I’m Looking for Some People Who’s Looking for Peace: Opening to Peace Symposium

Emmanuel Jal opening Rotary's Peace Symposium 2012 in Bangkok

Every three years, in conjunction with the Rotary International Convention, a Rotary Peace Symposium is held for three days prior to the opening of the Convention.  In addition to being strategically located in Bangkok – where this year’s Rotary International Convention was held, I also happened to be here at the right time for the Peace Symposium!  Talk about luck :)

At 7:00am on Thursday May 3^rd, the first day, I boarded the Rotary bus that took us to the Convention Center – anxious to get the party started!  As I walked down the massive IMPACT Convention Center halls following the perfect signage to take me to the Symposium, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited but also, a little alone.  Normally for Rotary events, there is always someone there that you know that is “responsible” for you as their guest – and I didn’t realize until now, but this was the first time I was alone with Rotary.

Emmanuel Jal STANDS UP for Peace

I found a seat near the front for the opening ceremony and quickly realized after several minutes conversing with my seat mates, that with Rotary – you are never alone.  People are so friendly in striking up conversation that you always feel at home.  I soon realized the impressive audience that I had the pleasure to sit with given that the woman on my right was a Rotary Peace Fellow graduate who currently worked on disaster relief teams in Aceh, Haiti, Japan and Australia and the man on my left was a Rotarian who was the sole educator in training Norwegian Diplomats on skillful peace negotiations.

Once we got through the routine introductions with important Rotarians, the keynote opening speaker was introduced.  Emmanuel Jal, born in Southern Sudan, was recruited at the age of seven as a child soldier for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.  He survived front-line action and eventually managed to escape with other “Lost Boys” enduring a three-month trek on foot to reach safety.  Jal was rescued by a British aid-worker who smuggled him to freedom in Kenya where he was enrolled in school…

I had heard several former child soldiers speak (most memorable of course was Ishmael Beah when we organized for him to speak at a Children’s Rights briefing at the United Nations) and was all too familiar with their horrific stories.  I of course wanted to hear Emmanuel’s story and although no former soldier’s story is the same, it was one I had heard before.  After the introduction, a short video was shown depicting Emmanuel as a little boy and how his life forever changed.  

To hear a segment of Emmanuel's address at the Rotary Peace Symposium, CLICK HERE! 

Head twistin and jumpin for PEACE

All of a sudden, music starts to play, and Emmanuel comes out on stage, jumping, dancing and throwing his head.  I couldn’t believe it!  As he got every 80+ year old Rotarian in the room to stand on their feet and dance, I stood there in utter disbelief.  As he had us each put our peace signs up and wave them singing along to his song “We Want Peace” it was impossible not to feel empowered and be moved.  In one of the songs he sang, he sang the following lyrics:

"I’m looking for some people who’s looking for peace
Maybe together we could make the war cease
Now we can send mankind to the moon
And we can reach to the bottom of the sea
That’s why it really kind of baffles me
That we cannot end wars and bring peace
And we cannot change the way people act
And we cannot change the way people think
So if we sit back, chill out and relax
Civilization will soon be extinct”

It was the COOLEST way you could open a Peace Symposium if you ask me – incredibly moving and motivating.  After his speech, in a conversation with several Rotarians, Emmanuel confessed that he was truly moved by the work that Rotary had done and that being in that room made him truly “believe in a better tomorrow.”