South African activist who forgave father's killer in 'inspirational contribution' to Youth peace summit in Derry

A South African human rights activist who famously forgave her father's killer gave an "inspriational contribution" to a youth peace summit in Derry this week.

Candice Mama was aged nine when she discovered a photograph of her father's burnt and bullet-ridden body.

Glenack Masilo Mama was a member of the Pan Africanist Congress group struggling against apartheid.

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The inspirational campaigner agreed to meet her father's killer, the notorious South African Police colonel, torturer, and assassin for the apartheid regime Eugene de Kock - known as 'Prime Evil' - in 2014 and decided to forgive him.

She was invited to take part in a 'Youth Peace Summit' at the Magee campus of Ulster University this week, organised by the John and Pat Hume Foundation.

The summit was designed by young people led by Youth Action NI and the NI Youth Forum and addressed the lived experience, barriers and solutions to building a reconciled society, as well as the role of mental health in peacebuilding.

The programme has been supported by the John and Pat Hume Foundation and a range of partners which seeks to address the unfinished business of peace and reconciliation.

Ciara Ní hUisceith, Secretary and Executive Committee Member of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum said: “Young people are hopeful for positive change and a better, more peaceful society than what our parents grew up with. However, we want to see progress on the things that matter to us - such as mental health, educational reform, rights issues, affordable housing and promoting equality.

“Young people’s voices can at times be pushed aside, with the stop-start political system here in Northern Ireland, young people have seen very little delivery from the politicians that are elected to represent them.”

She added: “It is crucial that politicians include young people when making decisions about their futures and should work to create spaces for them to play a positive role in bringing about a more peaceful and reconciled society.”

Louise Malone from YouthAction NI said: “Whilst Northern Ireland has come so far in the past 26 years, the business of peace and reconciliation remains unfinished. Young people who weren’t even born in 1998 are still living in a society which hasn’t dealt with the legacy of the past.

“Young people are so often written out of conversations about peace and reconciliation but they have so much to offer, and Candice’s contribution inspires them to amplify and empower their voices.”

Collette Cassidy from the John and Pat Hume Foundation said: “The Executive and Assembly have an opportunity to deliver on the unfinished business of peace and reconciliation, and they can do this by embedding an inclusive peace plan that will build trust and ensure shared prosperity across our community.

“The contribution of young people needs to be heard and understood at the highest level of government. By listening to the inspirational contribution from Candice Mama, whose activism emerged from the incredible forgiveness she showed towards the man who killed her father, it is clear that young people can lead the way in building reconciliation and lead the way in creating a better society for everyone.”

The programme is being funded by the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).

IFI Chair Paddy Harte said: “The International Fund for Ireland is proud to continue to support the Peace Summit which, along with partners, is facilitating opportunities to discuss the future of peace and reconciliation, with a focus on platforming the lesser heard voices.

“Sharing thoughts and experiences from a range of individuals and groups who have all, in some way, been involved in peace building allows us to better understand where we are as a society, and how we can use these experiences to deliver a shared future not only across the island of Ireland but globally.

“Being part of these conversations serves to showcase the work of the IFI across local communities in Northern Ireland and Southern Border Counties and demonstrate the impact of everyday peace building, and the role of community leaders in delivering community relations and reconciliation. We are committed to sharing experiences of our work as a positive model for interventions with other organisations and other countries who are emerging from conflict.”

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