Ending Violence with Tools of Nonviolence

Quaker Pastor Parfaite Ntahuba joins Stephanie and Michael on this episode of Nonviolent Radio to discuss her wide-ranging and inspiring work cultivating and spreading nonviolence, both within her community in Burundi and across the globe. From an early age, Pastor Ntahuba had firsthand experience with both domestic and political violence and has spent her life trying to ensure that the terror and violence she endured will not be the fate of others. She identifies the insidious power of patriarchy as a root cause of violence, showing through concrete examples the way it can destroy families, distort local justice systems and become a justification for gender-based violence. Despite the hardships Pastor Ntahuba has witnessed and undergone herself, she remains hopeful and active, convinced that the practice of nonviolence can lead to real change. Just as her childhood experience in a Quaker household – a home grounded in nonviolent principles and practice – showed her a new way to live, so too can others, even ostensible ‘enemies’, once exposed to the ever-available power of nonviolence, see our world in a new light. And with this clear vision comes a sense of unity, of our shared humanity and our common goal of peace:

When we were running the trauma healing workshops on the second day, those people were coming from different political parties. They cried together. When they were crying together, it was the beginning of understanding that they are one person. We have the same emotions. And when they understood – when they cried together, it was the beginning for them to work together. 

- Pastor Parfaite Ntahuba

Transcript archived at Waging Nonviolence