Women at weekly coffee sessions in Tambura mix clout, compassion and comfort
WESTERN EQUATORIA - Under an ancient mango tree, the unique smell of freshly brewed coffee suffuses the air. It does so alongside the rhythms of local music and the sounds of hundreds of women singing, dancing and rejoicing throughout a rainy sky sunset in Tambura.
An evening gathering for a coffee forum suffice for formerly feuding communities to sip a cup for peace together.
These women, from a variety of ethnic groups, have been enjoying their coffee since the last couple of months in 2021, but not in one continuous sitting, however. No, instead they get together once a week.
Mama Aida Iniasi, chairperson of a women’s group in Tambura, said the coffee forum has halfway reached its objectives.
“We have seen how this coffee forum has brought together many people from different ethnic groups. We can see Dinka, Balanda, Acholi, and other smaller tribes as well. When women come together as one, their hearts will be filled with joy and peace can come.”
Adds Aida, “Women who flee from violence leave behind her belongings. Their children are sometimes killed, they are left with nothing, but our regular coffee meetings can help us heal our traumas.”
The pioneering aficionados of the velvety black gold were first brought together by the Gender Affairs Unit of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This happened at a point in time at which women from the area’s multicultural communities, most of whom had been displaced by violent intercommunal conflict, had not been able to interact for more than half a year.
When UNMISS created what was named the coffee forum to give women a safe place to share their experiences and stories, some 250 of them participated. Since then, they have become around 400.
Hellen Mariamba another member of the forum believes that it is a combination of faith and the proactive response by UNMISS peacekeepers that have finally led to some relative stability in the region.
“In reality, we, the women of Tambura, are suffering. However, all of us are standing behind one cause and that is peace. Today, we need peace in our hearts. That peace begins with me, moves to children, neighbours and everyone else. We stand strong as women to tell our youth to stop fighting,” says Hellen Mariamba, another frequent forum-goer.
Yes, while some wholesome gossiping may also take place, the main purpose of the Sunday gatherings is to harness the power of women in mediating conflict and hone their natural abilities as peacemakers.
Conflict mitigation and ways to build social cohesion and unity are often discussed, and that is for a reason: Another bout of intercommunal violence took place in April this year, with some tensions persisting.
Luciana Zinione, who lost everything during the crisis, still hopes to return home and rebuild her life after nearly three years of being internally displaced.
“I am tired of sleeping under a plastic sheet, that’s why we need peace. We need unity so that we can go back home and sleep well,” she says.
Once a month, the UNMISS Gender Affairs team in Yambio travel to Tambura to facilitate and moderate the coffee forum discussions. They are pleased with what they observe.
“Women in conflict are seen as survivors, as victims, as vulnerable, but these women in Tambura have really stood firm to ensure that they contribute to peace. They are implementing resolution 1325, which takes into account women, peace and security, and also early warning. This coffee forum is doing a general analysis of the communities around and are providing even UNMISS with early warnings in the conflict zone,” reveals Margret Joshua, a Gender Affairs Officer.
The UN peacekeeping mission continues to patrol in and around Tambura to facilitate the movement of humanitarian teams and the invaluable emergency relief supplies they carry with them. It is generally believed that the visibility and actions of the Blue Helmets have contributed significantly to reduced tensions among the multiethnic communities living in the area.