| The women lamented the fact
that religious teaching and government intervention in national
education is increasing the sectarianism of Indonesian society.
Children tend to only play with friends from the same religion.
Women tend to only gather for religious and economic activities
outside their families. Most participants realized the danger
of this situation and support our research on women and fundamentalism.
We are training women as peace facilitators across religious and
ethnic boundaries. We also began to plan systematic activities
for children in Yogyakarta so that they too can become peace facilitators.
These include a week-long children’s festival with the theme,
“Playing, Peace, and Healthy Competition.”
Speaking of children, our home is often full of poor children.
Every day they play ping-pong and other games in our pavilion.
On Saturdays we provide dance lessons, drama, and other special
activities at Pondok Tali Rasa. Once or twice a week a young,
artistic couple from our church teaches semi-classical Javanese
dance to the children, most of whom are Muslim. Agustina and Wawan
are also skilled in making creative toys out of other people’s
trash. Most of the children are from our neighborhood, but they
also include children from squatter settlements and orphans whose
parents were victims of the civil war in the North Moluccas. Besides
learning dance, they also learn how to work in groups and manage
their money for positive ends. We are creating a children’s
dance about peace and reconciliation, which will be performed
at a children’s festival on International Children’s
Day, July 23, 2004.
This Easter we really experienced the resurrection as we participated
in the first major meeting of Muslim and Christian Moluccans in
Yogyakarta since the outbreak of violence in early 1999. Twenty-five
Muslims and 25 Christians came together in our home and shared
their hearts. They planned follow-up activities with many more
participants, to clear the suspicions and break down the barriers
of fear and hatred that resulted from civil war. We shared food,
prayers, songs, poems, and thoughts together. Many people wept
as we experienced reconciliation after almost five years of antagonism
and violence between Christians and Muslims from the Moluccas.
My Ph.D. dissertation is a challenge for me. I long for it to
be used to prevent conflict in the future. This morning I felt
heartened to hear that a radio activist in Kalimantan was using
my analysis. Conflict spreads through conventional media like
rumors, gossip, false documents, accusations, and misinformation.
The people are manipulated by fear. Now my task is to prevent
conflict that can break into violence by working strategically,
not only in the university, but also with women, youth, and children.
I hope these human activities will help balance me as a human
being and scholar. I am still working on editing and revisions
of my dissertation as I wait for the scheduling of my Ph.D. oral
defense.
Bernie and I know that this semester we are too busy. Bernie
is teaching graduate courses at Muslim and Catholic universities
as well as at Duta Wacana. He has too many writing projects and
too many lectures. But we still have time to eat together with
our “family” at home and entertain many guests. Three
students and three helpers share our home. Lilik, a young Christian
shares a room with Singgih, a Muslim student. With five Christians
and three Muslims living together, we hope to model the reality
of Muslims and Christians living together in peace. Dialogue about
faith is very real when people have trust, but it has to begin
from our everyday lives. After five years in Yogya we are still
amazed at how good and rich is our life together.
This week, we received news that Bernie’s mother (90 years
old) fell and broke her hip. She is now in the hospital. Bernie
is planning to see his mother, Rina, Glenn, David, Isabel, and
Peter in Berkeley next month, from June 15-30. Jen Marion will
be in Brazil doing research.
May God help us remain faithful for our families, friends, colleagues,
and larger networks. Peace in the world is our prayer everyday.
We know that our family and friends around the world support us
in this prayer. May the Spirit of Christ correct and lead us in
the way of life.
Your sister and brother,
Farsijana and Bernie Adeney-Risakotta
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page
164
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