Jamil Simon is a documentary filmmaker, development worker, peace activist and lifelong adventurer. Over the course of multiple capacity building projects across sub saharan Africa, the Middle East, and beyond, Jamil gained insights into the deep challenges associated with building and maintaining lasting peace in several conflict-ravaged areas. He witnessed firsthand that signing peace agreements and shaking hands in front of the cameras does little to repair divisions and discord. Peace-building is a practice that requires learning what each side needs and wants in order to find common ground. That sounds straightforward and obvious, but in an age of great division, 24/7 news, and the proliferation of misinformation on social media, finding enough daylight to cultivate meaningful peace seems almost unimaginable.
Jamil is undeterred; he believes peace is possible. We speak with Jamil about the practice of building lasting peace and the powerful role of journalists in shaping public consciousness. On his podcast, Making Peace Visible, Jamil speaks with journalists and peacebuilders who help us understand the human side of war and peacemaking efforts around the world.
Please note that in this episode, we mistakenly refer to Abraham Trail. It is the Abraham Path, a monumental undertaking and true testament to what is possible in the name of peace. Links to Jamil’s interview with Josh Weiss and Anisa Mehdi about the Abraham Path is linked below, as is his interview with Dutch investigative journalist, Bette Dam, to which we also refer in this episode.
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Links and Resources:
Jamil Simon
War Stories Peace Stories
Making Peace Visible Podcast, Un-embedding Western narratives about Afghanistan with Bette Dam
Making Peace Visible Podcast, Building peace on a walk through the Middle East with Joshua Weiss and Anisa Mehdi
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