Give Peace A Chance

In this powerful and timely episode of Give Peace a Chance, host Adrian Beckingham explores the historic peace agreement signed this week between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, brokered by the United States government. After decades of bloodshed, displacement, and regional destabilization, the two nations have agreed to end hostilities—marking what could become one of the most significant peace breakthroughs in African history.

But this is no ordinary treaty. Behind the diplomacy lies a deeper story—one involving war, minerals, geopolitical rivalry, and the long shadow of colonial exploitation. As Adrian reveals, this peace deal comes after years of ignored pleas by Congolese officials to successive U.S. administrations. Repeated appeals to President Biden went unanswered. It was only under President Donald Trump that the call was finally heard, leading to direct engagement, diplomatic negotiations, and this weekend’s landmark signing in Washington, D.C.

The episode dissects the cautious optimism surrounding the deal. It also lays bare the complex role of the United States—motivated in no small part by access to Congo’s rich mineral resources, including cobalt and coltan, which are critical to smartphones, electric vehicles, and military technologies.

Listeners are taken through a compelling historical journey—from Henry Morton Stanley’s colonial expeditions and the Belgian monarch King Leopold II’s bloody conquest, to repeated appeals to United States presidents for help following on deaf ears - until now. Adrian weaves together the threads of history, economics, and humanitarian struggle to ask: is this truly a peace accord, or a mineral deal cloaked in diplomacy?

This episode is both an exploration and an appeal: a call to hold the world accountable and to recognise the enduring human cost of war, neglect, and exploitation.

What does peace really mean when the ink is still wet, but the wounds run centuries deep?

In this moving live episode of Give Peace a Chance, storyteller Adrian Beckingham takes the audience on an emotional, historical, and political journey through the Congo — from colonial conquest to a modern-day peace accord signed at the White House.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have agreed to end decades of hostilities in a deal brokered not by decades of diplomacy, but by the intervention of a surprising figure: Donald Trump. After years of silence from prior U.S. administrations, Trump was the one to answer Congo’s long-standing calls for help.

But behind the headlines lies a deeper story — one of foreign extraction, betrayal, and resilience. Adrian recounts how journalist-explorer Henry Morton Stanley’s brutal expedition in the 1870s lit the fuse that sparked the Scramble for Africa, leading to King Leopold II’s colonization of the Congo and the deaths of millions.

Through rich narrative, hard truths, and a call to conscience, this episode invites listeners to confront a question that echoes far beyond Central Africa:

Is this really peace — or just a new chapter in the same old story of exploitation?

If you care about justice, history, or the human cost behind the world’s technology, don’t miss this episode.

Key Topics:

• 2025 Congo-Rwanda peace deal and U.S. involvement
• Donald Trump’s unexpected role
• The colonial roots of Congo’s crisis
• Henry Morton Stanley and the Scramble for Africa
• The human cost of cobalt, coltan, and conflict minerals
• Justice, memory, and the meaning of peace

#GivePeaceAChance #CongoPeaceDeal #CongoRwanda #HenryMortonStanley #ColonialHistory #CobaltCrisis #AfricanConflict #DonaldTrump #ScrambleForAfrica #DRC #PeaceThroughJustice #StorytellingForChange #AdrianBeckingham #MythToMiracle

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In this timely and deeply human episode of Give Peace A Chance, Adrian Beckingham sits down in a London garden with a former Iranian political cartoonist and calligrapher—now living in exile. As military conflict intensifies between Iran and Israel, this anonymous guest speaks openly about censorship, personal loss, and the hope for a better future in his homeland.

We hear what it means to be forced from one's country for artistic expression, and what it feels like when the sound of passing planes triggers fear instead of freedom. With raw honesty, he shares his perspective on the Iranian regime, his support for change, and the dream of a peaceful Iran led by the people.

📍Recorded outdoors in Adrian’s London neighbourhood as war rumbles abroad, this conversation captures a rare first-person view into a life caught between conflict, culture, and hope.

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Season 1/Episode 3: Gandhi & Endo: Peace Heritage

In this powerful episode of Give Peace A Chance, award-winning journalist and storyteller Adrian Beckingham sits down with two extraordinary voices in the global peace movement:

• Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi
• Ven. Ryokyu Endo, spiritual teacher and custodian of the Hiroshima Flame of Hope

Together, they explore the personal legacy and public responsibility of carrying the Gandhi name—and how the echoes of nonviolence continue to shape action in today’s troubled world.

Tushar offers deeply moving reflections on his upbringing, his activist parents, and the challenge of forging an independent voice while walking in the shadow of a giant. We discuss his important novel The Lost Diary of Kastur, My Ba, a fictional memoir that honours the silenced voice of Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s wife, who was long believed to be illiterate.

Ven. Endo shares how the Flame of Hope, originally lit from Hiroshima’s ruins, has become a global symbol of healing—and performs a haunting original song written for a Palestinian girl imprisoned in Israel. The lyrics include the name of Kasturba Gandhi in a gesture of solidarity and remembrance.

This episode was recorded just miles from the 2024 London riots, and the discussion turns unflinchingly toward the root causes of modern unrest—and what real peace requires from each of us.

For more information

about these speakers go to:

• Tushar Gandhi: https://www.tushargandhi.in/
• Ryokyu Endo shares a song he wrote for Palestine about a girl  he knows who was put in the prison by Israel: the name of  Tushar's great grand mother is in the lyrics: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6y8x60

🕊️ Tune in for a rare and resonant conversation across continents, generations, and lived experience.

💛 If you believe peace matters, here is how you can help GIVE PEACE A CHANCE.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Give Peace A Chance.

If this conversation moved you, please take a moment to explore our other episodes—and share the podcast with friends, family, and colleagues who care about peace, healing, and the future of our world.

Your comments and support help this project grow.

* Your comments and donations help this project grow *

If you'd like to help fund future episodes, please consider making a donation via the TIP JAR, or go to:

ko-fi.com/adrianbeckingham/tiers

Every contribution—no matter how small—keeps the flame alive.

Until next time, thank you for giving peace a chance.

Mentioned in this episode:

What you can do to help GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Thank you for listening to this episode of Give Peace A Chance.

Pre-roll Give Peace A Chance

To Pre-roll all Give Peace A Chance episodes

Please support this show with a single donation or monthly from £5 at:

ko-fi.com/adrianbeckingham/tiers

Season 1/Episode 2: Why Talk About Peace? Introducing Hope 80

Award-winning journalist and master storyteller Adrian Beckingham brings together five extraordinary voices from around the world - united by remembrance, activism, and an unshakable commitment to peace.

Guests include:

• Ven. Ryokyu Endo – Founder of the Flame of Hope, a sacred fire lit from the ashes of Hiroshima
• Lawrence Lefcort – Executive Director of Flame of Hope International, working to ignite compassion across continents
• Lucy Sandys – Great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill, and a peace delegate with HOPE80
• Alice Dalsass – European Ambassador for the Flame of Hope, advocating for intergenerational peace
• Jennifer Teege – Black granddaughter of Nazi Commandant Amon Göth, whose life story bridges trauma and healing. You can find Jennifer's book, 'My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me' via her website: https://www.jenniferteege.de/

Together, they explore their personal journeys, the legacy of war, and the responsibility we all share to build peace in the present.

As they prepare to meet the Pope, appear at Glastonbury Festival, and lead a peace tour through Japan for the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this episode asks:

"If a child born 80 years from now were to hear this conversation, what would you most want them to understand about peace?"

This is more than a conversation—it’s a call to action, a living archive of human hope.

Tune in now!

💛 If you believe peace matters, here is how you can help GIVE PEACE A CHANCE.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Give Peace A Chance.

If this conversation moved you, please take a moment to explore our other episodes—and share the podcast with friends, family, and colleagues who care about peace, healing, and the future of our world.

* Your comments and donations help this project grow *

If you'd like to help fund future episodes, please consider making a donation via the TIP JAR, or go to:

ko-fi.com/adrianbeckingham/tiers

Every contribution—no matter how small—keeps the flame alive.

Until next time, thank you for giving peace a chance.

Mentioned in this episode:

What you can do to help GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Thank you for listening to this episode of Give Peace A Chance.

Pre-roll Give Peace A Chance

To Pre-roll all Give Peace A Chance episodes

Please support this show with a single donation or monthly from £5 at:

ko-fi.com/adrianbeckingham/tiers

Season 1/Episode 1: The Origin Story of The Hiroshima Flame

August 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of one of history's most tragic events - the dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In this poignant first episode of Give Peace A Chance, Adrian Beckingham interviews Ven . Ryoku Endo about the origins of The Hiroshima Flame.

Ven. Ryokyu Endo is a Japanese Zen healer, peace envoy, and founder of the Flame of Hope, carried from the ashes of Hiroshima to inspire global unity.

Look out for more interviews with Ryoku throughout this series - but for now, listen in to the origin story of The Hiroshima Flame. If ever there was a global emblem for how the hatred and vengeance of war can transform into a communal quest for forgiveness and peace, here it is. Listen in to this deeply touching story.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Give Peace A Chance.

How you can help GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

If this conversation moved you, please take a moment to explore our other episodes—and share the podcast with friends, family, and colleagues who care about peace, healing, and the future of our world.

* Your comments and donations help this project grow *

If you'd like to help fund future episodes, please consider making a donation via the TIP JAR, or go to:

ko-fi.com/adrianbeckingham/tiers

Every contribution—no matter how small—keeps the flame alive.

Until next time, thank you for giving peace a chance.