David Ka¯renaHolmes
One of the most moving scenes in motion picture history occurs in Richard Attenborough’s 1982 film Gandhi. Historically, waves of terrible violence broke out across India at the time (1947) of its partition into a Hindu-majority India flanked by Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan in both the west and east (East Pakistan now being Bangladesh). The charismatic leader Mohandas Gandhi, a Hindu by religion and a dedicated practitioner of non-violent protest, responded to the violence by going on a prolonged hunger strike.
In the movie, a haggard, greatly agitated Hindu approaches Gandhi and blurts out that he is ‘‘in Hell’’ because after his family were killed by Muslims, he went out and deliberately killed a Muslim child. Gandhi, though weak from hunger, replies carefully: ‘‘I can show you a way out of Hell.’’
He advises the man to search out an orphaned Muslim boy, adopt him as his own son – and bring him up as a Muslim. A look of horror passes over the Hindu’s face, but this becomes replaced by one of immensely deepened understanding, and he vows to follow Gandhi’s advice.
Many of us in this country, who normally live safer, wealthier lives, have had our complacency shaken by the horrific mosque attacks in Christchurch. We may not consider ourselves to be in the same position as the Hindu man whose own deliberate, violent crime had, he felt, placed him ‘‘in Hell’’ – but Gandhi’s advice carries a message for us all.
It’s the message, famously, of Jesus’s injunction in the sermon on the mount: ‘‘Love your enemies.’’ It’s the message, equally, of the Islamic saying: ‘‘Be kind to everyone you meet, for every person is fighting his or her own battle.’’ And it’s found in the assertion of English poet William Blake: ‘‘The most sublime act is to put another person before oneself.’’
This message has only become, if anything, more relevant now, when almost every day brings news of further violence in many places.
The situation in war-torn Yemen has been described by the United Nations as ‘‘the worst humanitarian crisis in the world’’. Some 900,000 Rohingya people, fleeing terrible violence in Myanmar, are crammed into an encampment in Bangladesh, creating an immense refugee crisis. And in many other countries poverty and exploitation are the lot of the lives of millions.
When to the current plight of these people are added man-made ecological catastrophes which seemingly threaten the entire spectrum of life on Earth, it’s understandable that many of us in all walks of life, and of all cultures, ethnicities and religions, might be wondering if, indeed, there is any ‘‘way out’’.
There have, undoubtedly, been prophets of doom since the beginning of history, but probably never before has there been such a tide of awareness of the problems facing continued human existence on this planet as is now being manifested in the widespread protests of young people demanding radical action to combat climate change. This is a movement which deserves every bit of support it can get.
Any possibilities of effective environmental action would, at the very least, be greatly enhanced if peace could be achieved both within and between nations. When Californian Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told children seeking her support for the ‘‘Green New Deal’’ that there was ‘‘no way to
pay for it’’, the children’s response specifically brought up the question of military funding.
The world could be almost unimaginably transformed if, rather than belligerently threatening other nations, those in control in powerful nations chose to ‘‘beat their swords into ploughshares’’ (as the prophet Isaiah put it) – if decisions could be made that the immense resources which currently go into the production of weapons of war should be redirected towards humanitarian projects.
Those who doubt such seeming miracles are possible could take the time to watch the film Soldiers Without Guns, which documents the resolution of extremely violent conflict in Bougainville. This is a remarkable story, in which New Zealand’s government and defence forces played a huge part.
In July 1997 women leaders, as well as men from both sides in Bougainville, attended negotiations at Burnham military camp near Christchurch – a meeting resulting in the Burnham Declaration. In November, a New Zealand Truce Monitoring Group (TMG) departed for Bougainville armed only with ‘‘pens, paper and guitars’’.
The slogan ‘‘guitars not guns’’ offers a happy variant to ‘‘ploughshares rather than swords’’, and the pens could serve as a reminder of the famous saying (put in the mouth of Cardinal Richelieu in a play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton): ‘‘The pen is mightier than the sword.’’
But two other major innovations contributed to the success of this mission: the intercultural connections established with Ma¯ ori tikanga, and the full recognition of the enormous importance of women in the peacemaking process. It was primarily the persistence of the women of Bougainville, supported by the mediation of the TMG personnel, women and men, Ma¯ ori and Pa¯ keha¯ , which brought Bougainville ‘‘out of the Hell’’ of its terrible conflict.
It could be argued that this documentary should be made compulsory viewing for warmongering male leaders around the globe, as a lesson in how turning away from militaristic attempts at domination, and accepting that women must play a far greater role in conflict resolution and in governance generally, can lead to much more successful outcomes.
New Zealand may often be regarded by many as a minor player in world affairs – but the Bougainville story is testament to the fact that just a few people from this country were able to set an example for the rest of the world. In this instance, it was in the invaluable field of peace-making – and it’ is to be hoped that Soldiers Without Guns reaches the wider audience it merits, and that its message is carried into at least some of today’s conflict zones.
Three principles which contributed to the success of the New Zealand mission in Bougainville – no weapons, tı¯kanga Ma¯ ori, and the important role of women in the process – all have strong roots in this country.
Probably never before has there been such a tide of awareness of the problems facing continued human existence on this planet.
David Ka¯ rena-Holmes is a New Zealand-born writer currently living in Nelson.