The world of arts, for me, has been something unexplored, something with enormous power  and influence, yet so mysterious and hidden. Arts have always intrigued me. In particular, I have always questioned how arts can actually be used to reform and shape a better world. Fortunately, last weeks IFP session gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into the world of arts and answer some of my most pressing questions.

Last Tuesday, at IFP, I was shown a video on slam poetry; a genre that I was previously not well versed with. We were shown the video where two girls discuss their personal experience with racial injustice and questioned the morals of the society that has given rise to such injustice only to end with an idealistic stance of standing against injustice at all times and supporting one another. Lastly, in the session, I got the opportunity to share my ideas on why this particular piece of art is so impactful, and also hear others views on the same, and frankly, it was fascinating as I learnt so much about art, and how it ties up with the role of being a peace builder.

At first, I felt really amazed by this particular presentation of slam poetry; however, towards the end, I used this example to shape my own views about the link between art and peace building. Even in the past, I had watched movies, such as ‘My Name is Khan’, that significantly impacted my understanding of peace and how it is formed, however, I never really thought about it consciously. Thus, this session challenged me to  question my understanding of art and hence, further reinforce a key idea into my journey of acquiring the skill of becoming a peace builder (LO2). I learnt how art impacts the subconscious mind and leaves a lasting impact on an individual that surpasses the impacts of words and pieces of writing. This activity of understanding and discussing about art was a challenge as I have never really been closely tied with arts particularly because I am a science student. Therefore, this session was more than just a chance for me to answer my questions, but also an opportunity for me to understand an area of personal growth – being artistic – as well as comprehend the importance of arts in the society.

For the future, I believe that this session has given me key ideas on how to plan the future conference that I will get the opportunity to initiate. Rather than having delegates just speak, I will try to engage them to do activities involving arts, such as viewing – in silence – paintings and sculptures and sharing their views on them later or even allowing them to paint or carry out a skit to present their emotions through any form of art that they personally admire. This is particularly important as I have understood that arts are an invaluable medium to express emotions. To end, this session was truly very impactful. It significantly impacted my understanding of how to become a peacebuilder and I am sure that I will carry the lessons I have learnt during this session to the future conferences and also, throughout my life.