“Conflict forcefully changes the entire fabric of the society. It has happened in Kashmir, where a nation having no history of violence became comfortable with Kalashnikov culture. Violence was meant to be a strategy only but it became a culture and this needs to be changed. We can study how Madiba was able to change the culture of violence and revenge long before the conflict was solved.” 

Youth participant

In early 2015, a group of youth from either side of the Line of Control (LoC) met in Cape Town, South Africa to embark on a visit organised by Conciliation Resources. The trip involved a series of workshops and provided participants with a ‘safe space’, in which to share perspectives and discuss opportunities for peace in divided Kashmir.

The purpose of the visit was threefold:  

  • To develop a better understanding of others within Kashmir
  • To begin to jointly envision the outline for a just and peaceful future in Kashmir
  • To draw lessons to apply to their own situation, from the South African experience of political transformation and reconciliation

Challenging, inspiring and emotional

“I had various disagreements with the people of the other side but such disagreements occur only through healthy discussions. We got connected to each other. Just before the trip, no-one knew each other, but in the end we became friends forever. I realised the importance of other part of Kashmir. Now at the end of the trip, I see hope.” 

Exchange participant

It was the first time that the young people had met a person from the other side of the divide. There is almost no contact between young Kashmiri people living on either side. The visit has kickstarted a phase of relationship-building that will sustain throughout the future. Each participant was paired up under a ‘buddy’ system. They were each responsible for their buddy throughout their stay, and ensured their buddy was accountable to the commitments they made during their visit.

“Political differences and ideological clashes were there but in the end it was proved that camaraderie, based on the principles of mutual trust and shared dreams, is by far the most powerful connecting tool; more powerful than religion, class and culture.” 

Youth participant

The visit involved an emotional trip to Robben Island and the opportunity to meet Stanley Henkeman who heads the Building an Inclusive Society programme at The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation. Henkeman played a pivotal role as facilitator and mediator in the xenophobic crisis in the Western Cape between May and November 2008. 

Creating a vision of a peaceful future

The trip is part of a broader project involving youth in Kashmir, which seeks to capture a vision of how young people think a peaceful Kashmir of the future could be like. This will be used to form a Youth Vision 2020 document.

Conciliation Resources has been working with local partners on peacebuilding work in Kashmir since 2008. Over the past few years a large number of youth have participated in focus group discussions and workshops in various parts of Kashmir. These discussions explored non-violent means of expression and how to bring about change, through sharing their views on economy, education, democratic spaces and impacts of the conflict in their own contexts.