Friends, Below is an inspiring report that Joel Bisina of Nigeria asked me to send to you. He came to the Practice of Peace at the Whidbey Institute and has already begun to make a difference because of the experience.
from snowy Seattle, Peggy (P.S. In his message, POP is Practice of Peace, SW is Spirited Work) -----Original Message----- From: Joel Bisina [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2004 11:41 AM To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Use of Open Space Technology in Nigeria Mediation Subject: Mediation In Ongoing Crisis Between Ijaws And Itsekiris Of Warri Delta State Nigeria. Dear Members Of POP and SW Global Community. I an glad to inform you all of a successful first phase mediation on the Seven (7) Years old intractable conflict between the Ijaws and The Itsekiris, two ethnic nationalities in the oil rich Niger Delta Region. This is a conflict that has claimed well over 2,000 lives and rendered more than 10,000 people homeless, as well as destroying millions of dollars worth of property. I am especially interested in telling you about how I was able to use what I learned at Practice of Peace and Spirited Work to effect a positive outcome. My non-profit organization, NIDPRODEV (Niger-Delta Professionals for Development) in collaboration with IFESH (International Foundation for Education and Self Help) sponsored a multi-level mediation workshop from 14th to 17th and 18th to 21st of December, 2003. In this first phase, we met separately with Ijaws and the Itsekiris, targeting the leaders of the combatant groups on both sides. The initial focus of this intervention was to obtain a ceasefire amongst the two warring groups and also to facilitate them to explore other creative means of addressing the issues rather than resorting to violence. The member of your global community Joel Bisina led the mediation, and I am glad to inform you that the program recorded a high level of success. Not only did each group denounce violence as an option for getting their needs met, they also pledged to collaborate with each other to co-creatively find a solution to the problem. Both sides have had follow-up meetings with their various groups and have resolved as a next step to engage in a more constructive joint session. My participation at POP and SW was instrumental to the success recorded . I designed the mediation to use several strategies I learned, including OPENSPACE TECHNOLOGY, as well as THE REFLECTIVE OPENING AND CLOSING CIRCLES. However, it is worthy of note to mention that when we started the session, I saw that the participants were very agitated, and unable to focus on moving forward in a collaborative way. I remembered my participation at the session convened on COMPASSIONATE LISTENING convened by Leah Green and her team and decided to try that approach. It was of immense benefit, as the participants for the first time felt listened to and had the opportunity to listen to each other's side of the story. The openspace technology was very helpful as it enabled me to open up space and hold the space while the participants took responsibility for their actions and their issues. This was needed to vent tension and anger. And it created BROTHERHOOD. Some of the results of this intervention included Ø Change in perception Ø A resolution that violence does not pay any one Ø A resolve to collaborate for joint problem solving Ø A commitment to continue to work amongst ethnic groups to hold the space for the peace while the issues are being addressed It is of further interest to mention here that I was invited to observe a similar initiative that is being facilitated by an NGO run by an American woman here which is aimed at the elders, community leaders, and government security agents. Unfortunately, this session ended in a deadlock. It was clear the facilitator was not familiar with Open Space Technology, Compassionate Listening, or the other techniques I was exposed to at POP and SW. The facilitator also observed my mediation sessions, and I am glad to inform you that she has approached me to help out and teach her some of these skills. Both of these initiatives are supported financially by USAID/The US Embassy here in Nigeria. I will let you know of the outcome of the joint session between the Ijaws and Itsekiris coming up the second week of January 2004. Read and let me know what you feel . Joel Bisina I also intend to post this on catalyst for more members of the global community to see how they are contributing to my work here. _______________________________ Peggy Holman The Open Circle Company 15347 SE 49th Place Bellevue, WA 98006 425.746.6274 www.opencirclecompany.com * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
