Giving Peace a Chance

Abstract

I am writing the first chapter of this book while sitting in my comfortable apartment in Cape Town, South Africa, enjoying the privilege of a research leave from my university in the United States. The apartment is set in the beautiful leafy suburb of Newlands. As I write I hear the sweet chirping of birds in the trees and the gurgling of an outside fountain. And from my window I see the magnificent peaks of Table Mountain. It is hard to believe, sitting here, that nothing but peace and beauty surrounds me. Unfortunately, what I describe represents only a part of the present truth here. For our apartment complex, like every other residence in the vicinity, is surrounded by electrified wire. We have a 24-hour security guard at the front gate. And, like almost every other residence in this part of the city, attached to the wall at the entrance is a warning stating that this place is protected by “armed response.” The ubiquity of these security measures is a reflection that South Africa is in the throws of a crime epidemic. The crime is often more than the merely instrumental forms of burglary and street muggings. It is often accompanied by deliberate and sadistic violence against victims. There is an intentional wish to hurt, maim, rape, and kill victims.

Peace and democracy go hand in hand.

It is not easy to talk about peace to people who are mourning every day.

I will go down on my knees to beg those who want to drag our country into bloodshed and persuade them not to do so.

Peace and prosperity, tranquility and security are only possible if these are enjoyed by all without discrimination.

From In the Words of Nelson Mandela, edited by Jennifer Crwys-Williams

If you could read the secret history of your enemies, you should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostilities.

—From The Native Commissioner, by Shaun Johnson