EP#31 Peace builder Colins Edozie Imoh - Creating Architects of the future

Did you know that you can actually become a "professional peace builder?" Today we meet with a peace builder - a former engineer from Nigeria who has traveled to more than 50 countries and lived in many. Crystal Ra and Colins met in Cape Town University and also worked on some community projects together. Colins shares with us tips where to start with peace building. He gives us very straight forward steps what to do and how important it is also that before going to help someone you try to understand what is going on and then see how you can contribute. Colins is not only physically tall and handsome - he has the most caring heart who is always ready to help and contribute where his input is needed. A wonderful and insightful episode which leaves you with inspiration and one step closer to your inner and outer peace. A must hear and see show! Do not miss it!

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Summary:

02:23 How beautiful Africa is and how we met

02:58 African fascination for Crystal Ra

03:56 Picture – of the Estonian and Nigerian next to each other

04:16 Expressing Africa

04:29 Big fish and small fish make the meal

05:00 African spirit bringing it to the table

05:34 You can express Africa in so many ways

06:03 Nigerian student club

06:46 Taking care of each other

07:00 Once in a lifetime experience

07:27 Community is the bases of African experience

07:40 How do we get this person back

08:00 How do we get everybody back

08:22 Crystal Ra organized an African party in Northern Norway

09:09 Intro to Colin

09:21 Born in Nigeria

09:27 Passion for peace and community building

09:49 From engineer in oil industry to community and peace builder

10:08 United Nations Africa Desk coordinator

10:18 Full time peace builder

10:25 Weekly radio show for 6 years

10:47 Conflict resolution

11:03 Phd from Ohio – social foundations

11:23 Fellowships from institutions

11:50 Architects of the future for communities and countries

12:00 Peace building is an opportunity to start to change ourselves

12:34 More than 50 countries visited and lived in 6 countries

13:00 UK, USA, Germany, Nigeria, South Africa etc

13:16 When you live in a country you can visit locals and learn from them

13:26 Open up to diversity

13:39 The beauty of the world

13:46 People want the same things – good life, health

14:00 Travel allowed me to appreciate people

14.13 Think we are all part of the world

14:26 As a boy who did you want to become?

14:46 Mechanical engineering was my fascination and passion

15:39 Desire to help people to become who they desire to be

15:54 Never thought it as a career

16:21 Firstly peace building as a side gig but later it changed

17:00 We love your leadership skills

17:45 Create a network for Africa's peace builders

18:36 Became a driving force of your career

19:06 Connected to the bigger passion

19:30 Abundance in Action – follow the call of your mission – everything else falls into place

20:05 No need to push to make it happen

20:16 We so many times try to force things

20:32 But the beauty is to let it take its own natural course

21:00 As a young person have fun!

21:20 As an older man you raise kids and fulfill your responsibilities

22:00 When the right time comes it manifests itself

22:05 You need to do your part and be ready

22:22 When the student is ready the master will be there

23:00 Cosmic or divine timing and then everything manifests

23:10 It is a lot about trust as well and start to go and step by step things will come to you

23:48 Explore who I am and challenge myself as a young person

24:09 Saves a lot of time to do it as a young person

24:20 Young person wants to grow up and be adult very soon

25:01 Have more fun as a young person!

25:28 Life is about stages and seasons

25:50 Build or bring more peace first steps

26:24 # 1 Start with yourself first and know yourself to become an efficient person!

26:43 # 2 Need to know your environment and community

27:12 #3 What do they need?

27:39 #4 Do they want your intervention?

27:49 #5 Have self-love

28:17 They may not want help because they are ignorant but you may need to make them to understand

28:39 Story about European going to Africa “to help”

29:19 Did not ask if the women want help to carry the water from the water hole and made a pot hole

29:35 Going to the stream – was their social time with community

30:26 Law of interference – need to engage with the people – why are you doing what you are doing

30:53 Time is relative – women are talking while walking and solving problems while doing that

31:20 Disturb the community

31:34 What are their issues and do they want to be intervened?

31:48 Anthropology background experiences with many countries

32:20 Living in Hawaii experiences for Crystal Ra

32:39 What are the local issues?

32:51 Where I can contribute and respectful and inclusive and in dialogue with the locals

33:41 Conflict resolution newer approach

34:34 How to resolve conflicts in communities?

34:44 Listen to each other!!!

34:56 Communication is very important

35:05 Non-violent resistance

35:16 How to stand up when you have been oppressed for a long time?

35:45 Conflict avoiding as a behavior

35:53 People need to talk about their issues and intervene

36:07 Soft and hard part of peace building

36:22 People need to organize themselves

36:36 Latent conflict – conflict below the surface – no one sees it

36:50 People live in denial

36:59 You can not solve what you can not see

37:07 Why are you bringing it up and creating problems?

37:31 Conflict resolution is a dynamic process – need to come together and talk it through

38:00 Power dynamics need to be shaken up to solve it

38:15 Oppressed can not be free

38:29 Opresser may not even know that they are doing something wrong

39:09 Shaking up the system you make them understand what is right there

39:30 Coming to the understanding that something needs to change

40:20 It is oppressed who can help the oppressor to understand that things are out of balance

40:51 Crystal born in Soviet Estonia experience

41:21 Second independence through a Singing Revolution in Estonia

41:46 Cultural codes and conflict carried through many years

42:22 Society has a lot of influence over us

42:55 All about perspective

43:19 There is a gift in every negative experience – Crystal's wins from her challenges

43:51 Neutral experiences

44:23 Two people can live in the oppressive environment and the other one has a different experience

45:05 How internally strong are we? How mentally strong are we?

45:21 Every experience builds you into who you are? How are you reading it?

45:43 Are you using it to build up or close down?

46:09 Story of the 3 monks

47:15 Why did you carry the woman?

47:57 Live it and move on – but if you carry it on it becomes a baggage

48.21 We all have options

48:28 The way you make your bed you will lie on it

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- Read more about Colins here: 

 

- Check out Colin's gift about "Peace education" here: 

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Crystal Ra Laksmi-Ditton & Michael Ditton

Abundance in Action Podcast co-producers and co-hosts