Fernand Kpossilande, who works in a game park in Benin, West Africa, is passionate about conflict transformation and sees the Justice and Peace Training Center as an answer to his prayers for peace in the world. At the time of release of this article, Kpossilande was deeply immersed in working with the families of 12 victims of a terrorist attack, five of whom were park rangers.
Fernand Kpossilande has been intrigued by the concept of conflict transformation for as long as he can remember. So, when he heard about the master’s degree offered by Le Centre Formation Justice & Paix (CFJP, Justice and Peace Training Center), he said that he felt like God had answered his prayers.
Mennonite Mission Network, through many partners in Africa, Europe and North America, helped conceive the CFJP program and has deeply invested in nurturing this partnership of 15 theological schools and institutions that make up the program and offer online courses informed by Anabaptist theology for the French-speaking world.
Kpossilande’s interest in conflict transformation grew out of his tumultuous childhood in Cotonou, the largest city in the West African country of Benin. He also inherited a legacy of political dissent, as his family’s roots are in Les Collines (The Hills), one of Benin’s 12 administrative departments, similar to Canadian provinces or U.S states. The residents of Les Collines have a reputation for being outspoken about politics, despite violent consequences.
"In [the elections of] 2021, the people [of Les Collines] were courageous and rose up," Kpossilande said. "It was a blood bath. Families were broken up."
As a child, Kpossilande was a risk-taker and wasn’t afraid to explore whatever ideas came to his mind, like jumping off a roof to see if an umbrella could serve as a parachute.
"When I set my mind on something, it was difficult to distract me," Kpossilande said.
When he was in middle school, he fell ill.
"After evangelical Christians came to pray for me, I was completely healed," Kpossilande said. "Through this experience, my faith became my own, and I began to talk about peace all the time. [Committing to following Jesus] was the best decision of my life, and it led me to focus on contributing to a durable peace in the world."
In fact, Kpossilande became so obsessed with peacebuilding in the following decades that his friends were convinced that he had been brainwashed by a sect.
But his wife, Rufine Gnanvena, encouraged him to continue, saying, "If the call has come from God, God will guide you."
Soon after his wife’s faith-filled statement, Kpossilande encountered the Mennonites.
Sharon Brugger Norton, who served with Mission Network from 2009-2022, was visiting the Bethesda health complex, as part of a Mission Network delegation, when Kpossilande, who worked at Bethesda at the time, sat next to her during a reception in honor of the delegation.
Bethesda grew out of the collaboration of about 30 denominations and Mennonite Board of Missions, one of Mission Network’s predecessor agencies, during the collapse of the government’s health system as Benin transitioned from a Marxist government to a democracy, beginning in 1989.
"I don’t beat around the bush, and neither does Sharon," Kpossilande said.
Though Brugger Norton and Kpossilande only met once, he still draws hope from that encounter and treasures a note she gave him.
"The Holy Spirit told me, ‘She will light your path,’" Kpossilande said. "Her way of working is empowering, and I received so much encouragement from her.
In addition to the personal encouragement Brugger Norton gave Kpossilande, she, as Mission Network’s co-director for Africa and Europe, was also part of the Mission Network team that participated in the birthing stages of CFJP.
Kpossilande made sure that he was in the first cohort of 15 students in CFJP’s Masters in Conflict Transformation (MASTC) program. The program is housed at l’Université de l’Alliance Chrétienne d’Abidjan (UACA, University of the Christian Alliance of Abidjan), and the first cohort officially began October 2023. The program takes place in a hybrid format, with the majority of the courses offered online. The first in-person course took place in January in Côte d’Ivoire at the UACA campus.
Matthew and Toni Krabill, who serve with Mission Network, as well as Martine Audéoud and Neal Blough, who formerly served with Mission Network, are part of CFJP’s administrative and teaching personnel.
Matthew Krabill, who chairs the MASTC academic committee, said that students are drawn to the program, because they want to be peacemakers who are authentically African and authentically Christian.
"The Bible and Christian theology have a lot to say about peacemaking and so do the rich cultures and religious traditions of African communities," Matthew Krabill said. "The courses aim to build bridges between the students’ African DNA and their Christian DNA, so that they can be more effective peacemakers."
Students in the first cohort come from eight countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Mali and Togo. Six of the students have been sent by Mennonite churches. Many of these students, as well as students from other denominations, are being supported by scholarships from Mission Network and the Réseau mennonite francophone (French-speaking Mennonite Network).
Kpossilande has waited a long time to "learn the science of conflict transformation" and is engaging passionately in the CFJP master’s program.
"I need to learn what has worked in other places, so I don’t waste my time re-inventing the wheel," Kpossilande said.
He currently works in the human resources department of Parc W, a national game preserve in northern Benin that is preserving the habitat for antelopes, cheetahs, elephants, lions, and the diversity of other indigenous fauna and flora that are threatened by climate change and global economies. Kpossilande’s work rotation consists of working 10 days in the park and getting four days off. During his days off, he throws himself into his studies and works for conflict transformation in churches and communities.
He says that he is grateful that his wife shares his passion for conflict transformation.
"I already asked for her forgiveness, as I foresee that I will have even less time for my family as my ministry develops," Kpossilande said. Gnanvena and Kpossilande have four children.
Kpossilande is utilizing the ministry that he has been engaged in for years as the practicum component of his CFJP master’s program. Along with working at conflict transformation in congregations and communities, he has three specific projects.
He is working to introduce a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) into the government’s judicial system.
"This is a totally new concept in Benin," Kpossilande said.
Another project seeks to protect the rights of vidomegon (a child in the home of another). Children from families who cannot afford to pay for their education work in the homes of wealthier families, supposedly in return for food, lodging and school fees. However, vidomegon are sometimes abused by their "caretakers" and often don’t get to attend school. Many of the children’s families live in remote areas of Benin, and the children have no way of letting their families know that they are suffering.
"We need to prevent children from entering this jungle," Kpossilande said.
The third project is one that his wife is also passionate about: training women’s groups in conflict transformation and helping women in the churches to find ways to educate their children.
"We can’t talk about peace without integrating women and children," Kpossilande said. "We need to help pastors see this. The church, youth and women are at the center of the vision I am developing. When these groups work together, we will ignite a new dynamic for peace."
