From Iraq to Burma, from Peru to Yemen, from Nicaragua to Nepal, the personal stories of widows, children, workers, soldiers often are lost in the cacophony of war. The U.S. Institute of Peace on Tuesday, April 28, 2015, hosted a discussion of a new book that gives voice to those directly affected by violent conflict, Speaking Their Peace: Personal Stories from the Frontlines of War and Peace, by USIP's Colette Rausch. View photos and video from the event.
With a foreword by the Dalai Lama, the book collects interviews from 80 ordinary citizens -- a taxi driver, a nun, a machinery worker, a mother -- from conflict zones all over the world Their accounts illuminate the intensely personal experience of war, the uncertain transition to peace, and the aspirations that survive despite it all.
USIP's Viola Gienger moderated a discuss with Rausch, the associate vice president for Global Practice and Innovation at USIP, and Najla Elmangoush and Khitam Al-Khaghani, who have lived and worked in conflict zones and were a part of the team that conducted interviews. A photo exhibit featured images taken during Rausch's travels and her meetings with interviewees.
Audience members had an opportunity to record their own 30-second messages of what peace means to them for a "Speak Your Peace" video. The event was followed by a reception and book-signing session.