Unsung Peaceheroes

(pronounced  VED-ran  SMILE-o-vich)

Vedran Smailović was principal cellist for the Sarajevo Opera. He grew up in a noted musical family. As a child, his father organized them into a group, Musica Ad Hominem (Music To the People), to share music through public performances.

He lived in Sarajevo when the siege of his city began in April 1992. Armed forces of the Bosnian Serbs shelled the capital city and pointed snipers against civilians. The siege would last nearly four years.

On May 27, 1992, an artillery shell exploded in front of a bakery while people were lined up to buy bread. Twenty-two people were killed. More than 100 others were badly injured.

The next day, Smailović dressed in his formal wear for a classical concert and carried a chair and his cello out into that courtyard. He began to play Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor as a memorial to the massacre. When…

Joel Cheruiyot Sigei was one of seven winners in the Unsung Peace Hero campaign created in 2008 by Butterfly Works and Media Focus on Africa. With more than 500 nominees, the campaign celebrated everyday people who helped fellow Kenyans during a period of intertribal violence.

Established in December 1963, the Republic of Kenya is home to more than 70 ethnic groups. The largest group is the Kikuyu. Many Kenyans believed the Kikuyu manipulated elections, keeping Kenya under Kikuyu rule.

In the December 2007 presidential election, Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu, won by an estimated 230,000 votes. Supporters of his opponent, Raila Odinga, a Luo, rejected the results. Accusations of voter fraud and election rigging fueled ethnic tensions. Some Kenyans organized nonviolent demonstrations throughout the country.

Others staged violent protests. In response, Kenyan Police opened fire on protestors, plunging the country into intertribal conflict and chaos. In the course of two months,…

Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr. was born July 2, 1948, in Dayton, Ohio. While a student at Northridge High School, he volunteered at the Aullwood Audubon Center. Guy loved nature and enjoyed hiking and camping. He planned to go to college and earn a degree in biology. His goal was to work for the National Park System, the National Audubon Society, or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Concerned about the social and political issues of the day, Guy supported the Civil Rights Movement.After graduating from high school in 1966, Guy and his family moved to Clayton, Ohio. As a young adult, he took a job as a mail carrier with the post office in Englewood, Ohio.

In 1968, having already applied to several colleges with hopes of pursuing his dream, Guy was drafted. In May, he reported for duty with the U.S. Army. On reporting, he declared himself a conscientious…

Elena Gulmadova was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Her father was Muslim and her mother Christian. She saw violence and instability early in life during the Tajikistani Civil War. The fighting had started after Tajikistan’s 1991 break from the Soviet Union and subsequent presidential election, which was contested. During this time, Elena enrolled in a medical program, specializing in gynecology. In a story reported by Peace Counts, she said delivering “every new baby is a nice success experience.” It was difficult delivering babies during the war, however, because of frequent blackouts. Eventually Elena’s family fled to Ukraine where they lost contact with her father.

Elena joined the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the world’s largest regional security organization, after seeing the good they did for her country during the civil war. As an OSCE mediator, Elena used her life experience to understand the plight of those enduring similar…