Stream of Life

In this episode, Willaim Ntege aka Kyuma kya Yesu shares his personal stories as a veteran journalist facing political repression in Uganda. Warning: stories mention torturing. 

Dr. Alicia Catharine Decker shares her research about militarism, political repression, and the role of women in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Uganda. This is the first episode in our first series on the theme of Militarism in Africa. 

In this episode, Dr. Laurie Nathan from the Kroc Institute shares his insights and experiences with mediation, United Nations peacemaking, conflict resolution, and regional security in Africa. 

We have a conversation with Bhupendra (Bhupi) Ghimire about the pandemic situation in Nepal, one of the world's poorest nations. Bhupi shares his personal struggles with stigmatization when he contracted COVID-19 last year while also pointing out the local resilience amid the pandemic. Bhupi also talks about the tremendous work that his NGO, Volunteers Initiative Nepal, is doing in the communities to support economic development and sustainability. 

In this episode, we listen to emotional and inspiring stories from Rev. Célestin Musekura, in which he shares his family story in the Rwandan genocide, his enduring personal journey of forgiveness, and his work to support Christian leadership, peacebuilding, and tribal reconciliation across Africa. 

Trigger warning: This episode mentions some details about the Rwandan genocide which would be traumatizing for individuals. 

In this episode, Rev. Mark Hanson shares stories of his interfaith leadership and peacebuilding work locally and globally—from the U.S. to El Salvador, Mexico, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Indonesia. Listen to emotional and inspiring stories that show hope, courage, and a vision for long-lasting peace.

Who are the Hmong people in the United States? What are the root causes of domestic violence against women? How can art contribute to peacebuilding? And how can young people contribute to peacebuilding? Listen to our conversation with Mai Xee to grapple with these questions.

Are UN peace operations effective? In this episode, we hear from Dr. Kawser Ahmed—a peace scholar, former military officer in the Bangladesh army, and former UN peacekeeper in Western Sahara. Dr. Ahmed shares his personal stories and critical insights into UN peace operations, challenging the current UN Security Council structure. 

Dr. Kawser Ahmed is a research fellow with the Center for Defence and Security Studies and the founder of the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute, Canada (CRRIC). He was an exchange officer with the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and an observer-Peacekeeper to the United Nations Missions in Western Sahara (MINURSO). 

Who are you? What is home? What are our responsibilities as global citizens? In this episode, Evelyn and Cassie dwell on 'big questions' about their identity and their sense of belonging as African and Vietnamese scholars in Canada. 

In this welcome message, we introduce ourselves and share why we want to start a podcast and blog about peace, conflict, and social justice.