Catalyst for Peace (formerly Catalyst Peacebuilding)

It is unbelievably humid… The only disappointment I have thus far is that we have yet to be caught in torrential downpour… we are, in fact, here during the rainy season. I have been told that we will see more rain when we travel up north to Makeni and Kono over the next two weeks.

A few weeks before arriving in Sierra Leone, I saw part of a program on an evening news show about parents who had chosen to meet with, and forgive, their daughter’s killer. I have found that the automatic reaction for many in the U.S., and perhaps other countries, is “I could never forgive the person who murdered/victimized a loved one.” As difficult as it is to envision, one can never know what they need to continue moving forward after such an experience. The mother explained that it was the only way that she could find peace – that she had to meet and forgive this man in order to continue living her life.

We have found in our interviews that Sierra Leoneans are fantastically strong-willed and wise people. Those that we have spoken with thus far say that they had to forgive the people that committed atrocities during the war and accept them back into the community in order to make peace in their community and country, that there was no other option. Sierra Leoneans are very devout people, both Christian and Muslim, and many have spoken about the teachings of their faith in aiding their personal forgiveness process. We have also heard that forgiveness is necessary for the harmony of the community, and the well-being of the community is a vital component for Sierra Leoneans. Communal harmony is perpetually given greater priority than individual well-being. But we believe that there must be something deeper about Sierra Leonean culture that incorporates forgiveness as a natural component of it. This is not to say that forgiveness to perpetrators has come easily to any person affected by the war, but it seems to have come more quickly and easily. I do, however, have a bit of skepticism about whether forgiveness has been pressured by the community or the churches (I cannot speak for Angie or Sara), and how many people have actually achieved true forgiveness. We have certainly met some amazing men and women who have and we hope to continue to be enlightened as the days go on.

We have met with a fairly diverse selection of people from different organizations: Action for Child Protection, Special Court of Sierra Leone staff members, different religious leaders, Children Associated with War, and many ex-combatants. Thursday was an exhausting and exhilarating day, as we first went to Parliament to see the passing of three bills for women’s rights concerning domestic violence, inheritance, and early marriage. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by such courageous women and to hear their endorsement of the bill. These women have much work ahead of them, however, as one male member of parliament stated that he thought that Sierra Leone was not ready for such a bill, for women to be granted such rights.

Thursday afternoon was spent with 24 ex-combatant young men and women. I am still trying to process all of the information and emotions that passed that afternoon. I cannot even begin to imagine what has taken place internally for them to be able to sit with us to tell us their story, how they were captured, beaten, imprisoned, forced to become a wife of a rebel commander, how they watched their parents be killed, how some were beautifully reunited with family after the war, but how others were not. Forgiveness is such a crucial detail – being forgiven by their communities and personal forgiveness for what they may have done to others, but also forgiveness to those that did them harm. It is certainly not without this forgiveness on all levels that they and their communities will be at peace. We can only hope that this will also form a stronger nation that will not allow another civil war like this one to take place.