I shudder when I think about my violent past. My mother's people where colonizers and my father came after the second world war carrying all kinds of hurt and pain along with the violence that spilt over into family life when I was but a child.

When I met and married my husband I was determined to break those patterns of violence and live a more peaceful, meaningful life. We worked together to break those bonds of slavery. It has been a long process and I now carry the dream on in the memory of my late husband.

I have worked years too trying to become a better steward of the land sharing it with the native people here. Things were going really well when the government here started these acts of violence against their own people. Trying to make peace with folks who have hate in their hearts.

I don't know what will happen on Wednesday this week. The people have decided on a National strike, and the government has promised a retaliatory action of cutting power, water and communications. That will effectively cut the people of this country off from the rest of the world.