Innovative Approaches to Inter-Ethnic Conflict Management in Eastern Africa
A video recording of this event is available for viewing on our YouTube channel.
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, and the Harvard Law School Negotiators are pleased to co-present:
Innovative Approaches to
Inter-Ethnic Conflict Management in Eastern Africa
with
Father Patrick Devine
Founder and Executive Director
Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation
Nairobi, Kenya
Monday, March 28, 2016
12:00-1:00 PM
Hauser Hall Room 102
Harvard Law School Campus
Free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
About the Speaker:
Father Patrick Devine is the founder of the Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, an inter-religious organization pioneering conflict resolution and development work in strife-ridden areas of Eastern Africa. Qualified staff conduct empirical research on the root causes of inter-ethnic conflicts, organize workshops to facilitate resolution and reconciliation between factions, train local peace-builders, and develop inter-ethnic schools with solar energy. The mission is to work towards a society free of physical violence and unjust social structures in Africa.
Fr. Patrick’s efforts were recognized internationally when he was awarded the 2013 International Caring Award. Other notable recipients include the Dalai Lama, Jimmy Carter, Mother Theresa, Colin Powell and Bill Clinton. In 2014, eight countries in Eastern Africa presented him with the prestigious IGAD Award for his visionary contribution to peace and development in the region.
A native of Ireland, Fr. Patrick’s work in Africa began in 1988 when he was ordained into the Society of African Missions. He held leadership roles for the organization in Kenya and Tanzania, and was chairman and CEO of the Religious Superiors Conference of Kenya before founding the Shalom Center in 2009. He currently teaches on the subject of peace-making at Tangaza College, a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, in Kenya. He holds a Masters in Peace Studies and International Relations, a Diploma in Mission Studies, a BD in Theology, and a BA in Sociology, History and Theology.
In the process of brokering peace among warring tribes, Fr. Patrick has been in life threatening situations several times stepping between armed partisans. He remains committed to the organization’s cause, as he sees the dramatic, life-changing results in the areas of peace, education, medicine and water. “For true, positive peace, there must be not only an absence of violence, but the conflicting parties must pro-actively care about each other’s well-being,” says Fr. Patrick.
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