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  In this personal reflection on his work with Christian Peacemaker Teams, Jamey Bouwmeester laments paradises lost.

Struggles in the mirror

  • Jamey Bouwmeester
    Standing on the wharf, an Esgenoôpetitj community member looked out at the water of Miramichi Bay, out at the buoys that mark the communitys lobster traps. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like, she said and paused. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if we could fish in peace. If we didnt always have to look over our shoulders to make sure the DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) arent there. This could be a beautiful place.
    In my mind I'm transported halfway across the world to the Beqaa valley outside of Hebronsitting under a fig tree and watching the sun set. A Palestinian man beside me is saying things almost identical to those Ive just heard on the wharf. Before they built the bypass road there were never soldiers here; now theres a patrol every few minutes. When we sat under my brothers trees it was like a garden in a dream; now theyve bulldozed those too. This could be paradise if theyd just leave us alone.
        This autumn, after spending more than two years with CPT in Hebron, I came to our New Brunswick project. I was looking for a change of scenery and I certainly got one. One doesnt have to look far to find vast differences between Maritime Canada and the Middle East. However, since my arrival its been the similarities that have struck me most profoundly.

    Transcending headlines

    In Hebron a few hundred Israeli settlers, with the aid and complicity of the Israeli army, can hold the entire Palestinian population of the city hostage for weeks at a time. In New Brunswick, non-native fishers have destroyed traps belonging to the Esgenoôpetitj community. Lately they have been threatening direct violence and creating a general mood of incitement and anger, all with the tacit approval of the police.
        In the past weeks the DFO has rammed and sunk several Esgenoôpetitj boats, throwing those aboard into the bay. Then they proceeded to mace and beat the community members before pulling them out of the water. Yet it is the natives who have been charged with crimes. Palestinians are routinely arrested in Hebron for being the victims of settler attacks, or for resisting the demolitions of their homes. But the similarities between Esgenoôpetitj and Hebron transcend headlines too. In both places Ive been welcomed with hospitality and humour. Homes have opened and smiles come easily. I think the way little girls eyes grow wide when theyre thrown in the air is universal.
        I hold a mirror up to Esgenoôpetitj and I can see Hebron. I hold it up to the Bay and in it are reflected grape vines. I hold it up to one face and I see another thousands of miles away. And I hear the echoes come from across the world, spoken by the person sitting next to me. This could be paradise.
    Christian Peacemaker Teams is a programme of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite Churches. CPT, PO Box 6508, Chicago, IL 60680, USA (+1 312 455 1199; fax 432 1213; email cpt@igc.org;     http://www.prairienet.org/cpt).
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