“I think we jointly need to change the current violent structures and systems, to prevent next generations from a transmitted culture of violence and re-establish a culture of peace that is naturally inherent in every human being.”
Fereschta Sahrai was raised in a multicultural atmosphere and context, a commonly found trait among many UPEACERs. Born in Afghanistan, she moved to Germany along with her family when she was four. Although her memories from Afghanistan are partly blurry and partly based on narrations transmitted through her family, growing up in an Afghan family allowed her to live the culture, traditions and language. When asked about which of the countries she felt she belonged to more, she answered without hesitation: “Both.” She explains that on the one hand, they spoke Dari at home, ate delicious Afghan foods, jointly enjoyed Afghan movies, traditions and music, as well as got into deep philosophical dialogues on values, belief systems, literature and politics. On the other hand, she says that she has likewise incorporated parts of the “German” culture or traits typically attributed to “Germans” and became conscious of that especially when being in other countries. She affirms that she is Afghan at heart, but acknowledges how lucky she has been to receive a proper school and university education in Germany and France.
She notices that her work at the Afghan Embassy in Berlin sparked her intellectual commitment to socio-cultural and political issues in Afghanistan, which currently constitute the focus of her research topics. This experience was the crucial point that made her think more consciously about her country, its people, the culture, their politics, the conflicts, and strengthened her commitment to make a contribution to a peaceful transformation. As it is considered to be the case for large parts of migrants, Fereschta too, started reflecting on her own identity after going back to her roots institutionally represented through the Afghan Embassy. In 2016, she visited her home country of Afghanistan for the first time after 30 years; her sensations of feeling home and to never have been somewhere else before after just two days were one of her most outstanding experiences.
She has always been interested in topics like peace, the nature and culture of human beings, different social and political systems of cohabitation, etc. It began while pursuing her first Master’s degree in French Philology, Philosophy and Social Anthropology, where she learned in detail about the French philosophy of enlightenment and its relationship to peace. Likewise, her personal background plays a key role as she explains: “Coming from a war-torn country, I carry these conflicts within me, but also and even more so the aim for peace. I think every person wishes peace for their country and even more so if their home country is affected by war.”
After her time at the Embassy, she decided to pursue a second Master’s degree in Peace and Security Studies at the University of Hamburg. She then started working at the University of Education in Germany on a project developing school curricula that sought to enhance social skills and human rights education for socially disadvantaged people.
That experience quickly helped her realize the problem presented by a lack of political education in German special needs education schools. Since these vulnerable groups are not receiving a systematic political education, they are also participating less in political activities and are thus not reasonably represented politically. In terms of democracy, this is a highly problematic issue. She then started working on the topic of Inclusive Education through a training programme for future educators at the School of Education in Switzerland.
Her Doctoral Degree from UPEACE on Inclusive Peace Processes in Afghanistan represents the culmination of her academic studies. For Fereschta, her Master’s studies gave her a macro perspective on political issues, such as the conflict in Afghanistan, whereas her choice to pursue a doctoral degree was a more specific choice. As she puts it, “My dissertation is the way to move on to the political arena.” Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the implementation of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) in Afghanistan; how it is being implemented; and the connection between peace practice, peace theory and peace policy. She explores different understandings and concepts of peace across different societal levels and pursues the goal to draw possible compatibilities between the actors involved in the conflict and thus develop a vision and a strategy on how peace processes can become more inclusive and peaceful.
She describes UPEACE and Costa Rica as a very peaceful, heterogeneous and warm place, a place with a spirit of diversity: “Peace really needs a lot of different factors – the weather, the locality, nature, variety and biodiversity, the sun, beaches, the water and of course the spirit of the people – you have basically everything here.” In her opinion, these elements change the social dynamics of academia, which have allowed her to develop her skills in a more fruitful way and without the enormous pressure of more traditional institutions.
Fereschta is truly committed to make a peaceful change in Afghanistan, and has been truly inspired by UPEACE’s spirit of dealing with diversity, taking upon herself the challenge of peacefully (re)championing diversity there. “I think we jointly need to change the current violent structures and systems to prevent next generations from a transmitted culture of violence and re-establish a culture of peace that is naturally inherent in every human being.”