Planting Peace in Cameroon – the art exhibition at the Apostolic Nunciature

Liliane Mugombozi -  Yaounde.

Last May in an interview the Apostolic Nuncio to Cameroon, Archbishop Jose A. Bettencourt said among other things that the Nunciature in Cameroon “represents a solid relationship of trust and a point of reference. This place should be of service. An open house where people can meet, a house that serves as a bridge between Catholics and Muslims, Protestants and Catholics, and between leaders in civil, academic and cultural society to create an environment of peace and cooperation.” Emily Pinna, curator of the photography exhibition explains what she expects from this exhibition in the Nunciature.

Emily Pinna lives in Yaoundé and works in the regions of Central and West Africa. Her goal is to use the power of the image and the story it tells to create a connection between a project or program and the audience. By evoking emotions such as empathy and compassion, the viewer feels connected to a story and is willing to engage.

The exhibition embodies the mission and vision of the Piarist Fathers in Cameroon: to sow seeds of peace, education, compassion, resilience and progress within communities.

What made you think of this exhibition?

The exhibition is a result of a collaboration with Piarist Fathers in Cameroon. They contacted me, told me about their school projects. I proposed to see them to make video stories about their impact in their environment. I was very impressed: the great work they do, went straight to my heart. I work with many projects, but in these schools I found a lot of genuineness even though they were simple. What convinced me to work with them, however, was the fact that they are trying to create ecosystems to be self-sufficient. They told me, “We cannot remain dependent on the Church forever. We have to find means to pay teachers, to feed the children.” Often the meal the children eat at school is their only meal of day. So, the schools have farms; they cultivate fruits and vegetable gardens, they rear chickens to feed the children. And some of the produce is sold to pay teachers.

These schools are also meeting points for children whose parents have fled areas of armed conflict – which has lasted for seven years now, in some regions of Cameroon – so a unique place also to plant the seed of peace in the spirit and hearts of traumatised children, who have often had to live for a long time in the midst of hostility. This work is very important; to be able to plant peace, strengthen the children’s resilience and make them grow in the awareness of the value of peace. The Piarist Fathers are very committed to this peace building through education. When I saw all this, I said to myself, something must be done.

I proposed to make this work of theirs known to the national and international community. I proposed an exhibition in a hotel in Yaoundé, Hotel Mont Febe: there were some government representatives and other dignitaries from the country, some members of the diplomatic corps. The Apostolic Nuncio was present on that occasion, and he proposed that we set up the exhibition permanently in the Nunciature. We are also working together on a peace campaign.

Why at the Apostolic Nunciature in Yaoundé?

The Nunciature is an important reality of the church here. The church has a neutral role, it is not on one side or the other in this conflict, and therefore it is empowered to propose the universal message of peace, which the world desperately needs.

A message we would like to propose to all men and women in the country, at all latitudes. We would like to propose social cohesion projects, work on a school curriculum to “plant peace” through education and activities to implement the experience of peace in children's lives.

For this peace campaign, I developed a new logo with the branch of the tree of peace. A very special plant grows in Cameroon that is called the Peace Plant. This plant has cultural, spiritual, and symbolic significance beyond its literal meaning. The Cameroon Peace Plant is a metaphor for reconciliation and unity. By planting or displaying the Peace Plants, people and communities express their desire for peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding. They express hope for a future free from conflict and strife, where people can live together in harmony.

What results do you expect from this exhibition at the Apostolic Nunciature?

We expect visibility and a greater commitment to this initiative. If you read in the portraits how the children express peace, you realise their reality. “Peace is waking up in the morning, going to school without fear,” the children's context is very difficult.

Our desire is visibility, support to carry out a campaign that can help unify the country and help children find peace and resilience. If we do nothing for these children who have not been in school for 7 years, who have not known peace, we will bring up a lost generation, full of anger. This is the danger.