Cultural Resilience

The Real Stories of Peace: Cultural Resilience

Meet Diana from Jordan. Diana is a development practitioner, researcher and heritage artist. She works with civil society organisations focussed on education, employment and women’s rights.

‘Local-level change and advocacy is our best bet because it stems from lived experiences, genuine concern for others, the desire to learn from the past, and speaks the language of the people, using stories they understand’

Diana grew up in one of the most diverse communities in Amman, surrounded by Jordanians of Arab and Caucasus backgrounds as well as many people from Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and many other countries.

As a hub for people from all over the world who are seeking safety, Diana was exposed to many people with complex stories. Diana began to develop an interest in peacebuilding through intersectional feminism.

‘I was particularly concerned about the culture of honour and its many devastating impacts on the lives of women and girls, from fear-mongering and shaming to violent honour crimes.’

Growing conflict is often coupled with rising living costs, poverty and unemployment. Far too often, this economic uncertainty is used to explain why women’s rights are not a priority.

‘War is undeniably a feminist and women’s rights issue. Wars have long been led by men, and formal peace dialogues, also dominated by men, have frequently failed.’

Diana became involved with feminist causes and networks back in 2016, following a particularly violent period of the Syrian war. Diana wanted to better educate herself and others on conflict and what neighbouring wars meant for her country and heritage.

‘I didn’t initially think of myself as a peacebuilder, but I knew I was firmly against wars and that immigration and displacement issues were important to me.’

Diana became increasingly aware of how inaccurately reported conflicts were in media across the world. Diana has worked to use research and heritage art to support peacebuilding and development across Jordan and beyond.

Despite Jordan currently being free from active conflict, the country is devastatingly connected to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This is causing increasing instability in the region, and Diana reflects on how this can at times make it feel hopeless to advocate for peace.

‘The escalations in the region made the feeling of being creatively inspired something difficult. I now feel ready to get back to making heritage pieces, not because the situation is ok, but because we cannot allow violent forces to take away our creativity – an important thing to leave a print and connect with others.’

Diana uses multiple platforms to advocate for locally-led action for peace and solidarity. In addition to her art and involvement with non-profits, she writes about women’s rights, peacebuilding, and activism for various platforms, with previous appearances in regional and local media. On LinkedIn, she has been selected several times by various programmes as a top 50 voice for women’s empowerment in the Middle East for her commitment to enhancing the reach and access of education and employment opportunities.

‘Peacebuilders are not only professional negotiators, UN-level mediators and people who formally work in the sector. Peace issues are so vast that every voice is needed.’

For Diana, peace starts from within, recognising the role we all play in peacebuilding.

Discover more of Diana’s art at: @diiashkk