Resilience in Adversity: Mediation and Climate Action in Malawi with Brown Masingati

(Info on how to donate to Brown's work below!)

Join host Laura May as she speaks with Brown Masingati, a member of Mediators Beyond Borders International. Brown talks about his roots in Malawi, the 'Warm Heart of Africa,' spotlighting his incredible work in addressing poverty, gender-based violence, and the impact of climate change. Discover how Brown kick-started his mediation journey in 2020, tackling family conflicts through community dialogue. Hear firsthand about the severe cyclones that hit Malawi and Brown’s heroic efforts in voluntary mediation and counseling amidst disaster. Learn how he champions women's and girls' empowerment through education and small businesses. Perhaps most importantly, find out how you can support this work.

To make a donation to support Brown's community work in Malawi, there are two options: contact Brown directly for Western Union details, or make a transfer to Laura and she will make sure the donations reach him. If you use Wise, use this link to make a transfer to Laura: https://wise.com/pay/me/lauras98. If you use Revolut instead, or don't use Wise, then the link is https://revolut.me/lauramay98, and you can donate by card. USD is preferred if possible, and please do put in a comment if you remember.

To contact Brown or learn more:

• WhatsApp him on +265999237560
• Email him with brown.masingati@gmail.com
• Check out his personal Facebook at

  https://www.facebook.com/brown.masingati

• Visit him on LinkedIn at

  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brown-masingati-1b3a8a130/

• Visit his NGO's Facebook page at

  https://facebook.com/hfc.malawi.zomba/

0:00 Introduction 01:14 Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa 02:47 Mediation and Gender-Based Violence: Brown's Story 09:18 Devastation by Cyclone 14:56 Community Mediation During Crisis 21:30 How You Can Help 25:22 Future Plans and Collaboration 27:41 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Peace, Conflict, and the Power of Inclusion: Insights from Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer

What happens if you put two mediation fangirls who also happen to be intersectional feminists together into the same conversation? This episode! Host Laura May and guest Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer dive into critical discussions on peacebuilding and conflict mediation. Highlights include:

• Julia's journey from Manila to Vancouver, and her path to becoming a researcher in peace and conflict studies.
• Exploration of critical, feminist, and decolonial approaches to peace research and the significance of unofficial peace dialogues.
• Insights from Julia's work on NGOs mediating peace in Myanmar, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and local cultures in peace processes.
• Discussion on the impact of climate change on conflict, with a focus on Indigenous communities in Turtle Island (North America).
• Preview of Julia's forthcoming projects, including a book on mediation process design and an edited volume examining apocalyptic narratives in peacebuilding.

This episode provides a look into the challenges and opportunities within international peace mediation, emphasizing the importance of empathy, inclusivity, and critical self-reflection in addressing modern conflicts.

Links

• Julia's academic website - https://juliapalmianofederer.com/
• The Power to Protect (Report) - https://ottawadialogue.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PowertoProtect-Report_IDRC_JDr.-Julia-Palmiano-Federer-Ms.-Lorelei-Higgins-Parker_compressed.pdf
• NGOs Mediating Peace (Book) - https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-42174-7
• University profile - https://css.ethz.ch/en/center/people/dr-julia-palmiano-federer.html
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliapalmianofederer/

Co-authors mentioned: Samantha Marie Gamez, and Lorelei Higgins Parker.

Julia Palmiano Federer

Dr. Palmiano Federer is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zürich. She is also currently a Senior Fellow at the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. Her research interests include critical, feminist and decolonial approaches to inclusive peace processes, unofficial peace dialogues and the nexus between climate change and conflict. She is the author of NGOs Mediating Peace: Promoting Inclusion in Myanmar’s Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiations, published in Open Access format by Palgrave Macmillan. She is a Laureate of the 2022 Women, Peace and Security Research Awards for her work on women, peace, security, and climate change. She was born in Manila, Philippines, and raised on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations (Vancouver).

Bookmarks

00:00 Meet Dr. Julia Palmiano Federer: A Trailblazer in Peace Research 01:25 The Journey to Peace Building: Manila, Geneva, and beyond 09:06 Unpacking the Ethical Ick 16:21 NGOs in the Peace Process: Mavericks or Cowboys? 23:13 Decolonizing Peace: A Critical Look at Norm Spreading 27:46 The Future of Peace Mediation: More Caveats, More Care 28:28 Unveiling 'The Power to Protect' 29:02 Bridging Worldviews: Indigenous and Western Perspectives on Conflict 31:11 The Journey of Research: Unlearning and Relearning 33:47 Exploring Indigenous Women's Agency in Climate Change 37:02 Positionality and Identity: Navigating Research as an Outsider 44:50 Mediation Process Design and Apocalyptic Imaginaries 48:37 Witches and Peacebuilding: Reclaiming Feminist Imagery 52:57 Find out more about Julia's Work

Exploring Indigenous Approaches to Peacebuilding: The Idea of Ubuntu

In this episode of the Conflict Tipping podcast, host Laura May interviews Bryony Vince, a PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield in the UK and an advocate for context-specific indigenous approaches to peace-building. Bryony talks about her PhD focus on Ubuntu, a South African worldview that underscores interconnectedness and mutual dependence, as a tool for peace-building in South Africa. She discusses the challenges and nuances in implementing Ubuntu on the ground and its misinterpretations or misuse by governments and NGOs. In addition, Bryony shares her personal experiences in conducting field work, and her hopes for future research focusing on participatory methods, dialogue, and public space in peace-building.

0:00 Introduction 00:56 Why Ubuntu? Why this subject? 04:00 Why is this topic important to you? 05:06 What is Ubuntu? 09:05 The link between Ubuntu and peace-building 12:10 Bry speaks IsiXhosa 13:35 Back to peace-building and Ubuntu 16:42 Do you practice Ubuntu? 19:00 What's participatory research? 20:58 Ubuntu as a peace 'tool'? 26:31 Ubuntu post-Apartheid and structural conflict 29:40 The favourite thing you learnt? 31:39 Who's doing the unpaid care work? Who is peace building? 36:26 What surprised you? 39:57 What's next? 41:47 How can people find you?

Links:

• Twitter: @bryvince

• Academic blog

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonyvince/

• University profile