SHEILA BUNWAREE
The United Nations theme for international Peace Day 2024 : “Cultivating a Culture of Peace”- revolves around a noble but challenging task especially in a world dominated by greed, sectarianism, hate speech, misogynistic lenses, fake news, misinformation/disinformation, superpower rivalries, uncertainty and ambiguity. Authoritarianism and populism are on the rise, violence and conflicts are rife. From Gaza to Sudan, from Ukraine to Lebanon and beyond, we find innocent lives taken away unjustly. Conflict dynamics, ethnic and religious tensions are often rooted in a combination of factors: State weakness and/or state failure, policy capture, corruption, ineffective delivery of basic services, competition over natural resources, inequality and a sense of marginalization. Martin Luther King’s: “Without justice there can be no peace” resonates.
Closer to home, our African sisters, frequently kept in the shadows, have stood out to become peacebuilders, advocates of ethical governance and non-violence. Alokiir Malual made history as the first woman to sign a Peace Agreement in South Sudan. Her signature was an important milestone in opening the doors for more women at decision-making tables. Another inspiring figure is that of Beatrice Epaye from the Central African Republic. She notes: “It is our right to sit at the decision making table and not just around them.”
Peace and Mauritian social cohesion
The crises Mauritians face are perhaps not the same as in other places but commonalities exist. Most crises are related to power chasing and resource grabbing and this frequently in the context of deep moral crises. This is why a systemic change is urgently needed. New faces in the political arena, particularly women are working relentlessly for an overhauling of the current system, including educating the citizenry not to fall in the same old trap of supporting immorality, incoherence, oppressions, development models which have been profit rather than people and planet oriented. 56 years is a long time – the opportunity was there! Mauritians do not have a short memory. It would be letting the younger generations down if we vote by default yet again. Making the same mistake represents a misuse of our intelligence. Doing so will be detrimental to peace and development. Any new legislature should be filled by women and men with the highest level of probity, competence, the drive to be productive and accountable.
The word peace conjures images of harmony, happiness, comfort, feeling good and a sense of bliss in psychological, social and political terms. As we prepare to make our electoral choices, to ensure that we chart a new direction for our nation, there is a big risk of tensions escalating into different forms of violence, posing serious threats to our social cohesion and general well-being.
The mosaic of cultures that our forefathers brought with them and worked very hard at preserving despite the different traumas and oppressions that they went through, have made us become the Multicultural nation, the ‘model’ that we are today. Despite our differences, we have learnt to live together, making “Unity in Diversity’ our motto. The Global Peace Index (2023) ranks Mauritius 23rd globally and 1st in Africa. We are all very proud but we must be cognizant of the limitations of such indices. Certain indicators and dynamics, so essential for peace often do not get computed, thus tilting results in one direction.
Respect for electoral adversaries, allowing people contest in a free, fair and civilized manner – with no hate speech, gender stereotyping, verbal attacks, inappropriate language in public and social media, fake news – are key to sustaining peace in this very challenging period. Nothing must stop us from denouncing lies, opacity and injustices, from interrogating all that is wrong and morally reprehensible. Truth, Accountability and Transparency, a profound Change of the System, should be on the top of our Agenda. Women know that these are necessary ingredients for durable peace.
Positive v/s Negative Peace
Absence of war and conflict however does not necessarily equate peace. Philosopher and peace theorist, Johan Galtung’s distinction between positive and negative peace helps to understand this. He conceived negative peace as the absence of violence, absence of war and positive peace as the integration of human society. In other words, positive peace is the absence of structural and cultural violence as well as prevalence of justice, harmony and equality.
There is too much structural violence built into the very nature of our social, cultural, educational and economic institutions. This often results in the denial of people’s rights, such as economic well-being, social, political and gender equality, a sense of personal fulfilment and self-esteem. Citizens cannot remain complacent. Some of the emerging political parties have the merit of bringing freshness to the table, freshness in terms of ideas, people, integrity and competence, leadership styles which are predisposed to listening and to engaging with people on the ground. New faces in the political arena, particularly women, are bent on making the parliament more visionary, more respectful of the Other, more humble and inclusive, contrary to those who wish to hold on to power as an obsessive malady, trying desperately to rebuild their credibility, to preserve the perks and privileges that they have got used to. Chasing Power for such reasons does not belong to a Peace Agenda. After 56 years of independence, most Mauritians would tell you that that they feel let down by the political class. TRUST is on the decline (Afrobarometer Report, 2023).
Electing a government by default does not help to transform a place, bring change and durable peace. We are currently in an abyss; it is not with the same old mindset, reflexes and voting patterns that we can secure Durable peace, Justice and Development. Voting with discernment, voting for people who can make a difference, voting for peace builders is critical at this juncture. This whole saga about ‘vote utile’ etc must be deconstructed. What is “utile” in these most challenging times is to elect credible representatives with an alternative vision in the thinking and the action, who have a sense of ethics and the required competencies to work in the best interest of the nation. Post electoral coalitions would be necessary and very doable if we use our collective intelligence. If we truly wish to save our democracy, we must avoid voting for liars, stranglers, criminals, thieves, the corrupt, those associated with the drug barons etc. The flotsam must be jettisoned once for all!
Developing a Culture of Peace
A Culture of Peace can only be achieved when citizens across the globe have the necessary knowledge to understand the fundamental causes of problems, develop the skills to resolve conflict but to be able to do so first requires that people are imbued with values of justice, equality, human rights as well as respect of Nature.
Structural violence in our schools, on our streets, homes, places of work, within the walls of certain political parties, is rampant but who cares? Some of us do care. Amongst these are aspiring women politicians who perhaps understand better the linkages between patriarchy and the different forms of oppression and violence at the local and international level.
By and far, womens’ inherent qualities of compassion, empathy, sharing, sense of solidarity, kindness, ethics and their overall gentle nature, their predisposition to listen and engage makes them good leaders (Harvard Business Review, 2016) and excellent peace builders.
Conclusion
Four important spaces for the promotion of a Peace culture include: Our homes/families, our schools/universities, Civil society organisations as well as our Parliament. These spaces have huge potential for role models to emerge but honestly, have we seen any one emerge yet particularly within our parliament?
There is perhaps a better chance within Civil society. The latter seems to contain greater potential. Bridges must be built between the political class and peace organisations to get out of the current rot. I here wish to salute the work of the Council of Religions, the Brahma Kumaris group as well as the International Peace Institute of Mauritius, amongst some others for their sustained efforts in helping our society promote a Culture of Peace. Working on ourselves, on our inner conscience and souls, thus enabling the micro impact on the macro, can help to ensure a better and safer place for all.