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| 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee from Lilberia |
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| Emmanuel Jel |
When I signed up to attend the World Peace Symposium in Bangkok many months ago (I registered while still in Vancouver) to be honest I had no idea what to expect. My main area of interest has been conservation and sustainability rather than ‘peace’ per se but my experiences in Bangkok had a real impact on me.
There was a long list of outstanding speakers scheduled for the event (including last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee) but the World Peace Symposium started not with a speech but with the upbeat inspirational music of Emmanuel Jel. Emmanuel was born into turmoil in his home country of Sudan where at the age of seven he was recruited as a child soldier for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. He survived front line action and managed to escape against great odds enduring a three month trek on foot across the desert. Many of his young companions died on the journey. He was found or as he put it ‘rescued’ by a British Aid worker who smuggled him into Kenya where he was enrolled in school. He worked hard, learned to read and write and against all odds has developed into a world class international recording artist with a message of Peace.
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| With Steven Nakana |
Emmanuel Jel is one example of how education contributes to a better world but he was not the only one I met at the symposium. In a breakout session discussing the topic of “conflicts in natural resource management” I heard the incredibly articulate Steven Nakana speak. Steven too was born into conflict and poverty in Africa but was given an opportunity to study as a boy. He is now is working on his PhD at University of California Berkeley. Education has such an important role in the future of the planet.
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| Angelique Kidjo |
I was very much inspired by the words of Emmanuel and Steven as well as other speakers including Grammy Award winning musical artist Angelique Kidjo who, like Emmanuel, uses music to spread her message of Peace. In her own words, ‘music is for everyone. It’s not a matter of language, it’s not a matter of color, it’s not a matter of where you come from. It is the only thing, really basically, where everybody can come together and make a conversation’.
Through attending the World Peace Symposium I have a much greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the importance of ensuring we have peace in the world if we truly want a sustainable future. How can citizens be concerned about conservation or sustainability if they are involved in war or conflict and just trying to survive? When it comes down to basics we all want to put food on our tables and have a roof over our heads at night. If we have freedom, access to education and live in a time of peace then we can and hopefully will make the effort to care for the planet that sustains us.
My experiences in Bangkok remind me of the eloquent words of Bernard Ndaye, the geological engineer I met on a train in Zimbabwe in 2002 during the original Catt-Trax journey through Africa.
