Choosing Peace While Living Amid Violence: Our Children Deserve a Better Future

In this episode of Peace is Power, Janessa Gans Wilder speaks with Rev. Dr. Fuhbang Emmanuel Tanifum, a pastor, theologian, interfaith leader, and grassroots peacebuilder working in Bamenda, Cameroon, amid the country’s ongoing Anglophone conflict.

Emmanuel shares the childhood experience that first shaped his commitment to nonviolence: as a teenager, he was seriously wounded after responding to a family conflict with violence. The experience led him to question what violence could actually accomplish and convinced him that “violence will only beget violence.”

His organization combines peacebuilding and leadership education with vocational and self-employment training, helping young people develop both the skills and economic independence to reject recruitment by violent actors.

The conversation explores why sustainable peace requires grassroots participation, why peacebuilding must be supported as a long-term investment, and how individuals can find courage, hope, and purpose even in difficult circumstances. Emmanuel ultimately argues that peace is not simply the absence of violence but a form of transformative power, and that creating a peaceful world requires each of us to practice peace in our own lives and communities.

Key Takeaways:

Nonviolence is a conscious choice

Emmanuel’s own experience taught him that responding to violence with violence only creates more violence. He describes peace as an intentional path that anyone can choose.

Peacebuilding must address economic realities

Peace skills alone may not be enough when young people have few ways to support themselves. Emmanuel’s programs combine peace leadership with vocational and self-employment training, giving youth alternatives to violence.

Young people need a meaningful role in peace

Emmanuel focuses on bringing together people from different religious, linguistic, and social backgrounds. The goal is not only to teach peace skills but to help young people become peace leaders within their communities.

Sustainable peace has to reach the grassroots

Top-down approaches cannot create durable peace on their own. Reconciliation, healing, and community participation must happen at the grassroots level, with young people and women included in peace processes.

Peace requires long-term commitment

Peacebuilding is not an overnight solution. Emmanuel emphasizes the need for sustained resources, partnerships, and investment to grow the movement of young people committed to addressing political, social, and economic injustice without violence.

Timestamps:

(05:56) The childhood experience that shaped a peacebuilder- Emmanuel recalls the violent family conflict that nearly cost him his life and explains how it changed his understanding of violence.

(12:24) Why violence cannot create peace- Emmanuel reflects on the conscious decision he made as a young man to reject violence and pursue peace.

(13:44) Life in Bamenda during the conflict- Emmanuel describes the continuing deadlock between the government and separatists and the need for grassroots healing and reconciliation.

(16:01) Understanding Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict- Emmanuel explains the conflict's historical and political roots and how tensions escalated after protests by teachers and lawyers in 2016.

(18:17) The human cost of the conflict- He discusses deaths, displacement, sexual violence, destroyed villages, kidnappings, school closures, and the broader suffering experienced by communities.

(19:58) When violence becomes a livelihood- Emmanuel explains why unemployment and a lack of economic opportunities can make young people vulnerable to recruitment and manipulation by violent groups.

(22:25) Turning peace skills into economic opportunity- After seeing that peace pledges alone were not enough, Emmanuel’s organization began incorporating livelihood and self-employment training into its peacebuilding curriculum.

(26:20) Vocational training as peacebuilding- Emmanuel discusses organic farming, renewable energy, conservation, and community nursing as ways for young people to build livelihoods while contributing to their communities.

(29:54) A nine-month path toward sustainable peace- He walks through the residential program, from psychosocial assessment and counseling to peace skills, vocational training, community engagement, and business planning.

(35:28) Kelly’s story of healing and transformation- Emmanuel shares how a traumatized young woman recovered through psychosocial support and training in organic farming, eventually becoming a mentor to other young women.

(40:33) The challenge of sustaining peacebuilding- Emmanuel discusses the lack of resources needed to sustain and scale effective grassroots peacebuilding programs.

(42:58) Why peace requires a grassroots approach- He argues that history demonstrates the limitations of violence and top-down approaches and emphasizes the importance of including communities, youth, and women.

(45:52) The risks of being a grassroots peacebuilder- He describes the security threats and suspicion peacebuilders can face when they work between opposing sides of an active conflict.

(51:16) Finding community and support- Emmanuel talks about the organizations and people who have supported his work and helped him continue despite the challenges.

(57:04) When peace becomes power- Emmanuel explains why he believes peace is the true power that can transform lives and create sustainable development.

(66:17) Where are you needed?- Janessa closes the episode by inviting listeners to practice “presence” by considering where they are needed and choosing to show up.

Guest Bio:

Rev. Dr. Fuhbang Emmanuel Tanifum is the Cameroon Chapter President of the Euphrates Institute, founder and director of Ndabuchiseh—a grassroots youth peacebuilding NGO—and cofounder of the Martin Luther King University Institute in Bamenda, Cameroon.

As a teenager, Emmanuel narrowly survived an act of violence—an experience that triggered his hatred for violence. With training in theology, intercultural studies, and law, he has dedicated his career to empowering young people as youth peacebuilders across communities affected by armed violence in Cameroon.

Follow Rev. Dr. Fuhbang Emmanuel Tanifum:

Ndabuchiseh
Martin Luther King University Institute (MALUKU)
Rohi Foundation Cameroon
Facebook
Ndabuchiseh's Facebook
Martin Luther King University Institute
Emmanuel Tanifum Fuhbang Esq | LinkedIn
Ndabuchiseh: Posts | LinkedIn
Martin Luther King University Institute (MALUKU): Overview | LinkedIn

This episode is sponsored by Euphrates Institute, a global community equipping everyday people to become peacebuilders through trainings, workshops, resources, and monthly calls. Join us at www.euphrates.org.