In 1983, the second Sudanese Civil War broke out, spanning more than two decades and leaving 2.5 million people dead. In 1984, when he was just 15 years old, South Sudan-born Malith Kur and his family were forced to flee to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where they stayed for a decade before moving to Kenya. This early experience of war led Malith to dedicate his life peacebuilding, both through community work and through his ongoing academic research.
“I spent most of my childhood in East Africa, and when I look at the war that made me a refugee, religion and politics played an important role,” he shares. “That led me to look at the role of religion in conflict. I wondered, ‘If it can cause a lot of problems, can’t it also contribute to peace building?’”
Learning more to make an impact
In 2001, Malith came to Canada, settling in London, Ontario. The father of a son and two daughters, he completed his bachelor’s degree (Bible/Biblical Studies) and two master’s degrees (Bible/Biblical Studies and Theology) at the University of Western Ontario. At the same time, he volunteered for the local South Sudanese community doing pastoral work, and he continues to be an active community organizer and peace activist.
Years later, he came to Montreal for a conference, where one of the participants suggested he consider continuing his studies at McGill. “When I did my research, what attracted me was the School of Religious Studies. I thought coming to McGill would give me a good grasp of the relationship between religion and public policy, whether in the western world or developing world, which is what I wanted to explore further.”
Making a difference at McGill
Malith is now in the final year of his PhD, researching the role of religion in peacebuilding and the social reconstruction of communities affected by conflicts with a particular focus on the situation in South Sudan. His goal, he says, is to bring together three entities in the South Sudanese context to ultimately achieve peace: the church, African Indigenous religions and the state.
“Policymakers in South Sudan often ignore Indigenous communities, but these are the most important people in society,” Malith explains. “African Indigenous religions are still very powerful, so if you want to build peace and become a viable state or country, you need to go to the grass roots. Governments need to strengthen and share with them and tell them that fighting doesn’t give us anything—only peace allows all of us to win.”
On a mission for world peace
Malith is committed to being a part of real change, in South Sudan and around the world. Alongside his dissertation research, he is working closely with his supervisors on a project to look at Christianity in the global context, inviting native speakers from communities in North America, South America, Asia and Africa to McGill to help spread the message of peace.
“What we’re trying to do is bring up these topics and present them to the churches, policymakers and other influential people to see if, by working together, they will be able to build a strong society instead of pulling each other apart.”