JOURNAL 5 - FOREWORD

This issue of the Culture and Peace Studies differs from the first four issues because of the varied themes of its contents. While the preceding volumes took on either “culture” or “peace” as themes, this volume is rather a combination of both.

On November 29, to December 4, 2004, the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference f Asia, and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines convened peace advocates from different parts of the world to a First People’s Forum on Peace for Life in Davao City, Philippines. The forum took on the theme “Sowing Seeds of Peace in the Era of Empire: Christians in Solidarity with Muslims. The Ateneo de Zamboanga University was fortunate to have participated in this forum.

Permissions to publish some of the talks delivered on the said forum was granted to us by Carmencita Karagdag, Peace for Life Coordinator, as well as the speaker themselves. We are, thus, publishing in this issue the Keynote Address of Dr. Chandra Muzzafar, President of the International Movement for a Just World, on the said forum and the paper presented by Dr. Patricia Martinez, Associate Professor and Senior research Fellow and Head of the Intercultural Studies of the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya. Instead of discussing what divides Christianity and Islam, Dr. Martinez looked into what these two distinct faiths share – a vital first step in building solidarity among Christians and Muslims. The presentations received much appreciation from the audiences, a proof of their quality and depth.

In line with the country's celebration of the Culture and Arts Month, the Institute of Cultural Studies for Western Mindanao hosted a national conference on February 2004 that focused on the history and culture of the Yakans. The well-attended gathering provide a venue for the participants to get a glimpse of the Yakan culture and gain a deeper understanding of their history. Prof. Artemio C. Barbosa, Chief of the Anthropology Division of the Philippine National Museum, presented a paper that dealt on the Ethnography of the Yakan Textile. His paper is included in this issue.

Further, in response to our call for papers or articles on culture and peace, Mr. Yancey Orr, graduate student of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A., submitted his paper on the Study of the Agriculture, History and Economics of Muslim Rebellion in the Southern Philippines. Mr. Orr's paper was considered in our desire that contemporary issues be brought out with the intent to inspire critical thinking among the readers.

Lastly, we will deeply miss the presence of Fr. David John “DJ” M. de los Reyes, S.J., this journal's former Editor-in-Chief. Fr. DJ will be joining Ateneo de Naga University starting this school year 2005. He is one of the brains behind the conceptualization of this journal. This is going to be hard time for us to be working without him, but from his brilliant works we shall draw the inspiration to continue on publishing this journal in the hope that peace and culture of Western Mindanao, and Issues surrounding them reach the knowledge of a wider populace.