Peace pilgrimage for South African duo

Two South African women visited Wanganui this week in an effort to encourage women to recognise their peace making potential.

Portia Mosia, from Soweto and Jackie Euvrard, from Johannesburg were in Wanganui overnight visiting people who had attended the Creators of Peace International Conference in Sydney at the beginning of October.

The women were invited to afternoon tea at the Young Women's Christian Assicoation, and were shown around Wanganui by Aotea Maori Women's Welfare league's TiaHuia Abraham, who attended the peace conference.

The women have been discussing the effect of "Peace Circles" in South Africa, which have been a key outcome of the peace conferences.

Peace circles are small community gatherings of women who work together to identify and resolve personal and community issues.

"The peace circles empower women to have peace making potential," Ms Euvrard said.
Both women spoke at the conference about the affect of peace circle meetings, which have been running in South Africa for a few years now, to their lives.

Ms Euvrard said she had been involved with the innovators of change in South Africa for years, and she thought the peace circles were an important tool in helping South African people to heal from the counties apartheid past, and ongoing xenophobia.

"They're designed to be a deeper understanding between different cultures, religions and racial groups. They help build respect and trust through the story sharing, everyone has the right to be heard."

"Women have a crucial part to play in South Africa. They have a saying, "If you strike a woman you strike a rock."

Ms Mosia said she attended a peace circle meeting not knowing what it was about, but ended up sharing her life experiences and empowering herself because of it.

"In my experience of being raped, you're not allowed to talk about it in South Africa because it would bring the status of your family down, but it doesn't help within yourself. The peace circles helped me to break that law and talk about it, and it's helped other women come out and do the same thing."

"One of the reasons that made me feel that I could share my story was the feeling of safety in the group. I struggled with anger and frustration and forgiveness, and I was able to go on and live my life the way I wanted to."

New Zealand coordinator for peace circles Glenys Wood is driving the women up the North Island from Wellington, visiting eleven people who attended the peace conference on the way to Auckland. 

Mrs Wood said there had been one Peace Circle held in Lower Hutt already, and she hoped to set up more.

"There is an element of learning to listen to people without prejudice or judgment. Peace circles are just beginning, I think they could be very helpful here and I can see they're going to be very helpful in reaching out to other countries and creating an understanding."