In this chapter, I reflect on lived experiences of forgiveness after mass atrocities. In the last few decades, interest in forgiveness has increased among “psychologists, social scientists, educationists, social workers, scholars of communication and philosophers”.

This chapter covers peacebuilding in three countries in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions of Africa - South Sudan, Burundi, and Central Africa Republic (CAR) - characterized by fragility and protracted intra-state conflicts. The first section presents a preamble to peacebuilding in these African countries, while the second section illustrates how the warring parties have been wrestling with peace (dis)agreements in each country. The last section revisits William Zartman’s “ripeness” concept to reflect on when, or at what point, parties in protracted intra-state conflicts might be more amenable to opening peace negotiations. The active role of churches and religious organizations in peacebuilding is also highlighted. The chapter emphasizes that, though each conflict is different in important respects, the distinctive characteristics of each case are crucial determinants of the propitious moments for initiating peacebuilding. It suggests that agreements signed by the various groups failed to bring about peace because commitment to ending hostilities is contingent upon a shared vision of the benefits of a peaceful resolution, in which power is the prize to be won. And because there cannot be more than one winner in a war, taking an opportunity when a ripe moment appears is often not an attractive option. 

At the beginning of the Pandemic, Sweden took a different path from her Nordic neighbours and many other countries, namely by not implementing a "forced mass lockdown" or applying stringent restrictions. This paper sets out to examine Sweden s national strategy for responding to COVID-19. This research seeks to address the extent to which the underlying concepts of Swedish "ethos" and "tradition" influenced or shaped the national strategy to avoid forced mass lockdown during the pandemic. To prevent an enforced lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19, the Swedish government presented a range of different measures, both "voluntary and legally binding". The strategy employed by the Public Health Authority was based on notions of "individual responsibility" and "mutual trust" between the government and the citizenry. The guidelines were often ambiguous and left to individuals to interpret for themselves.

Migration is simply the action or process of changing one’s place of residence permanently or temporarily. Migration can be voluntary or involuntary, though as some scholars would like to argue, very few people would take the risk of leaving their countries, homes, and communities and migrate to unknown places without being forced to do so by circumstances that are often beyond their control. Often the thin line between migration that is motivated by a sense of adventure and the search for greener pastures is blurred.