Last month we featured the advanced role of Latin America for a culture of peace, and this month, as we did previously in August 2012, we feature the other continent in advance: Africa.
Major culture of peace initiatives at a continent-wide level are being undertaken by UNESCO and the African Union. An overall view is provided by a new brochure published by UNESCO under the title "Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace in Africa" as reviewed by CPNN. The most recent initiative, established this month, is an African women's network for a culture of peace.
Ghana has established a National Peace Council, chaired by Reverend Emmanuel Asante, who is featured in an article this month. CPNN readers may recall his remarks at last year's Summit of Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures of Peace.
Unlike the mass media elsewhere in the world, African journalists continue to give priority to a culture of peace. The latest story in this regard comes from the journalism school of Mali.
The schools of Africa, more and more, include specific curricula for a culture of peace. The latest development is a guide for peace education published by the West African Network for Peacebuilding.
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Musicians in Africa also contribute to a culture of peace, as exemplified this month by the major rap concert for peace at the Goma refugee camp in Eastern Congo, a region long torn by civil war. Another initiative for peace in this region, this one involving street theatre, is described in the CPNN article, Local Voices Saying No to War in Norh Kivu.
As always, women are taking the lead for a culture of peace. Here are three new CPNN stories:
- Women of Congo speak out;
- Interview with Liberian Nobel Laureate;
- Tanzanian woman says no to forced marriage.
In some situations, the women's leadership is supported by men, for example, the V-men of Congo.
And finally, we should mention 15-year old Olga Katilé from Mali, who has won UNESCO’s “Pathways to a Culture of Peace: Global Contest for Mutual Understanding."
