Wars Are Never Enough
John F. Keith

6 x 9 416 Pages

In an era when violence in a constant series of political hot spots offers a daily menu inviting our attention, it is refreshing to follow this biography which focuses on forgiveness and reconciliation. The message it carries is clear: wars are never enough to solve the tensions and conflicts that arise between peoples and nations.

João and Nora Matwawana, Angolans by birth and Canadians by adoption, tell their story in the first person. Major portions of their lives were lived in a context of armed violence. They and their six children became refugees twice. They know personally the hardships suffered by the victims of war. Personal faith, described in very practical terms, has allowed them to live at peace in the midst of peril. Furthermore, they have developed the gift of communicating their experiences to others in ways that lift and restore those whom they meet.

Taught to hate by his grandfather and taught to love by his father, João himself found a personal resolution of these tensions which changed his life. He then matured through experiences in Angola, the Congo, Canada, Rwanda and Burundi, emerging as a seasoned diplomat who continues to play a peacemaking role in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. Their human touch, which is central to this story, is told with humor and compassion.

In due time it was Dr. João Matwawana, the Peace and Reconciliation Consultant, who came to participate in the social and moral rebuilding of Angola, where he was born. The humility of the barefoot lad who grew up in an African village is never lost. Nora’s work in elevating African women through practical lessons flows naturally from her accumulation of experiences gleaned in Africa, Asia and North America. For both, Jesus was their model, His life the focus of theirs.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

John Keith grew up in Corn Hill, New Brunswick. His career spanned forty years, with Canadian Baptist Ministries, in several capacities, including General Secretary. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Boston University, with a specialty in African Studies..

His first contact with João and Nora Matwawana was in 1959 when they became his students at Calambata, in Angola. The relationship matured as their status changed from students to colleagues. Following the formal retirement of each, a new partnership in African peacebuilding developed as Dr. João Matwawana became Peace and Reconciliation Consultant for Canadian Baptist Ministries, and Dr. John Keith was named Diplomatic Liaison for the same organization.

John Keith is also the author of The First Few Wars Are The Worst.

War and violence set the stage, but the theme of this book is essentially about how forgiveness and reconciliation are the basic building blocks of a peace which has the capacity to endure. It brings us interesting case studies, the painful struggles of individuals who have progressed through pain and hatred to an ability to pronounce pardon and peace. It carries us through a range of emotions from tears to laughter.

David Kilgour, MP Edmonton - Mill Woods - Beaumont

www.bayridgebooks.com