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Alice WedegaAlice Wedega, of Papua New Guinea was born, in 1905, into a culture of violence. For centuries her people had practiced witchcraft, become headhunters and had feared and distrusted each other.
Alice Wedega, of Papua New Guinea was born, in 1905, into a culture of violence. For centuries her people had practiced witchcraft, become headhunters and had feared and distrusted each other. However, through her work in educating her people and encouraging them to listen to the "good spirit," she transformed these pervasive elements of violence into elements of peace. Alice, along with the "good spirit" of her Christian faith taught the people how to live together, making "enemies into friends." Alice herself was taught these same principles by Charles Abel, a missionary who established a school on Kwato island which Alice attended. The teachings of this school, through Alice and others have had far-reaching effects on Papua New Guinea as well as the rest of the world. Alice was decorated by the Queen of England in 1982. Alice once traveled to Northern Ireland to help resolve conflict. In this quote she explains her purpose there: "..our people used to kill and eat men. They would practice payback. That is, if one of your side killed one of mine, my side would kill one of yours. But the missionaries came from Europe to stop us doing all that. And now I have been back to Northern Ireland to help the Europeans there stop doing it. Source: All Her Paths Are Peace: Women Pioneers in Peacemaking, Michael Henderson, Kumarian Press, 1994, pp. 81-92.
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