to them. 'I came not having peace with myself. Here I have received a seed which I go back to plough.' 'I've been made aware of my shortcomings. I must work to get rid of them. This has been blocking progress in our team.' 'God had a reason for me to do this workshop.' A local government official from Johannesburg said that what she had learnt from the workshop has led her to reconcile with her eldest brother. She has since arranged for a Peace Circle workshop for her community. It will take place in December. A project manager for a crèche in Kagiso, near Johannesburg expressed her view of the workshop as 'an experience of freedom.' 'It was the first time, she said, I had shared my story of the breakdown in communication in my family, especially with my late father. The time helped me go deeper in discovering who I was as a person. I am keen to run workshops on communication in the future.'

In South Africa, the black and white communities are still segregated when it comes to the church, especially. They have separate timings for service. During one of the four workshops, which was a day long, two of the women were inspired to talk to their church leaders about this segregation. They wanted to encourage their pastors to urge the church goers to perhaps consider praying together!

Reflecting on the entire visit, Jean Brown stated, 'I have been touched by my first visit to South Africa. Although I have moved in only a small part of this large country, I have glimpsed the expansiveness of heart and sky and the radical experience of a country emerging from apartheid with all the fragility and strength that is its legacy.’

We bade farewell to the ‘Rainbow’ country and made our way to our next destination, Kenya.