Allies In Caring visited Sierra Leone; a country reconciling their political divisions.

 By Ivette Guillermo-McGahee 

It might be helpful to think of what comes after this time close to the election results, this time of partisanship and polarization.  Most of us had undoubtedly taken a position for one candidate or the other. Some decided at the last moment. Regardless, the results of this election, with its heightened emotions and tribal, near-fanatical allegiances, will leave roughly half of us elated with the win and the other half dejected and perhaps angry. I ask us to consider the model of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa that survived a brutal civil war and is now working through reconciliation and peace-making.  

Hammonton-based Allies in Caring was selected in August 2023 to join “The Community Power Global Learning Exchange,” a program launched by Root Change with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to explore creative solutions to persistent community health challenges. Along with practitioners, organizers, and community leaders worldwide, we are exploring ways to transform communities and create more equitable and just societies. We’re asking ourselves how we can build thriving communities. How can we engage residents in co-creating economic opportunities? How can we promote physical and social well-being, improve educational access, and ensure everyone’s safety?  

Starting on October 19th, 2024, the Government of Sierra Leone hosted a group of leaders from Nepal, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Colombia, the Gambia, Northern Ireland, and the US, including Chicago’s deputy mayor. We strove to learn the unique process of reconciliation and community re-building practiced by members affected by the Sierra Leone Civil War. The war lasted from 1991 and 2002. Three political factions warred for control of the struggling nation. Sierra Leoneans were forced into service with rebel forces and made to commit acts of atrocity against their own neighbors in the community. A United Nations Development Program publication estimates that at least 70,000 died and 2.6 million people were displaced during the war. 

As part of this program, I had the opportunity to visit villages and participate in the reconciliation process called “Fambul Tok”.

The name describes a tradition of nightly bonfires in which family members discuss events and solve problems. The organization “Fambul Tok” facilitates community-led reconciliation and development in post-war countries. The reconciliation activities include Reconciliation Committees, community farms, soccer matches, Peace Mothers, and community Bonfires. 

A remarkable experience for me was the Sierre Leone tradition of nightly bonfires. The fire allows community members to create a container for reconciliation. This makes it possible for members to express their truth. In the case of the victims, they tell their pain and the impact of the violence on themselves and their families. The perpetrators have a space around the fire to admit their actions and ask for forgiveness publicly. Then, those who have been wronged can forgive them. This results in remarkable healing in which relationships are repaired, and the community can move forward in helping each other and in solving mutual problems. 

At the bonfire I attended, they addressed ordinary issues to help prevent an escalation of hostility. The Chief came forth, to tell the truth; he shared his frustration with his people and remarked that people were not showing up at the meetings and that, even if they came, the youth would not take him seriously. He felt disrespected; he confessed he was growing frustrated and needed to bring it to the public because he did not want to become aggressive towards his people. The chief of the youth stepped in and acknowledged that he and other youth were not taking the meetings seriously and expressed that he, too, needed to tell the truth; he spoke about his and other youth's frustration at the lack of actions and follow up after youth have expressed their perspective and support they needed. Both chiefs asked each other for forgiveness, hugged, and committed to continuing their conversation. Then they danced together and invited everyone else to join them.   

Anglican Bishop McLeod Ochola, who lost his wife and daughter in the fighting that affected Uganda, shared a beautiful metaphor for what helped him and guided him in this process of reconciliation: “Once the truth is known, it is very bitter for you to swallow” How can you handle it? Accept it? It is only through mercy, through accompanying another in their misery with the help of the divine. Mercy can let you hold it. If you want to carry live fire in your hands, you will throw it away because it will burn. But if you hold it in something good that does not conduct heat, you can take the fire. So, it is the same with this truth revealed- you can receive it with Mercy.  

Jon Caulker, founder of the Fambul Tok organization, and Libby Hoffman, founder of Catalyst for Peace, explained that reconciliation and peace are crucial for development. They used the bowl as an example: “When the bowl is whole, all the resources can be used effectively. However, if the bowl has cracks, whatever you pour into the bowl will end up being wasted.”  

A whole, healthy, and connected system draws on the best in each of us; it invites wisdom, creativity, forgiveness, and generosity. A fragmented system seeks to leverage our opposition's mistakes, making us more defensive, vigilant, and hostile.  

We can use our culture and practices to build resilience in Hammonton, in South Jersey. This will help us reconcile the cracks in the bowl of our local community and, most importantly, prevent election-related violence. If we can find a way to reach out and begin to understand each other, we can move forward into an uncertain future and thrive together. 

If you are interested in joining me in this effort, please contact me at igmcgahee@gmail.com 

To learn more watch: Stream Online - Fambultok.com 

Visit this website: Constellating Peace: A View from Sierra Leone - Catalyst For Peace