Climbing the mountain of peace: the Agenda for Reconciliation conference at Mountain House, Caux, was dedicated to healing the gulfs between people from conflict situations.

The Agenda for Reconciliation conference at Mountain House, Caux, was dedicated to healing the gulfs between people from conflict situations. Caz Ford and Sandy Hore-Ruthven sample the atmosphere.

`I was taught that if you want to shoot straight, you must imagine a Christian in your sights.' Hisham Shihab used to be a Muslim militia man in Beirut, and his words gave everyone in Caux a vivid insight into the deep-rooted tensions in the Middle East.

Despite his previous prejudice, Shihab took the unique opportunity provided by Mountain House to apologize and seek reconciliation. He had reached his turning point the day he aimed his rifle at an elderly woman and two young boys. `The old lady looked like my grandmother, not a crusader at arms,' he said. `And my conscience told me they were people like us.' Much to his commanding officer's dismay he refused to fire. `All the political causes in the world,' he concluded, `are not worth the bloodshed we have seen.'

Hisham was moved to make his unscheduled speech in direct response to a painful admission from a previous speaker--Assad Shaftari, a Lebanese Christian. Shaftari was a leader of a Christian militia whose slogan was, `Every Lebanese should kill a Palestinian.' Yet he admitted, `I thought I was defending my country and my faith. After a week of mischief I could go to church on Sunday, at ease with myself and with God.' Gradually, with the help of a local group of people involved with MRA, he opened his heart to his enemy, until one day he entered a mosque. `For the first time it felt like we were praying to the same God.' Shaftari later apologized publicly to his victims' relatives.

The Middle East proved to be an important focus for the conference. Relationships between Muslims, Christians and Jews were explored in three daily workshops and in other public and private arenas. Yehudah Wachsman, an Israeli Jew, spoke of his own commitment to peace, despite personal tragedy. In 1994 his son was kidnapped and killed while serving in the Israeli army. Wachsman now works for peace to spare others the same hellish ordeal. He called for Jerusalem to be the centre of prayer for different religions--a sentiment echoed by Palestinians present at the conference.

Given the passions aroused in areas of conflict, it was not surprising to hear of appalling human rights violations, yet each personal story still touched and shocked each one of us. Amina Dikedi from Nigeria cited the particularly horrifying case of rebels in Sierra Leone who asked their victims whether they wanted to wear a long or short sleeved shirt before hacking their arms off.

But the Agenda for Reconciliation is not about heaping despair on despair. The magical setting of Mountain House reflected the inner beauty and dignity of the many people who took their turn to tell moving stories of hope, healing, apology and forgiveness. The grandeur of the palace-like building seemed to lend its own inspiration to over 500 people from 68 countries who had come together in a remarkable spirit of friendship and compassion to build dialogue and understanding.

Many delegates came with a personal message of hope. Sam Akoitai from the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, shared his experience. Between 1989 and 1997 the country endured a bloody civil war which killed around 10 per cent of Bougainville's population. Three factions were involved: the government security forces, the BRA (Bougainville Rebel Army) and the Resistance Movement--led by Akoitai, who later became Minister for Bougainville Affairs.

After years of killing, Akoitai took a brave step. He walked, unarmed, into the jungle to talk to the rebel leader and begin negotiations for peace. Remarkably, he survived. (Akoitai's nephew was fighting with the rebels and told them that he would shoot anyone who shot Sam as he approached.)

But what made Akoitai take such a bold, even crazy, step? A church worker told him that he was going too far with his violence. `I said, "Bullshit, get out of my sight." But after that, I started thinking. He came back a second time and said, "Sam, you can take away all my rights, but there is one thing that you and me have no right to remove--and that is my life. Only God has that right." That was very powerful for me. After a while my own uncle was killed, and I realized I couldn't continue piling more bodies on top of his body. I had started the Resistance to restore peace in Bougainville. But I found out that to make peace I had to talk to my enemies not my friends.'

As part of the peace building process, Akoitai made a public apology for the burnings and killings carried out by the Resistance Movement. It started a long and painful journey of reconciliation in Bougainville, using traditional methods such as the exchange of shell money, feasts and mediation by tribal elders. `The Western form of justice and governance had eroded some of our traditional values,' said Akoitai. `In our culture we have a system that is based on respect--whatever the chiefs say goes. Jails simply separate the men from the community. But people in the community rely on each other--if you take the men away you are taking part of the community away.' The former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, also attended the conference.

A common thread running through the week at Caux was a desire to reach younger generations. As Amina Dikedi put it, `The cock that crows was once an egg.' Emma Kamara, lecturer in Home Economics at the University of Sierra Leone, told delegates of her endeavours to reach war-affected children. Through her church, she is developing a children's learning centre to run training courses and discussion groups on conflict resolution and peace building. `We must focus on the children in order to bring lasting peace,' she said. `They are the future of our country and just as the rebels trained them in fighting, we must train them to build peace.'

Young people were also the participants of an unexpected grouping from the former Yugoslavia. A 17-year-old Serb living in the UK found himself gravitating towards like-minded young souls from the same war-torn region. Apart from his mother, his entire family was killed in the Bosnian war. He had lost everything--his possessions, his house just outside Belgrade and his homeland. But there was something amazing that he had not lost--his spirit. He chaired a panel of young people from Croatian and Serbian backgrounds, who would have been denounced as traitors in Bosnia for daring to speak as friends. At the end of their presentation, members of the audience gave heartfelt messages of support, which fell like manna from heaven for the young people who had suffered so much. `You have lost your family,' said one man to the young Serb, `but today you have gained a new one.'

The reconciliation week at Mountain House proved to be a special time for everyone, whether they lived in war zones or had a personal or professional commitment to peace building. Paul van Tongeren, director of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention, told the conference about his organization's work. They were developing a network of peace building and conflict resolution organizations which could learn from each other and share experiences.

An atmosphere of openness and humanity permeated discussions everywhere, allowing people to overcome prejudice and fear and find out what it's like to `walk a mile in another man's moccasins'.

Even the evening cultural performances dripped with spiritual healing. Joe Carter, an African American descendant of slaves, inspired us with his huge personality and even bigger talent. With a deep resonant voice he took us on a musical journey through the pain and suffering of the slaves to his eventual reconciliation with descendants of white slave owners.

For many participants, Caux was an opportunity to reflect on personal and family conflicts and issues. Kojo Jantuah from Ghana told a moving story of his childhood and his flight through Africa. Khadiga Hussein, a Sudanese living in the UK, even announced that she had quit smoking. The experience of Mountain House gave her renewed strength to face the daily challenge of being a refugee in Britain, without resorting to cigarettes for stress relief.

All over the world conflicts of the past are being healed. There is a mountain to climb, but the Agenda for Reconciliation demonstrates that it is possible. The spirit of the conference was clear--despite all the problems there is a way forward; and the most each of us can do is change ourselves and light a candle in the darkness.