Reasons for hope.

FEBRUARY'S Reasons for Hope conference in Liverpool, UK, focussed on healing history, the power of honest dialogue, and how the skills of asylum seekers and refugees could be used for the benefit of all. It was organized by lofC's Hope in the Cities (HiC) programme and Liverpool Hope University.

Speakers included the university's Rector and Chief Executive, Gerald Pillay, Dauod Zaarora, Director of the North of England Refugee Council; and Barrie Brazier, Manager of Nottingham Race Equality Council.

Particular highlights were Letlapa Mphahlele, a former commander of the South African People's Liberation Army, who told of his reconciliation with the mother of a girl who was killed by his army, and the Reverend Tee Turner, HiC's Outreach Director in Richmond, Virginia. He spoke of coming to terms with the past: 'The power of history can either tangle you up or set you free,' he said.

Dialogue is central to the work that HiC does on both sides of the Atlantic, building trust and helping to bring divided communities together. Delegates were given the opportunity to experience dialogue during the afternoon, an aspect that organizer Gerald Henderson felt made the day unique: 'Most conferences are just presentations and although you have some dialogue it's usually led by an expert. Hope in the Cities wants people to work together to find solutions, to make allies and not enemies.'

One participant said of the dialogue she had attended, 'It enabled us to not just look outside ourselves, but also to explore within, our thought processes, belief systems and behaviour.'