The fifth Mir-Paqe-Мир training “Introduction to Peacebuilding” was held in Kruševo, North Macedonia. The training was jointly organised by the Centre for Nonviolent Action (CNA), Sarajevo–Belgrade, Action for Nonviolence and Peacebuilding (ANP), and Gjilan/Gnjilane-Prishtina/Priština, Peace Action (PA), Prilep-Tetovo.
The training brought together 18 participants from Serbia (7), North Macedonia (6) and Kosovo (5). There were participants from Preševo, Kragujevac, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kruševac, Vranj, Veles, Vaksinac, Vinica, Skopje, Bitola, Borinac, Runik and Lipjani.
The participants that were selected from among 84 applicants were of different ethnic backgrounds, including those who were members of the minority where they come from and those who were members of the majority, as well as members of non-majority ethnic groups (those who do not belong to any of the majority communities in the region). The heterogeneous make-up of the group, by various criteria, not just ethnic belonging, created an atmosphere suited to analysing existing social conflicts from various perspectives and becoming familiar with how these conflicts impact individuals from various communities and social groups. Each of the participants brought their experiences to the training to share with others, including aspects that are not easily revealed, such as fears and grievances. There were 8 men and 10 women, aged 21 to 54.
The training team was made up of Boro Kitanoski and Albulena Karaga from Peace Action, Nexhat Ismajli from the Action for Nonviolence and Peacebuilding, and Nenad Vukosavljević and Katarina Milićević from the Centre for Nonviolent Action. Although this is the first time that this training team has worked together, we are satisfied with our cooperation, the way we handled difficulties and our improved links, both personal and between our respective organisations. The ethnic, gender and regional heterogeneity of the team provided a direct example to the participants about how various identities need not in and of themselves be a source of distrust, it is a matter of how we deal with our identities.
The interpreters for the training were Naile Keqmezi and Ismet Ballazhi.
How to achieve a fair attitude towards the past?
Overcoming official borders, but even more so, those that exist in people’s heads is the biggest challenge when it comes to peacebuilding in the region. Over its nine days of intensive activities, the Mir-Paqe-Мир training becomes a space for free exchange of opinions and for re-examining your own views. The Mir-Paqe-Мир training requires courage of the participants in deciding to face up to accepted and unconscious stereotypes imposed by our societies so as to transform them (at least) in their own minds.
As with any other peacebuilding training, in order to discuss complex, painful and difficult subjects, we first had to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect among the group and towards the training team, so the first part of the training was devoted to getting to know each other, developing teamwork and cooperation and broaching the topics of violence and discrimination as well as workshops on identities and conflict resolution. In the first part of the training, we also tackled gender roles in society. A particular difficulty that cropped up, and that we dealt with well as it would turn out in the second half of the training, was to create a safe space for people to step out of their self-imposed role of being “representatives of their communities” and start “speaking on in their own name”. In that respect, it is particularly important that some of the participants shared their personal and emotional stories about how they feel and how they live with not belonging to any of the majority communities (not just ethnic) or with simply “not belonging anywhere”.
These emotionally charged shared experiences helped create a safe space for all and links of mutual empathy, which enabled us to work on conflict resolution, dealing with the past and peacebuilding in the second part of the training. A prominent workshop in the second part dealt with what should be done where “my people” are the majority to achieve a fair attitude towards the past. The participants first made wall newspapers in their own ethnic groups and then others would add what they thought the group could do in addition to what was already up on the wall. This led to an interesting discussion and some conflicts that were accompanied by a high degree of empathy and desire to hear other views and the needs of the “other side”, which ultimately contributed to greater cohesion and empowerment. It was a prime example of how conflicts can prove to be new opportunities for change if they are dealt with constructively and honestly.
The participants genuinely devoted themselves to the working process and got more out of it perhaps than they initially expected, when a few of them had said they hoped there would be no conflicts. There were some, but we did not try to avoid them or hide them, instead we worked on them. Some we managed to transform, for some we sought out a path towards change, and some were left over to work on and learn from in the future. Any uneasiness at dealing with difficult topics was compensated with the knowledge that we can deal with them in different ways and that the discomfort they cause is not something individuals have to handle on their own, but that it can be shared and can become something we recognise in each other. It turns out we can affect each other, support and help each other, because we are connected by much deeper and stronger bonds than it first seemed from our “adversarial” positions.
Change is a process
Sometimes, the very presence of people who would otherwise probably never meet in one place is an achievement in its own right, but we do not just want to organise encounters and gatherings if they do not lead to at least a start in the peacebuilding process. We are deeply convinced that the individual has the power to change and that change, starting from the narrowest family environment, is the process we need. Joy in our work comes from recognising individuals in the group prepared to work from that personal change out towards social change. It is our impression that many of the participants from the training experienced this transformation and that no one left the training quite the same as they were coming in.
The photo gallery from the training can be found here