Libby and Len Traubman
United States/Nigeria

“Person-by-person, nothing replaces face-to-face relationships -- neither armies nor treaties, not intellectual analyses, diagnoses, theories, or peace education.”

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First Relationships

"How can we have peace if we don't build relationships?" The plea and key to life beyond war emanates from African Ikenna Ezeibe in the new 2012 film DIALOGUE IN NIGERIA: Muslims & Christians Creating Their Future. Ezeibe was among the 200 adversaries - courageous young women and men who united successfully in Jos, central Nigeria, the center of recent brutal violence that echoed worldwide.

Refusing to be enemies, they were together during days and evenings of the 2010 International Conference on Youth and Interfaith Communication. Crossing lines of religion, economics, tribe, and

gender, they transcended the status quo and discovered empathy for each other. Listening-to-learn, they dignified themselves and the "other," realizing that "an enemy is one whose story we have not heard." Face to face in small circles, they began with ice-breakers and continued in depth, discovering one another's equal humanity - fear, grief, needs, hopes, and concrete plans for a shared future.

Phoebe Kaburuk, Nigerian Television Authority anchorwoman and journalist, captured it all for American Marigold Fine to edit the award-winning documentary.

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