Peace

Suna Finbog 20. February 2017

“They have just shot some people, that’s all”

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Berlin)

Some years ago, I was working in a place known to host very violent armed groups.

All of the sudden, while standing with some of the children we were working with, we heard tree, four shots. “They killed three people, they killed three people”, some kids warned.

A little girl next to me started crying. Her mother, perhaps also afraid herself, shouted: “Why are you crying, girl, they have just shot some people, that´s all”.

Days later, I told this story to another colleague, who was from this area, and I asked him, “does these killings happen very often”?

“No”, he said, casually. “It is not that bad, it is just every month”.

I have thought of this tragedy often when I have worked in complex situations of violence and political oppression. [Read more…]

Suna Finbog 17. February 2017

Governmental Hearing on Afghanistan 2017

The NCPD was invited to contribute to the Norwegian Governmental hearing on Afghanistan, and our Afghanistan expert Norunn Grande acted as our spokeswoman. This is her speech:

We are grateful for this opportunity to share observations from our numerous dialogue fieldwork trips to Afghanistan, as well as observations made working with Afghans in Norway.

All peace processes springs from a hope and a belief in the fact that peace can be achieved. And we believe peace can be achieved in Afghanistan.

Encouraging and building trust between people, and between people and the government, is vital if we are to construct a society where conflicts can be resolved without the use of violence. Basic human rights need to be secured. This is the only way to ensure that everybody can participate on equal footing, without fear of reprisals. [Read more…]

Suna Finbog 13. February 2017

Packing the Suitcase for Peace – What do We Choose to Fill it With?

Mountains in Iraq escape — Mountains in Iraq

I still remember the first time I reflected on my family’s escape from the war between Iraq and Iran in the 80’s. The after-school teacher asked me to tell about the route and describe my memories. I could not because I was not sure what this meant.

I was new in Norway, and that people at home and in the community I was living in kept telling me that I was not Norwegian. I didn’t comprehend the language well enough and I was confused when moving between places and people.

Some years later, at the age of 9, I one day described a nightmare to my mother, some images were rich in detail, and other more blurry. She confirmed that these were true happenings from our escape, travelling from one mountaintop to another, with planes crossing over our heads. I remember hiding in the basement in my uncle’s arms. He whispered to me: This is it. If I can re-experience such terrible memories from before I turned four, I wonder how youth and children growing up in the midst of war experience life? [Read more…]