The first was the launching by the government on 29th April of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) with celebrated South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in attendance. Archbishop Tutu is known worldwide for his fearless and outspoken moral and spiritual campaign against the Apartheid regime and for Chairing the South African TRC following the fall of the Apartheid government.

Coinciding with the TRC launch was a three day regional conference, “Reconciliation – The Way Forward” convened by Winds of Change (the Solomons chapter of Initiatives of Change). Archbishop Tutu was also a special guest speaker at this conference.

Participants to the conference (estimated at up to 300) came from Honiara and all around the Island of Guadalcanal, as well as Malaita to attend. Many came by boat. One man paddled a canoe for seven hours to come. The delegates, who included ex-combatants and militia commanders as well as victims of the tensions, listened to the Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer open the conference.

Niketu Iralu, convener of Naga Churches Coordination Committee for Healing and Reconciliation in Nagaland, India, and one of several guest speakers from overseas, told of the reconciliation work in his village to heal the wounds caused by fighting between the underground factions. “Hurts and wounds that are not transformed are always transferred”, he said.

Rev Professor James Haire, Director, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture gave an outline of six Principles for Reconciliation that had been developed to bring peace and healing to the Muslim - Christian divisions in Ambon, Indonesia, some years back when 80,000 people were murdered and 500,000 made homeless. While both Peace and Justice were needed they decided to go for Peace initially and take up the Justice issues later. Today Ambon has Muslim and Christian communities living side by side and working together.

Former Kenyan newspaper editor, Bedan Mbugua, who was orphaned in the battles that took place during the Independence struggle, told how, during a Presidential election, he was imprisoned for challenging the election result as corrupt. He went to prison for 6 months and found that he grew stronger as he stood for the truth. “Faith is the basis of courage” he said.

Archbishop Tutu came to address the conference on the second day. He was introduced by Hon Matthew Wale, Minister for Education, who read excerpts of painful stories by people who had lost loved ones in the tensions. “Let us listen with the attitude that your suffering is also my suffering, your loss my loss” said Mr Wale. Archbishop Tutu, who was listened to with great expectation and hope, recounted experiences from the South African TRC explaining how perpetrators and victims found release, “It was a spiritual thing”, he said. Later in the conference Joy Kere, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace outlined the specific details of the Solomons TRC and answered question from the floor.

Following the Archbishop were speakers who were involved in the ethnic tensions. A number of women spoke of husbands who had been killed and of their readiness to forgive the perpetrators. Some of the ex-combatants and commanders expressed some of their frustrations with the reconciliation process.

Former Malaitan Eagle Force founder and commander, Andrew Fioga, spoke of wanting to reconcile with those who killed his elderly innocent father. Motivated by revenge to take up arms, Mr Fioga told the conference he was “now a changed man and ready to forgive. In a few months time I and my family will be reconciling with my brothers and sisters from Guadalcanal and during the reconciliation ceremony they will return the remains of my father. Since I and others started the war, I will also start the healing process”, he concluded.

There were speakers from Fiji representing Fiji’s multi-racial society and the conference also heard the apology made by Australian PM Kevin Rudd to the Aboriginal Stolen Generation. Ishmael Idu who attended the Australia IofC Life Matter Course told of the courageous reconciliation work he has done in the Weather Coast and how the Life Matters Course helped to equip him for this task.

The conference was well reported in the local newspapers and on the television. There was also an extensive TV and newspaper interview with Didacienne Mukahabeshimana who had come all the way from Rwanda and is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. As a victim she said she decided a long time ago to look towards the future instead of remaining locked in the past. “Those who have suffered the most have the most to give and the ones who must take the first step”, she said.

The three Africans, who had come at the invitation of Winds of Change, Didacienne, Bedan, and Joseph Karanga along with Christina DeAngelis from Australia, were received by the Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua following the conference.

A week after the conference a three day workshop for 30 men and women, many of whom had attended the conference, was held in the Small Workshops In Mission centre out of town. This workshop had been requested by the Ministry of National Reconciliation following a successful event a year before with a group of ex-commanders from some of the militias who fought during the ethnic tensions.

David and Jane Mills, Christina DeAngelis and John Mills, all from Australia, were part of the facilitation team along with a number of Solomon Islanders. Stanley Vutiande, who had attended the February Life Matters Course in Melbourne, was the key person in gathering the participants and in liaising with the Ministry who supported it financially.

Daniel Sade told how after the conference he had gone home to be honest with his wife about the sort of person he really was before coming back to the workshop. At the final session he spoke of forgiving the groups from two sides in the tensions who had attacked him and made him fear for his life. He asked to shake hands with any present from those two side and immediately two men stepped forward to shake his hand and to join in a prayer of forgiveness.

The following day under the heading “Making Peace” the front page of the Solomons Star was filled with a smiling picture of six workshop participants, “former rival militants” shaking hands. The story inside was headed, “Winds of Change brings former rivals face to face”. Justin Paskal, a former Isatabu Freedom Movement commander, said “I had a chance to meet the former commander of the Marau Eagle Force, this is important in our efforts for reconciliation and peace building.

A Marau Eagle Force commander, Patrick Haukere, told how in the workshop “We have found real peace because we revealed all our secrets and accepted forgiveness. We will now go out to our respective places and preach the good news to our people,” he added.

A widow who lost her husband during the tensions, Sentica Joash, said the workshop had really changed her life. “We have experienced a very hard life during the tensions. “However when I attended the workshop, it helped me to forgive and want to reconcile with those who murdered my husband,” she said.

Another former commander, Derol Kikolo, commented “I have come to understand that real peace comes from the heart”. While Reginald Billy, from another group, said he had found that “Reconciliation can come about if we change personally”.

The men and women from the Marau area called for Winds of Change to bring a workshop to their area as soon as possible in the coming months.