sponsoring organizations --- event description

Invitee biographies

SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA

Afifa Azim, Afghanistan
Afifa represents the Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), a non-partisan network of women’s NGOs working to empower Afghan women and insure their equal participation in Afghan society. AWN recognizes children as the future of Afghanistan and regards the empowerment and protection of children as fundamental to its work.

Masuda Sultan, Afghanistan
Masuda is a program director of Women for Afghan Women, an organization that provides assistance to, and a platform for, women’s rights activists. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Business Council for Peace, providing advice on the economic empowerment of Afghan women. She is a founder of the Young Afghan-World Alliance, an organization coordinating humanitarian aid initiatives in the country. As a member of the Electoral College of Afghanistan-USA, she represented New York’s Afghan-American community throughout the process leading up to the Loya Jirga. Masuda lost 19 members of her extended family during the American bombing campaign to remove the Taliban.

Olga Takaeva, Russia
A member of the Mothers of Beslan, Olga was present during the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis where armed Chechnyans killed 344 hostages after holding them for three days. During the crisis Olga joined psychologists in supporting the hostages, providing them with food, water and prayer. As one of the coordinators of the social movement, For the Health of the Nation, Olga is engaged in charitable efforts aimed at assisting the invalids, orphans, and parents lost in the Beslan tragedy. She also assists graduates of Beslan schools gain admission to higher educational institutions in Russia.

AFRICA

Father Michael Lapsley, South Africa
In 1973 Father Lapsley, a young Anglican priest from New Zealand, went to South Africa determined to oppose the racism and oppression of apartheid. In 1976, at the insistence of the apartheid government, Father Lapsley was exiled from South Africa. While in exile, he served as a chaplain and spiritual advisor to the anti-apartheid movement. In 1990, while living in Zimbabwe, he was sent a letter bomb from South Africa. He survived an immense explosion but lost both hands an eye and suffered shattered eardrums. With the fall of apartheid, Father Michael returned to South Africa and eventually became Chaplain of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture in Cape Town. In 1998 he became the founding director of the Institute for Healing of Memories, an organization which conducts healing and reconciliation workshops in South Africa and other conflictridden societies worldwide. Nelson Mandela has said, "Michael's life represents a compelling metaphor: ...a foreigner who came to our country and was transformed...(His) life is part of the tapestry of the many long journeys and struggles of our people."

Cherifa Kheddar, Algeria
In 1996, after her brother, sister and uncle were tortured and murdered by Islamic terrorists, Cherifa joined a group of terrorism victims to create the Djazairouna (“Our Algeria”) organization. In 1999 she started The International Federation of Associations of Victims of Terrorism. She has traveled extensively speaking about the dangers of Islamic terrorism.

Father Romain Rurangirwa, Rwanda
Father Rurangirwa was raised in a remote village of Karama in southern Rwanda. Today, his village no longer exists. On April 21, 1994, amidst the Rwandan genocide, nearly 35,000 Tutsis were killed in Karama’s Catholic Parish. The dead included Father Rurangirwa’s entire family: parents, nine siblings, 17nieces and nephews, uncles and their families, in-laws, neighbors and friends. During this time, Father Rurangirwa was away from home, narrowly escaping death by hiding in latrines, bushes and abandoned houses. He witnessed the murders of many Tutsis with machetes and clubs, including 14 children with whom he had been hiding for a month. After the genocide, he became a Roman Catholic priest and ministered to the survivors of the genocide. Father Rurangirwa came to the United States in 2002, to obtain a Master's in Pastoral Care and Counseling, and will pursue an additional Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution at Brandeis University. He will then return to work in Rwanda.

Jean Baptiste Ntakirutimana, Rwanda
At age 24, while Jean Baptiste was studying outside his native Rwanda, he lost his parents, nine brothers, sister, uncles and aunts, nephews and nieces in the Tutsi genocide. After completing his studies, Jean worked in Rwanda for World Vision International and Africare. Currently he is the Country Director of Orphans of Rwanda, Inc. He is actively involved in many peace-building and reconciliation initiatives in Rwanda and the region, and sits on the board of the Rwanda Microfinance Forum.

Dr. Julia Duany, Sudan
Dr. Duany is a native of South Sudan, Africa. She came to the United States as a refugee in 1984. She founded the South Sudan Friends International (SSFI), an advocacy and technical assistance organization that supports grassroots communities in self-help and reconciliation projects. Duany is a research associate for the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University. Her work is focused on social justice issues and gender and conflict in Africa. Her book, Making Peace & Nurturing Life: A Memoir of an African Woman About a Journey of Struggle and Hope, was published in 2003.

EUROPE

Joanna Berry, UK
In 1984 Jo’s father was killed when the IRA planted a bomb in a hotel where he was attending a Tory party conference. Jo decided to do what she could to draw meaning from this tragedy. Her path led her to Ireland, to other victims of the IRA and victims who had suffered on both sides of the divide between Catholic and Protestant. As part of her journey she met Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb. Jo’s story and her meeting with Patrick were recorded in the award winning BBC documentary “Facing the Enemy.” Since their initial three-hour meeting Jo and Pat have worked together for peace. Jo is the founder of the organization Building Bridges for Peace.

William Frazier, Ireland
William grew up in Whitecross, Co. Armagh, in one of the few Protestant families living in the town. When regional strife began, Republicans pelted his house with stones and attacked his family on a nightly basis. Their home was wrecked five times with bombs and gasoline, and at one point the army had to guard his family for three days. He witnessed kidnappings and murders by bomb, gun and other forms of violence. Ultimately William lost his father, two uncles, two cousins, and five friends to an IRA attack. William founded Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR), to create a permanent remembrance of the region’s 25 years of violence and to insure that lessons are learned so history does not repeat itself.

Viviana Mantragola, Italy
Viviana’s mother, Renata Fonte, was Councillor in charge of the Municipality of Nardo in the south of Italy. In 1984, when Viviana was ten years old, her mother was killed in a mafia hooting as a result of her opposition to real estate speculation on a local nature preserve. Today, Viviana is president of Libera Association, a network of more than 1,200 political and cultural associations, groups and schools committed to promoting and creating a culture of lawfulness while fighting against the mafia and other organized crime groups. Their activities include promoting laws, which convert real estate confiscated from organized crime into public property; promoting democratic principles and fighting against corruption; running camps for anti-mafia ducation; and promoting work, development and economic fairness.

Juan Gutierrez, Spain
A civil engineer with expertise in conflict mediation, Juan has been engaged in the peace movement since 1968. In 1987, he founded the Peace Research Center (Gernika Gogoratuz) in Guernica. He led the team which collected and published the remembrances of 400 survivors of the Guernica bombing and organized their first public meeting in 1997. The German President, Dr. Roman Herzog, accepted Juan’s invitation to send a personal message to all of the survivors, acknowledging the German responsibility for the horror and asking for reconciliation. Juan helped the Guernica survivors establish contact with the survivors of Dresden, Hiroshima, and the victims of the widespread struggles in Colombia and Guatemala. Juan has been awarded the German Cross of Merit (1999) and the first Guernica Prize for Peace and Reconciliation (2005) and has served as the world coordinator of the “International Week for Science and Peace.”

Jesús Abril Escusa, Spain
After losing his son to the March 11 th, 2004 train bombings in Madrid, Jesús, a philosophy teacher, became a founding member of Asociación 11-M Afectados por el Terrorismo. This organization was founded on the principles of truth, justice and peace.

Beatriz Abril, Spain
Beatriz lost her 19 year-old brother Óscar, in the terrorist attacks of March, 11 th. She is a member of Asociación 11-M Afectados de Terrorismo, which helps her convert negative feelings into energy to fight for peace. Her brother has become her reason to live her life with absolute intensity.

Irene Villa Gonzalez, Spain
When Irene was 12 years old, ETA, a Basque separatist organization, planted a bomb in her mother’s car. Irene lost both legs and three fingers, and her mother lost her right arm. She has since used her tragedy to share her joy with the world, broadcasting to victims of terrorism the strength and optimism that saved her and her mother. Her book, Know That It Can Be Done, deals with giving back hope to the world, bringing calm to all hearts, spreading strength and good will, opening a path to peace, and showing the world how to be happy.

THE MIDDLE EAST

Naba S. Hamid, Iraq
A Professor at the University of Baghdad, Naba has been prohibited since 1982 from pursuing any scientific activities as a result of her refusal to join the Ba’ath party. Prior to the suspension, she won a W.H.O. fellowship and trained at London University. In 2003, Naba founded New Horizons For Women (NHFW), to help women deal with the “multiple traumas that have robbed them of hope and skills for their future.” One of the long-term goals of NHFW is preparing women to take their place in political life as leaders who will help build the new Iraq.

Nesreen Ahmed, Iraq
An intermediate school teacher in Baghdad, Iraq, Nesreen has linked her students with their counterparts in Brooklyn, New York through the 121 Contact project initiated by Peaceful Tomorrows member Bruce Wallace. The goal has been to give a human face to those living in war as well as allowing the students the opportunity to see how their similarities far outweigh their differences.

  Raed Jarrar, Washington, DC
Raed is an architect who completed his Master's thesis on post-war reconstruction in Iraq at the University of Jordan. He examined the impact of the war, the embargo, and the current occupation on Iraq's infrastructure, civil society, and culture. During the 2003 invasion, Raed was in his native city of Baghdad where he founded an NGO, which has carried out over 150 reconstruction projects. Raed was also the country director for the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, which collects data on civilian casualties of the war.

Nadwa Sarandah, Palestine
A manager of a large factory and mother of two, Nadwa joined The Parents Circle- Families Forum after her sister was killed on the streets of Jerusalem in 2002. The Parents Circle is an organization of over 500 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families, who have all lost relatives to the violence in the Middle East. They promote reconciliation as an alternative to fear, hatred and revenge through projects that communicate, educate and inspire more moderate approaches to peace building. Nadwa values both the benefit of sharing her pain and the importance of conveying the messages of dialogue and reconciliation to people on both sides of the conflict and across the world.

Robi Damelin, Israel
Robi’s son, Davidwas on military duty when he was killed by a sniper in 2004 when he was 28 years old. After her loss, Robi closed her successful PR firm in order to devote herself to The Parents Circle and its goals of promoting dialogue, tolerance and reconciliation. She is featured in the new documentary film Encounter Point.

PACIFIC ASIA

Nakayama Takamitsu and Rieka Asato, Japan
Nakayama is a survivor (“Hibakusha”) of the World War II atomic bombing of Nagasaki. As a member of Nihon Hidankyo -the only nation-wide organization of Hibakusha- he has taken part in international conferences, including the Non-proliferation Treaty Review, and has visited the Nevada test site to meet the downwind victims and Native American protesters. The goals of Nihon Hidankyo include prevention of nuclear war, elimination of nuclear weapons, state compensation for the A-bomb damages, and improvement of the current policies for protection of and assistance for the Hibakusha.

Rieka Asato, who will translate for Nakayama, is a representative of The Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.

Febby Firmansyah Isran, Indonesia
Febby is a survivor of the 2003 Jakarta Marriott Hotel bombing, when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the hotel lobby, killing 12 people and injuring 150.. Febby was in grave condition after the bombing and was hospitalized for 4 months and had to postpone his marriage. Febby is part of Forum 58, which offers support to others affected by violence.

Jully Isran, Indonesia
After her son was injured in the Jakarta Marriott bombing, Jully helped establish the foundation Forum 58 to help victims of terrorism. Forum 58 petitioned the government to cover hospital costs for those injured in 2003 when a second bomb exploded outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. In solidarity, she invited victims of the 2002 Bali bombing to participate in commemorations. Members share their experiences with the media and in university settings in order to add to the understanding of trauma and to aid others in recovery.

SOUTH AMERICA

Sofia Gaviria, Colombia
When Sofia was 15, her mother was kidnapped by guerrillas and released after four months. Twenty years later, her oldest brother, Guillermo, was elected governor of the State of Antioquia, one of the most important elected positions in Colombia. Following the principles of non-violence, he organized a 125-mile march for peace. Three miles from their final destination, the terrorist group Farc blocked the marchers. Guillermo and his Peace Advisor were kidnapped, tortured for over a year, and then killed. Sofia has since become a voice of victims in Colombia, by writing, representing and empowering the victims and institutions that work for victims’ rights. In 2005 Sofia attended the second congress of Victims of Terrorism in Bogotá. The formal consolidation of The Association of Victims of Terrorism in Colombia is expected this summer in Bogotá during the Congress of Colombian Victims of Terrorism.

Marcia Scantlebury, Chile
A journalist by trade, Marcia was arrested, tortured and held in various concentration camps in 1975, during the dictatorial rule of General Augusto Pinochet. She was exiled to Colombia where she joined the International League of Women for Peace andDisarmament. She then moved to Costa Rica and pursued a postgraduate degree in Human Rights. Later, while living in Rome, she participated in a world-wide anti death penalty campaign promoted by the Catholic Community to encouragepeace throughout the world through programs centered around the three monotheistic religions. Since returning to Chile in 1987, she has worked for Analysis Magazine (a means of resistance against the dictatorship), The Agreement for the Plebiscite(the opposition coalition), and for the campaign that brought the first democratic President, Patricio Aylwin, to power. Marcia has served as the Press Secretary for presidencial candidates and as the Director of Culture for the Chilean government. She is a member of The Pro Disarmament, Integration, and Latin American Development Women’s Organization and is the current Director of Corporation Villa Grimaldi.

NORTH AMERICA

Bud Welch, Oklahoma City, OK
After his daughter Julie's death in the Oklahoma City bombing, Bud became an outspoken opponent of the death penalty. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, State Senate and House Judiciary Committees and has met frequently with the father of Timothy McVeigh. He is a member of Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. Bud has been awarded the "Champion of Justice Award" by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the "Abolitionist of the Year Award" by the National and Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the ACLU Oklahoma Foundation "Anti-Death Penalty/Prison Project Award.” He has addressed the British Parliament and the European Parliament as part of the Amnesty International Journey of Hope in Paris, London and Brussels.

 David Hartsough, San Francisco, CA
For 40 years David has been involved with nonviolent peacemaking in the US, Kosovo, the former Soviet Union, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Philippines. He is Executive Director of San Francisco-based Peaceworkers and is co-Founder and Capacity Building Director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce. He has been active with Witness for Peace, Peace Brigades International, Nuremberg Actions, and the National Pledge of Resistance. He was one of the founders of the International Service for Peace, an international group working to support a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chiapas, Mexico. David is deeply committed to nonviolence and has been working actively for nonviolent social change and peaceful resolution of conflicts since he met Martin Luther King in 1956.

Jennifer Harbury, Washington D.C.
Jennifer has spent the last twenty years working for human rights’ reforms both in Guatemala and in the U.S. Her husband, Mayan resistance leader Efraín Bámaca Velásquez, was captured by the Guatemalan military on March 12, 1992. He was secretly detained, tortured and executed without trial. Jennifer’s efforts to save his life, including three hunger strikes, resulted in startling official disclosures in 1995 about the CIA’s use of known torturers as paid informants. Since that time, Jennifer has pressed her case through a successful international trial at the Inter-American Court on Human Rights of the OAS, and continues to litigate claims against the CIA in the U.S. federal court system. She has written two books about her experiences, Searching for Everardo and Bridge of Courage. Her newest book, Truth, Torture and the American Way (Beacon, 2005) analyzes the historic, legal and policy questions raised by current US torture practices. She currently works with the Torture Abolition and Survivor Support Coalition in Washington DC.