Following their December 27, 2007 election, violence broke out in the normally peaceful Kenya. The devastating effects of tribal conflict, poverty and inequality include burned homes, hundreds of lives lost and thousands of people displaced in the process. Since then there has been a great need for hope and healing.
To foster reconciliation and unity, World Vision Kenya invited Jean Paul Samputu and Fatmire Feka to share their messages of hope and peace from late July to early August 2008. Through speaking and participating in musical events on TV, radio and open-air stages, Jean Paul and Fatmire reached about 6,000 people.
A survivor of the Rwandan genocide, Jean Paul Samputu’s story is a powerful one of overcoming hatred. He is an extremely multi-talented artist, working in multiple styles of African music, and a recipient of a Kora award—also known as the “African Grammy”.
At age 12, Fatmire Feka began the Kids for Peace club movement in Kosovo and was one of a thousand women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. In February 2008, Fatmire toured across Canada with World Vision’s Youth Empowered conferences, inspiring youth with her message of peace.
Fatmire shared a bit about her past summer in Kenya with us:
“Our message to Kenyans was that it is time to think and work for peace and on forgiveness…to say “stop” to the violence that is destroying them…to give youth a chance to express themselves with fresh ideas.”
She felt very comfortable speaking to Kenyans, observing that they truly wanted peace. She said:
“When we talked about peace and forgiveness they had energy and enthusiasm. They really wanted to show the world that they could do this, that they can change things if they work on it.
“Meeting people, sharing our stories, our pain and our suffering was difficult…I learned a lot of things…that religious leaders took sides during the post-election conflict in Kenya. I was depressed hearing that because religious leaders should bring people together to make peace and reconciliation and not pick sides.”
On the other hand, Fatmire was inspired by the fact that Kenyans realized that there’s always hope for the future. They told her, "What we did was bad and we regret that, and we do want to work for peace and reconciliation because if we don't do it, who else will do it for us?" Her message to them: "Do what it takes to bring peace and justice in your country because this is your land and you need to do more about it."
Speaking about Jean Paul who also inspired her, Fatmire continued:
“It was amazing hearing his story and the pain that he has been through…it made me feel that there are a lot of people who have experienced the same thing and are working on peace and reconciliation and in the end they are able to forgive.”
Click here to learn more about Jean Paul Samputu.
Click here to read an interview with Fatmire.
Click here to learn more about Kids Clubs for Peace.
