I Think Peace and Justice

by Ahmed Shuaib Shaktima

  We must retrieve our value-system by destroying in words and practice the meanings and implications of the following Antithetical folklore. (Proverb)

  (1)Enedu du unyiuali' ochu

  (2) Ududonen' Udunerogwun

  (3) Ewunka' jeyemajen, kefufia

  (4) Idola Enemune Idola Oli

  (5) Ekejuu re ejo, emu de eleeh

  There must be tenacity of purpose, a lofty and inflexible courage, an unbending will, which must never flinch before any form of antagonism, or in the face even threat to life.

  We must be willing to go into partnerships with individuals and associations of goodwill within and outside our immediate society.

  We must walk the talk as experience has shown that failing and falling is about the easiest thing with us

  Enekpaka over Enegama conundrum

  Collectivism over individualism

  To achieve this, four things must be in place indeed;

  RULES-We must concoct our rules of engagement to which everyone must be subjected.

  INSTITUTIONS- this will mean that everyone must conform to the dictates of the roles above no matter his/ her standing (institution shared identify).

  WELL-INFORMED CITIZENRY- we must eschew assumptions (the worst form of knowledge) and be truly informed about our realities and expectations. If we don't know where we are headed, then any road would lead us somewhere even if that somewhere is nowhere.

  AUTHORIZING ENVIRONMENT- this has to do with the quality of those who are the housekeeper of our collective patrimony. They are the cleaning- house for virtually everything and must exercise unquestionable integrity not minding whose ox is gored (if any).

  PARTICIPANT: Sorry! When you say folklore, what do you mean exactly?

  JANI: Those materials in culture that circulate traditionally among members of any group in different versions, whether in oral form or by means of customary example, as well as the process of traditional performance and communication are example of folklore.

  ‘Jan Brunward’

  PARTICIPANT: You mean is like a community story

  JANI: Perfectly correct!

  PARTICIPANT: A wealth of folklore does exist in most societies of today, but young people can’t apply it specific questions raised by its affiliation.

  JANI: With the advance in technology have made folklore less important means of educating younger generation.

  PARTICIPANT: But! How folklore are transmitted or treated as reliable evidence to help internalize personal and societal traits that are admired by the elders of the society?

  JANI: Every culture has its own classifications of oral traditions; however, all cultures distinguish between those stories that are fictional and those that are true, roughly in the way defined by folklore scholars.

  PARTICIPANT: Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak! All the analogy is well elaborated, is like breathing new life into a corpse. I believe our people should joined-up thinking. But how can we explore and analyse our cultural life in order advance a community social well- being?

  JANI: We are expected to see beyond our own prejudices to appreciate the cultural values of other people, not because of economic advantage or because the law required it, because it is right to do so.

  PARTICIPANT: Jani thank you for effort to enlighten us. But in such a cultural diverse environments, what is it we are more not likely to be willing to consider different cultural beliefs and traditions?

  JANI: A lot had been stereotype other people's culture without seeing the overall picture of their uniqueness. We should not be so indoctrinated with our own identity that we can not consider the advantages of other cultures and learn to incorporate them into our own cultures if need be, so as to give out the symbol of unity in diversity for development.

  PARTICIPANT:Jani! You see for years long ago some of us have not yet understood other people culture and we still live in decrease homogenous communities and cities, how can we learn from others cultural identity for national development.

  JANI: Thank to the former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee kuan yew stated that, ‘No single ethnic has a monopoly of wisdom and genius'. And cultures have much to learn from each other in the cultural market place for peace-building and justice. Such example are important part of exchange values and experience to participate fully in governance processes and structure.

  PARTICIPANT: Is cultural life attainable for national cohesion! How can it be assimilated?

  JANI: We have to assimilate for cultural development not to be assimilated, but ethnic diversity can be a real impediment to the benefits of society under very careful manage, since the strength of culture lies in the richness and diversity of its traditions to stimulate the economic development of its cultural life. It is this duality- the necessity for preservation of the status quo need of a good-neighborhoods policy for human tolerance and world unity.

  PARTICIPANT: You mean 'ethnic diversity' but the interaction of such principles in community arena is likely to result in community rivalry.

  JANI: You know, to shift from ethnic-driven community rivalry to fair and free democratic competition remain to improve social system which is sound democratic environment, is the prime condition to achieve sustainable development.

  PARTICIPANT: Can social system and democratic evolution allow sustainable development as you mention?

  JANI: The frontline of sustainable development help fight back any negative ideology of social change which ultimately fuel democratic advancement of good- neighbor emancipatory.

  PARTICIPANT: My question is how to disseminate social change as extensively across the population as rapidly as possible, consider the fact that everywhere is full of rancor and cussed?

  JANI: The process of the old dictum could have been more active to press for social change and improve democratic systems for positive peace.

  PARTICIPANT: You mean in this sense, can one’s understanding of peace differentiate between negative peace and positive peace?

  JANI: The former refers to the absence of violence, war or conflict. The latter means the presence of co-operation, justice or conflict resolution. But almost every culture or person has his or her own definition of peace. You can debate or try to formulate your own response of the answer as well to have a joyful mind.

  PARTICIPANT: It is evidently clear, therefore that much of the society is experiencing an unpleasant type of transformation, such as calamity, sacrileges, unemployment, underdevelopment, poverty, insecurity, corruption, vulnerability as well as retrenchment, liquidation redundancies and the accompany suffering of the majority.

  JANI: It is important to accept the society is ever-changing and the root source of transformation in today's society is the concept of dolt-noody-berks-twerp rather than developing it, but much are there finding the solution.

  PARTICIPANT: Is it true the traditional leaders are not place higher value on peace, justice, truth, reciprocity, righteousness, harmony, order, and balance rather than acquisition of material wealth.

  JANI: By virtue of transformational leadership, we can see some of the traditional leaders are now exercise their mutual sense of security, identity, recognition, development, and self-actualization to shape the contoured of negotiation for change through constitutional democracy and utilitarian democracy.

  PARTICIPANT: Do you think their approach is a long shot for human identity and worth to predispose individual's anxiety, depression, addiction, and violence, consider the limitation of their power?

  JANI: It is important to know that as long their sense perceive their subject physical appearance, economic opportunity, natural resources, infrastructures, education and health care are place in their 'heart burner' if not their propitious cultural hegemony and legitimizing colonization of their native lands will not secure as intrinsic worth.

  PARTICIPANT: What's your own thought of some traditional leaders not able to secure their 'cultural hegemony'?

  JANI: We shouldn't blame the traditional leaders for
finding it difficult to enjoy their strength, take for instance villages burned by unknown assailants, person killed by bombing, 'dolt-noody-berks-twerp' kidnapping for ransom, even victims never know or see the attackers.

  PARTICIPANT: Is that a reason why people consider their approach as quant and lack so- called empirical qualities and they are now advocating for holistic international approach?

  JANI: Well! It come as no surprise!

  PARTICIPANT: You mean their goal is to win short term international respect or to avoid criticism for doing nothing.

  JANI: I don't think so, there believe is in hampered by the doctrine of sovereignty in internal affairs of other nation states for intervention.

  PARTICIPANT: But you can bear witness with me that the challenge of traditional leaders of today is what action to take as part of deliberately and systematically violate the human rights of their citizens.

  JANI: It's easy to say that it's a problem unless their interest are directly involve to become part of issues network, part of social planning process and lobbying team to represents the enduring strength of moral and ethical values and moral philosophy for public affairs.

  PARTICIPANT: Can our contemporary institutions in conjunction with moral Philosophy, religion, and ethics successfully overcome the worst aspects of our nature?

  JANI: My answer would be next time, not always, and I guess so, intellectually, I believe it's a long shot.

  PARTICIPANT: Aright! What happens when a precarious balance of power fails?

  JANI: In practice, some accommodation between idealism and real politic should merge and everyone will have to cooperate, and provide essential structures and tools to maintain peace and prosperity on a national scale.

  PARTICIPANT: If this hybrid system works, how can individual behave?

  JANI: Paradoxically in some cases, individual interventional in the internal affairs of sovereign state are to produce a greater good practically spring both humane and ethical values to give a sense of evolutionary as their interests dictate.

  PARTICIPANT: When you say sovereign state, what exactly do they mean?

  JANI: According to Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United

  Nations, states sovereignty means “states are now widely understood to be instruments at the service of their peoples, and not Vice Visa.

  PARTICIPANT: If that is so, how can the government derived their just power from the governed? Or does that means no country consider internal matters if its national security is threatened!

  JANI: Government exists to promote and protect individual freedom and lose their legitimacy when they do not.

  PARTICIPANT: But the founding fathers envisioned governments being change from within by the people, not from without by humanitarian intervention.

  JANI: As a realist, intervention to save innocent people from unjustified maltreatment by the 'dolt- vampires' can fulfill most substantially satisfied to apply and create the rule of law and maintain mutual security arrangements.

  PARTICIPANT: Well! In practice we have been told that government can used its status and collective might to defer and defect any 'dolt- vampires'

  JANI: I believe it was a good idea, but one whose time had stated or not reorganizing itself through collective intelligent action sharing.

  PARTICIPANT: From your comment you mean the time is far-fetched to keep order in a disorderly state!

  JANI: Ultimately, at the time the government were considered necessarily responses to a series of coordinated terrorist attacks will significantly weakened and driven 'dolt- vampire' into hiding, that will relatively restore peace, or keeping a fragile peace already in place, to prove a system of detecting potentially conflict before they could develop into explosive situation.

  PARTICIPANT: Are sure your government are using the article 33 of the United Nations charted to strategies in conflict resolution in your country?

  JANI: It also true that the relative peace enjoyed by the society can partly be attributed to' behind the scene' efforts which do not enjoy public limelight. And you will also agree with me that the ad hoc character of most peace efforts, and the principle of national sovereignty which rules out intervention, unless invited.

  PARTICIPANT: “Hm? Really?

  JANI: “Absolutely”

  PARTICIPANT: How can we manage the cultural dimensions of information domains in our society?

  JANI: In training, one should careful ensure that information is packaged to take account of various status, system based on age, gender, rank tittle etc. This will be based on individual's capacity for driven such model.

  PARTICIPANT: Which direct indigenous communication package mechanism are necessarily?

  JANI: Recognized mechanisms are stories, poems, jokes, song, riddles, and jest. Etc.

  PARTICIPANT: In majority of cases, people still make, using modern media to incorporate communication into delivery of message.

  JANI: 'Yes, in most cases these efforts have some time failed because of the mass nature of the media and energy failure.

  PARTICIPANT: Hmm! Jani please are you a civil society?

  JANI: (Smile) without going callously, everyone is all in self civil society. I urge you to be the very good at family and community units.

  PARTICIPANT: You mean good family in community unit? But some family uses their members as 'opportunity cost' of child labour!

  JANI: 'Yeah! Families usually have a very realistic sense of what works for them, but in most case lead to abuse, exploited or robbed of their physical and moral resources through begging, child prostitution and working in contaminated environment.

  PARTICIPANT: I believe, with this comment most young people will learn lesson from your traditional mind set.

  JANI: 'Yeah! Good traditions continue because they are beneficial, and harmful ones are discarded because they cause dysfunctional societies structure.

  PARTICIPANT: Good to know the knower know how to think independently and do what they think consciously and make decisions to extend.

  JANI: Thank you very much you do! I believe with your contribution, our communities will become more cultural assimilation in identity sharing. And I close with these recording poem of mine for your realization.

  O' Treasures of cultural life.

  What could we all see to grow?

  In this joyous promise land;

  To judge the level of identity in love,

  Neither they nor you has ever heard.

  To understand the cultural code

  But just as we became assured

  We can cross the mighty hill,

  Fill with blossom birds

  Ringing the bells till the cock crow

  For Glorious inch before us.

  To live and carry our punch- card around,

  On culture that western admire.

  We believe more could enough admire,

  With sharp white eyes,

  Each like a treasure in disguise.

  For fulcrum of National progress,

  In the area of cultural prescriptive.

  O' Treasures of cultural life,

  We have gotten the remedy

  We're lacking to live long days.

  To retain and reflect past events.

  Ahmed Shuaib Shaktima.

  SCENE SEVEN

  Team building: (The process of identifying various skills in particular group in assigning roles in difference proportion for coordinating implementation of activities in order to achieve group tasks successfully).

  Jani decide to set up a committee to build their confident so as to lay a solid team management leadership team to annihilate any incoming conflict in their community through innovative democracy process and break out of social routines at the right point to show the way young people acquire skills of social interaction to solve problem as a team. All that's needed for it to work properly are the right conditions.

  However, jani suddenly switch her team members mind rapidly from one mode of thinking to another
in order to expand their knowledge base across different fields of activity and then see different problems from different fields and breakdown a stubborn defense through creative thinking. While at the same time set up the barrier of mental image to all the participants to think in order to ascertain their own ability and learning from it to improve judgment. Such example of the mental image was to join the nine dots with four lines.

  Example are shown below;

  . . .

  . . .

  . . .

  All the participants consciously able to work out roughly what those are, to' construct their own examples and then try them again and get feedback from the effects, then they modify the example and try them once more. They were very excited about the whole process, seeing it as way of having fun for creative mind.

  At this stage, all the participants had develop a broad and rich curiosity to support any integrative creative thinking from old problem or solution to a new one from different angle without any fear of resentment.

  However, jani further extend the whole process to another meeting to discuss more trending issues in the society and to keep in mind to get more support and ownership from common goal and legitimate representation of all the stakeholders by bringing more developmental and stimulating capacity building and trust among themselves and the communities. To achieve the objectives of their purpose, all the process took place in their vicinity rather than a far away venue or at an expensive hotel hundreds of miles from the community.

  JANI: It’s nice to meet here again, we are today in this hall, mark October 9th of the year to see how we can bring about innovative experiment of 'democracy'. For learning democratic skills, value and dispositions. This process is to create more democratic space that links between deeply divided communities and to relate political paradoxes that reflect to the practice of participating democracy. As the name implies I would like all to participate fully in this discussions.

  PARTICIPANT: Thank you very much for the opportunity. How can we reflect on the process of democratic learning and practices that arise from these contexts of ‘randomocracy’?