ISFIT… or how Norway contributes to peace with more than Nobel Prizes alone

Is youth not involved in politics, human rights, conflict  and global issues? Is peacebuilding only the task of the governmental leaders? SInce I arrived here in Norway, 5 days ago, I am more than ever convinced there is hope for the future.  ISFiT - The International Student Festival in Trondheim (Norway) is the world’s largest student festival with a thematic focus. It lasts 10 days and about 450 students from all over the world attend the festival.  I feel more than honoured to be selected as one of them.  The themes of ISFiT have changed over the years, but have always been related to social and political topics with international relevance. This year (20th of February till 1th of March) the main opic is peacebuilding.

 ISFiT is not just another student festival, nor an excuse to go abroad and get drunk with other students. The last days I was impressed by the speeches of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates like South African Anti-apartheid archbishop Dr. Desmond Tutu and Iranian Human Rights Activist/Feminist Dr. Shirin Ebadi.  I could write a whole blog post about Tutu’s Ubuntu philosophy (and soon I will), as well could I devote pages to the wise Ebadi’s words (tranlated from Iranian) about the current conditions of women rights, especially in the Middle East. On Monday I attended a plenary session that triggered the journalistic part of my mind.  Where does freedom of speech end and freedom from humiliation start? Can you draw boundaries or limits to freedom of speech as it is a core value in western democratic society? Should journalists give their right to say certain things in order not to defend other people?  The Muhammed cartoons, for example, should the editor have thought twice before publishing them, before it could lead to violent protests among muslims? I could ask it myself when Flemming Rose, the former cultural editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten (he was responsible for the Muhammed cartoons), discussed the topic with Johan Galtung: Norwegian Professor of Peace Studies, sociologist and the principal founder of the discipline of Peace and conflict studies.  I finally realize it is possible to understand both sides of the coin. Even though the two had a totally opposing opinion, they both had a point. Normally I try to make things easier, leave it black and white, truth and lie. This time I could find myself in both.  And actually I think the whole aim of peacebuilding is to increase consciousness, empathy for the other and the ability to see conflicts from different perspectives.  Dialogue and mutual understanding as a corner stone of peace building. 

«You must respect women in the same manner you respect yourself», Ebadi answered. Photo: Fotogjengen v/Studentersamfundet i Trondhjem

Besides 17 workshop groups which highlight the festival theme in various ways, ranging from Photography or Music for Peace to Human Rights and Governance Systems, ISFiT also accommodates 3 Conflict Area Dialogue Groups. The concept is really challenging and unique. Students from Jerusalem/Palestine, Cyprus, Georgia/Abkhazia spend three weeks together before and during the festival. In this seminar the participants share their perspectives on the conflict and tell the story the way they experienced it, using dialogue as a tool for construction. “Conflict does not emerge in a vacuum and therefore cannot be solved in a vacuum” (ISFiT 2009). Especially for the Israel/Palestine group, the confrontation was painful. Relatives or friends of some Israeli participants where involved in the Gaza attack in December and January or lived in fear for terrorist suicide attacks in Israel. At the same time some Palestinian participants recently lost relatives/friends/neighbours in this same attack. I can’t imagine how aweful it must be for them. Same goes for Rabab Amidane, the Student Peace Prize Laureate 2009 (she will receive this prize tomorrow).   Elkouria “Rabab” Amidane from Western Saharais a  human rights activist . The jury describes her as a undoubtful winner:

“Amidane is awarded the Prize for her work for human rights, students’ rights and peace in Western Sahara. Amidane is contributing to inform the world about the discrimination and the violence that the Sahrawis are exposed to by the Moroccan government. Even though Amidane uses peaceful means in her fight for human rights, she has been exposed to torture and arrested by the Moroccan police several times. ” read more

This young woman made a huge impression on me. Even though her fight for human rights brings her own life, but also the lives of her friends, relatives,… into danger, Rabab continues her quest for a free Western Sahara. Life in the occupied territories is unbearable. Morroco controls the area with brutal force. On sunday Rabab received terrible news from her home country: a close friend of her (16 years old)  has been raped by police officers in her home country. The same police man tortured Rabab for 24 hours three years ago and put her brother in prison for years. I admire Rabab’s courage to follow her ideals in order to make life better for the people of her ‘partially recognized’ country. The big problem is that the world is not informed about his topic. The media stay silent about it, especially because the undercover journalism is also controlled by Morrocco. An Morrocan girl during the plenary session admitted that she had never heard about the violations of human rights in this part of Morrocco. She knows now, but the wall of Morrocon prostesters, who will gather in Trondheim to boycot the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, they do not know either. They think about Abab as a dirty. lying seperatist. Nobody, even Europe and the USA, close their eyes. Is it because there is only desert and no oil in Western Sahara?

It is just amazing to be here, surrounded by students from 145 different nations. As students are the future leaders of the world ISFiT believes that our voices should be heard and international networks established. Thus the purpose of ISFiT is to be a meeting place for discussion and debate, an arena where ideas are born, friendships are made, and valuable lessons are learned. This non-profit festival aims at fostering inspiration and being a starting point for international cooperation amongst students.

One of the best international experiences ever…

I will publish about the individual plenary sessions, meeting and interviews as soon as I am back home next week. In the meanwhile I try to learn some more about European Politics by asking other European their story and the story of their country. I feel I am finally getting some insight in some topics, but just as for peacebuilding, there is still a long way to go.

Take care,

Veerle

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