THE SEVILLE STATEMENT ON VIOLENCE
The same species who invented war is capable of inventing peace
Support Network c/o David Adams
Newsletter Vol 11, No 1
March 2003
News Page 1

News
Page 1
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Is the Statement up to date?
Page 2
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Killology
Page 3
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Yanomamo data - fraudulent?
Page 4
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Genetics, men, women and war
Page 5
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Do primates make war?
Page 6
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War abroad, violence at home
Page 7

Once again as you receive this newsletter the culture of war seems to be on the ascendancy throughout the world, making the message of Seville more needed than ever.

This is the second issue of the Seville Statement on Violence newsletter since it was revived after an eight year pause following December 1994. If you would like to join the listserv for the Seville Statement, address an e-mail to: itot@wako.ac.jp.

Here is a summary of news that has been received since the previous issue - arranged by region:

AFRICA. Noel Chicuecue writes the following from Maputo, Mozambique: "Thank you for the portuguese version. I will disseminate it to the portuguese speaking peace promoters and share it with the network of African Peace Builders (NAPS). This week I have distributed a copy to the journalists participating in a course on Conflict Resolution organised by the Organization for Conflict Resolution (OREC).I am a founder member and the current Executive President. I am also passing a copy of the English version to my friends at CECORE (Centre for Conflict Resolution) in Uganda."

SOUTH AMERICA. From Argentina comes the following: "Educating Cities Latina America Regional Office, with base in the International Relations Bureau of the Municipality of Rosario, Argentina, is getting in touch with you on behalf of our Director, Prof. Alicia Cabezudo, to let you know that we think that your initiative regarding the Seville Statement is extremely valuable. We are ready to spread this info through our network of cities in the Latina American region and also through our contacts in a network of peace educators. If you think that there is anything else we can do to help you spread this info, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. And from Brazil: "Some months ago we sent the first translation of the Seville Statement into Portuguese to Dr. David Adams, which we use in our Culture of Peace programs here in Brazil. He then suggested we get in touch with you to be included in the listserve for the Seville Statement on Violence. We are an NGO called Associaciao Palas Athena, and have worked on educational programmes based on the dissemination of non-violence for over 20 years here in Brazil. Such news as can reach us through your listserve will be invaluable to us."

CENTRAL AMERICA. Celina Garcia of the Fundacion CEPPA, Centro de Estudios para la Paz, in Costa Rica, writes that they are distributing the Spanish version of the Seville Statement.

ASIA. From Japan, the following has arrived from Mitsuo Okamoto, Professor of International Politics, Faculty of Law, Hiroshima Shudo University: "Thank you for sending me the Newsletter on the SSV. I just want to tell you I translated and interpreted positively the text of the Seville Statement on Violence in my book THE MAKING OF PEACE STUDIES published in 1993 from Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation with a substantial assistance from the City of Hiroshima. It was dealt with in a chapter of the book (in Japanese) titled "The Myth of Innate Aggression" and utilized to argue against those who believe in the innate nature of human aggression. Ashley Montagu's book THE NATURE OF HUMAN AGGRESSION, 1973, helped me a lot to arrive at the SSV. ... I am former president of The Peace Studies Association of Japan and presently Co-Director of National Symposium of Peace Education.

EUROPE. Steve Olweean, Director of the Common Bond Institute announces that the Seville Statement will be distributed at the upcoming International Conference on Conflict Resolution in St. Petersburg, Russia in May. He also informs us that the Common Bond Institute should be listed as an institutional endorser of the Statement. For further information on the conference see their website at http://ahpweb.org/cbi/home.html.

NORTH AMERICA. From the Houston Decade on Nonviolence in Texas, Brenda Hardt has written that they have developed a one-page flyer on the Seville statement: "We are trying to get together packets to take to schools that urge them to introduce peace-building and nonviolence study in their schools in whatever ways they are ready. I felt that this would be valuable information to include. I prepared a page that used info from your latest newsletter about how some teachers are using it." For more information see their website at http://www.decadeofnonviolence-houston.org. Also, if you wish, I can send you a copy of their flyer. From Syracuse, New York, the noted sociologist, Louis Kriesberg, writes: "I'm glad to see the renewed activity relating to the Seville Statement. I discuss it briefly in my book, Constructive Conflicts: From Escalation to Resolution, 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield, p. 33. ... How are you doing? I'm fine, personally, but distressed about the world about me."

From Canada, Suzanne Anderson, Director of Programming of Classroom Connections write that "I am still processing all of the wonderful ideas and new contacts that were made at the conference [at McMaster University in November]. I am thrilled that several threads of discussion are already moving into action. In reading over the simplified version [of the Seville Statement], it definitely looks like a concept that we would like to address in the next resource. I would prefer to see it integrated into a lesson in the resource, rather than including it as a separate item in the package. If we are unable to accommodate it in a full lesson, we might also be able to print it on the inside front cover and refer to it in a lesson as an extension activity. We will be assembling the advisory board to determine content and format over the next month, and I will take it to them when we meet. I am sure there is a way we can integrate it into the resource. Are there any copyright issues with the simplified version? Thanks for following up with this, I will keep you posted on how we will proceed." The response was given that there is no copyright problem but that one should indicate it as (c) UNESCO 1991. For more information, see their website at http://www.classroomconnections.ca.

Please excuse me if I have overlooked any new information and be sure to send it in for the next newsletter which should be distributed in the summer of 2003.

Peace,

David Adams
Editor for this Newsletter

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