On 21 September, UN DPPA and Shared Studios launched the initiative “Talking Peace” with a first virtual conversation on “Using Art to Spark Dialogue.” A selected group of grassroots artists from Afghanistan, Bolivia and Rwanda discussed the power of art and creativity to heal communities, transform perceptions, and challenge the status quo. The online conversation was curated in close collaboration with UN DPPA-DPO regional desks and field presences as part of twelve innovative dialogue sessions among peacebuilders. The initiative seeks to shine light on interdisciplinary approaches to conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding by drawing on the innovative practices and experience of local actors. The discussion highlighted the benefits and limits of using art as a tool to heal generational trauma, as well as the opportunities and challenges presented by using art as a safe space for social and public engagement.

Storytelling healing communities in Rwanda

Hope Azeda, the founder of the annual Ubumuntu Arts Festival that takes place at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, uses performance to help people un-learn hate and build empathy between differing communities.

“Dehumanization is the first seed of a genocide. No one is born evil, but somewhere down the line we are taught how to hate. But we can also un-learn hate.” Hope said during the session. “Art is a great catalyst for this change. When language fails us, art expresses what we feel. Empathy spearheads social change. The reciprocity of emotions springs from audience to performer or observer. It plants certain seeds because it is a mirror of our own lives. It will always give us a language to say what we want to say.”

The power of urban art in empowering communities in Bolivia

Norke Leaf, a Bolivian muralist and activist, has seen the power of art as a tool of reflection. Norke uses building-walls as canvases, painting murals that celebrate local cultures and transform perceptions of communities. Through reflecting their beauty and uniqueness back to them, Norke's art has given these communities the space to have pride in themselves and their way of life.

“Art gives people back the consciousness and the memory that they can create their realities,” Norke pointed out. “Once people truly understand that, everything can change.”

Experiential art transforming wealth and power dynamics in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Kabir Mokamel, the co-founder of Art Lords, a grassroots movement of artists and activists in Afghanistan, uses art as a tool for building peace and challenging concepts of wealth and power in society.

“While peacemaking involves getting two sides of a conflict to stop fighting, peacebuilding is about creating an environment where peace can be sustained and flourished,” noted Kabir. “Art has that power to actually soften the ground around that-- for peacemaking to take place.”