Welcome to Peace and Reconciliation-Together!
In 2020 Donna Martijn felt a calling to address the pain and suffering caused by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, who's effects continue until today. She shared that calling with others and a small group came together under the name of Çoncerned People'. With the help of concerned citizens like you, living in several countries of the world, together we can make a difference in our society.
Due to the Covid pandemic, we have been mainly conducting online meetings, expanding our network of concerned persons. Since the summer of 2022 we have started networking by attending relevant meetings and events pertaining to Peace and Reconciliation.
In June 2023, we registered as an official Foundation in the Netherlands under the name o'Peace and Reconciliation Together', as we choose to act more widely on the European stage.
We have chosen to form a team of international and interracial people, who have been contributing their heart, time, talents, energy and money and also sharing their personal experiences with our audience during interviews.
Our team consists of ten people. We work as individuals and as couples who are living in Holland, Belgium, Germany, the UK, France, and Iceland. We welcome people of all ages and wish to be a diverse group with a warm and welcoming heart.
The initial desire was to form an organization that would address the unacknowledged suffering caused by the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and the Colonization of the African continent. Our conclusion was that the only way to heal the painful and traumatic effects that are felt through the generations is by Reconciling the descendants of the victims with those of the perpetrators.
It is a fact that the 400 years of global sentencing of the People from Africa as being 'non human' has left an imprint (a bias and prejudice) in the subconscious minds of people all over the world that Africans and people of African descent are inferior, not intelligent and uncivilized.
It was the British Guyanese born Donna Martijn who actively formed a group of people who resonated with her ideas to address and expose the historical racial issues, discriminatory attitudes, practices and systems that still exist within religions and in societies.
We gathered people of European descent and of African descent and concluded that people of African descent among themselves need to reconcile first, due to the enmity among African peoples and among African peoples and their diaspora.
Next we decided that people of European descent have to meet people of African descent and the diaspora to address their differences, their hidden resentments, misunderstanding and prejudices.
We have had people from all around Europe and the United States attending our ZOOM meetings. During these meetings we had therapists come and share their understanding on communication, safe dialogue, understanding oneself and how to deal with indifferent (insensitive) and sensitive people. We showed short tutorials and documentaries exposing the facts, motivations, methods, the policies, mentality and treatment involved with the capturing, transporting and enslaving of men, women and children.
We had brave participants of European descent who watched and expressed their deep felt apologies for the crimes of their ancestors.
One of our main features was the interview sessions with interracial couples. They could share about their successes and their challenges having to deal with the attitudes of their in-laws and the society they lived in.
Before Covid we also had sessions during which we could meet each other and perform ceremonies washing each other's hands and feet while speaking words of apology and appreciation on one hand and words of forgiveness and gratitude on the other hand.
The future invites us to seek partner organizations and individuals who want to join us in Peace making through Reconciliation.
We will also seek out other painful historical crimes and conflicts that still manifest themselves today all over the world among individuals, families, tribes and nations. Historical conflicts due to religion, ethnicity (race), land or souvereignity have caused wars, division among people and immense emotional and physical suffering.
The more we know about our ancestral, national and continental history and acknowledge the growth stages humanity has been struggling through, the easier it might become to forgive, love and Reconcile.
We believe in a Creator that invested all His Love to create an Ideal Universe with human beings living in happiness as His representatives caring for each other and for the rest of creation. The realization of this Ideal would have return immense Joy to the Creator.
The Ingredients for an Ideal society:
Mutual Prosperity, Interdependence and Shared Universal Values.
Making Humanity One Global Family.
We felt that we all need to look into our past history, personal and ancestral and deal with the distrust, resentment, hurt and fear that subconsciously prevent us from really, freely loving others unconditionally.
A conscious effort should be made to heal emotional wounds and scars from the past that prevent healthy, harmonious relationships between people.
Ideally, humanity should learn to live as One Family and as One Race (as we are all created by one God). Being aware of the innumerable historical wars and conflicts whereby people have been abusing, killing, oppressing, raping and exploiting one another, we realized that this has caused so much resentment among individuals, tribes, nations, races and religions.
So today we feel called to address this pain and help Reconciliation take place.
We have introduced the learning and practice of communication skills into our programs as a tool to facilitate active listening, better understanding and mutual empathy.
TOGETHER:
This takes us to the next level on the path towards forgiveness by continuing the healing process through several ceremonies of reconciliation followed by service projects and recreational activities that will bring the neccesary connection in heart as a foundation for mutual acceptance and Reconciliation.
In these last years, we have chosen to address the atrocities of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the Colonisation of the African Continent and the transgenerational traumas and resentment they have caused.
Our goals are to work to bring healing among people of African descent, between people of African descent and its diaspora, between people of African and European descent and then to broaden our focus by working to heal the wounds and divisions caused by any of the myriads of historical crimes against humanity.
Every little bit helps us to carry on educating and inspiring people around the world to aim for peace and reconciliation. Thank you for your contribution!
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(KvK nr.) Chamber of Commerce nr.: 90396103 / RSIN: 865300549
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