Category Archives: EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Mexico: UAEMéx and the Judiciary promote a culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Capitale México (translation by CPNN)

Today, more than ever, it is vital to remember and value the importance of generating a culture of peace in our society, stated the rector of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMéx), Carlos Eduardo Barrera Díaz. Along with the president of the Superior Court of Justice of the State of Mexico, Ricardo Sodi Cuellar, he awarded of the First State Oratory Contest for the Culture of Peace, closing the “Week of Access to the Culture of Peace.”

In the Aula Magna “Licenciate Magistrate Gustavo A. Barrera Graf”, the rector emphasized that peace is the construction of a coexistence based on respect, understanding, tolerance and empathy. “Peace is achieved when we recognize our interdependence and commit to treating others with dignity and fairness,” he said.

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(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Questions for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(Article continued from left column)

He highlighted that the collaboration between the Judiciary of the State of Mexico and the UAEMéx was essential to make this event possible and urged those present to continue building bridges and promoting peace in all areas of our lives.

In his turn, Ricardo Sodi Cuellar celebrated that the university offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Alternative Conflict Resolution, since building peace is the most important desire of any society.

“Mediation is a fine, elegant art, where people learn through the mediator, who is the one who facilitates this aspect, to build the foundations for peace, to resolve a conflict. This is important because society always has conflicts and the way in which we resolve them will bring us closer to or further away from peace,” said the magistrate.

In his turn, Judge Enrique Víctor Manuel Vega Gómez stressed that in order to talk about building a culture of peace, one depends on the involvement of society.
He asserted that holding this event, in which the Universidad Mexiquense de Seguridad also participated, is a way of leading youth towards the creation of a participatory democracy, that promotes peace.

The director of the Faculty of Law, María José Bernáldez Aguilar, pointed out that the combination of efforts between state institutions is essential for the construction of a solid and lasting culture of peace.

By joining forces, she said, we demonstrate that building a culture of peace is not an individual task but a joint effort that requires the active and committed participation of all institutions and social actors. “It is through this collaboration and teamwork that we can lay the foundation for a more peaceful and just future,” she said.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

A song for peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

A request received by email at CPNN

Dear CPNN,

I am humbly reaching out to you and your esteemed partners for a collaboration with your organisation to campaign for peace and for women empowerment and children safety using my song titled Peace World Need, music released early this year.


Frame from video of the song

It’s been a desire to reach out far calling on your organisation with proposal.

In this, I am humbly looking at song put on the airwaves to have message out to the people. It is often the case that the more a message is communicated to people, it impacts on their thinking to influence subsequent decisions and to a larger extent subsequent actions of the people.

TITLE OF MUSIC : PEACE WORLD NEED

We are all one people
One nation
Let us unite

Many language
Varying beliefs
But we are all one

Hurt no woman
Helping children

We need one another
For a better world

Save a life, save a life
Loving one another
As much as we can
Save a life, save a life
No other way to our peace.

Question for this article:

What place does music have in the peace movement?

How can just one or a few persons contribute to peace and justice?

ABOUT ARTIST

Daniel AYISI is a Ghanaian in Ghana coming from the Eastern region for the father side and from the Ashanti region the mother side currently living in Kumasi, the city in Ashanti Region.

Music has been a dual occupation alongside his accountancy profession being a graduate in Business Administration 
Born on the 1st of December, he recalls some instance tracing when and how he came up with music. At the primary school in the boarding house he recalls he was made the entertainment prefect. He recalls he was playing the konka drum for songs performed by colleagues during entertainment but do not know when he learnt playing this local drum. At the youthful age, he recalls he wrote and composed a song for the youth church choir, a song the choir leader commented was interesting though unused.

Music composition has been carried out through out his life partially realizing most of his songs in different genres at amazon music years ago. It was from 2018 he took up music occupation for a career fully releasing some singles and an EP and also having a video on the you tube EP titled, Thanksgiving, same title for music video.

OTHER INFORMATION SUMMARY

Name of Artist : Daniel AYISI
Artist Name: Daniel AYISI
Country of Origin: Ghana
Music Status: Independent Music Artist- Composer, Songwriter, Singer, Producer.
Copyright Affiliation: CMMRA
Other Contacts: WhatsApp Mobile Phone: +233 543 050 667.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Review of Against War: Building a Culture of Peace – a book by Pope Francis

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

Excerpts from an article by William J. Collinge in The Journal of Social Encounters

Against War: Building a Culture of Peace. Pope Francis. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2022, paper, viii + 132 pp., ISBN 978-1-62698-499-8.

Against War is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Pope Francis on war and peace. The occasion for the book is the war begun by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The book begins with an introduction by Pope Francis, dated March 29, 2022. Eight sections of selections follow. The first section, “With War, No One Wins,” consists almost entirely of texts after the outbreak of the Ukraine War. The second section, “A Culture of Death,” gathers texts on the harmfulness of war and the foundations of peace. The third section is titled “The Criminal Folly of Nuclear Weapons,” and it is followed by a section comprising excerpts from Francis’s trip to Japan in 2019, chiefly the speeches he made at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The next section, “Peace and Fraternity,” contains texts from the Pope’s journey to Iraq in 2021. A major theme is collaboration across religious lines to rebuild Iraq’s war-torn society. The next two sections, “A Better World,” and “An Artisanal Path,” discuss peace and the way to build it. The last section consists of prayers. The book concludes with “Afterword: A Century-Long Magisterium of Peace,” by Andrea Tornielli, the Editorial Director of Vatican News, setting Francis’s teaching in the context of that of his predecessors.

I will summarize what the book says about war and peace in general before turning specifically to what Francis says about the Ukraine War in this book and in subsequent statements.

It is clear that for Francis the enemy is not Russia or any other combatant. It is war. Francis’s emphasis is always on the effects of war, not the state of mind or character of those who declare wars or fight in them. The second line of text speaks of “the disaster caused by war” (p. 1). Francis goes on to speak of the death and wounding of innocent people, especially children, the destruction of homes and displacement of people, the state of fear in which people live, and the transfer of resources from human needs to weaponry. All of this is consistent with recent popes’ increased opposition to modern warfare due to its destructive capacity.

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Question for this article:

What are the most important books about the culture of peace?

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Two themes that are characteristically, though not uniquely, Francis’s are his consistent “option for the poor” and his attention to the environmental costs of war. He urges us to “give first place to those who suffer” (p. 83), to look through the eyes of victims “and listen with an open heart to the stories they tell” (p. 31). He reminds us, “War always does grave harm to the environment” (p. 28), and he calls on us to develop a peaceful relationship to our common home and all who dwell in it (pp. 106–107).

Nuclear weapons, if used, greatly amplify the death and destruction caused by war. The sheer building and possession of them is a huge waste of resources and increases the danger of their deliberate or accidental detonation. “The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral” (p. 51). Nuclear weapons should be made illegal as well (p. 43). Nuclear deterrence generates a climate of fear and a false sense of security. “Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation” (pp. 45–46).

What is the alternative to war? Francis would reject that way of formulating the question. For him, there is today “no real alternative to peacemaking” (p. 85). Peacemaking calls for dialogue and encounter, two words that recur frequently in these texts. It calls for “immersing ourselves in situations” (p. 83). In the “culture of fraternal encounter” we must set aside fear and allow ourselves to be vulnerable (p. 98). “Fraternity” is another word that appears very often in this book. It is an awkward term in English, with its etymological gender-exclusiveness (though in American English “fraternity and sorority” would be worse). The Pope’s intention in speaking of fraternity, however, is inclusive, to emphasize that we are all brothers and sisters “as children of the one heavenly Father” (p. 98). He links fraternity to Jesus’s call to love one another, which includes those we might otherwise regard as enemies (pp. 113, 90). Love of enemies implies the rejection of violence in resolving differences: “To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence” (p. 91).

Peace is not a “possession” one can hold on to; rather, it “puts you in motion” (pp. 86–87). It is an “artisanal path” (p. 95), one which everyone can “build … day by day through small gestures and acts” (p. 93). It requires “craftmanship” to build “processes of encounter” (pp. 99–100). Francis concludes, “May the Lord help us to journey together on the path of fraternity and thus to become credible witnesses of the living God” (p. 115).

On the second page of the book, Francis turns to the Ukraine War. He deplores the death and destruction the war has caused (pp. 2, 7) and also the increased arms race it has sparked (p. 9). He worries that it might escalate to nuclear war (p. 4). He calls for “the good sense to negotiate” (p. 17).

Click here to continue reading remarks on the Ukraine War and to read the list of references.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

World Movement of Poetry: for the Culture of Peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Ici Beyrouth (translation by CPNN)

The World Poetry Movement (WPM), an international organization that brings together poets and poetry promoters from five continents, expresses its concern and opposition to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, whose two sovereign nations are protagonists, and pleads for a peaceful solution. History teaches us that war is not a solution to conflicts, but a scourge that affects humanity as a whole and it is our duty to warn of the real danger of a nuclear escalation, the possibility of which constitutes a imminent threat to life on the planet. As poets, we embrace the word as a means of sensitive creation, but also as a political and social tool for building a fairer, more equitable and more humane world.

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(click here for the French original of this article)

Question for this article:

How can poetry promote a culture of peace?

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Therefore, the WPM welcomes the initiatives of China, Brazil and other countries that have come out in favor of a negotiated solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We join the call of the social movements in dialogue as the only method of resolving this conflict and all other international conflicts. It should be noted that, from the ideological point of view, the World Poetry Movement (WPM) is a plural space that unites poets of all different persuasions and positions.

This plurality has not been an obstacle to uniting to defend the cultural and political diversity to which the peoples of the world are entitled. We know from experience that what we have in common can prevail over small differences: the love of life. To paraphrase Saint Augustine, in the face of war, we ask no one how he thinks, but how he loves.

That is why we cannot and do not want to be indifferent to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine or forget that there are currently many other wars in the world that are ignored by international public opinion. The war in Yemen, the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the crisis in Myanmar, the situation in Syria, Colombia, among others, are painful events that require equal attention and actions from humanity as a whole to reach solutions. fair and peaceful. It is our duty, as poets, to be witnesses and champions of human values, but also to mobilize poetry and citizens for the construction of real solutions.

Combining words with action is the only way we know to achieve the utopia of a world for peace, for justice and for life, everywhere and for everyone.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

Promotion of the Culture of Peace: Salimane Karimou Launches the Project “Youth for Peace in Northern Benin”

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Matin Libre (translation by CPNN)

The Minister of Preschool and Primary Education, Salimane Karimou, presided, this Thursday, April 27, 2023 at the Golden Tulip in Cotonou, over the official launch of the project “Youth for Peace in Northern Benin”. Funded by the European Union and implemented by UNICEF Benin in collaboration with the government, this project aims to promote a culture of peace and strengthen the resilience of adolescents and young people in northern Benin by education and vocational training.


During the ceremony that served as a springboard for the official launch of this project, several speeches were made. In the presence of all the parties concerned, the Representative of UNICEF Benin, Djanabou Mahondé, began by thanking all the structures that made possible this tripartite partnership in favor of children, adolescents and young people in the North.

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(click here for the French original of this article)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

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She mentioned that”The project, which will be implemented until June 2024 for a value of approximately 2.5 million US dollars, or 1.5 billion CFA francs, places particular emphasis on children out of school, children in Koranic schools, but also girls, and young people looking for alternative education or training, who all find themselves in situations of vulnerability that expose them to risks, but also deprive them of their fundamental rights. Indeed, the launch of this project responds to an important need to work with and for young people, in order to make them agents of positive change and ambassadors of peace, while Benin, like other coastal countries of the sub-region, has been facing the consequences of the Sahel crisis in the northern border areas for several months.”

Following her, Sylvia Hartlief, Ambassador of the European Union in Benin praised the government and particularly the Minister Salimane Karimou for the efforts made in consolidating education in the border departments. “The objective is to provide Beninese children and adolescents with solid educational achievements and essential skills to better integrate into a constantly changing socio-economic environment, and to promote the role of children and young people in the safeguarding peace and social cohesion in the country. An objective of which we all measure the importance and the urgency, when we know that nearly two million children are out of school in Benin, more than half of them in the 4 departments of the North (Alibori, Atacora, Borgou and Donga). The European Union is proud to support you, to accompany you, in partnership with Unicef, whose legitimacy and quality of support in the service of education no longer need to be demonstrated.”

Speaking of this project, the Minister, Leader of the Ministers of Education informs that it will take place in the department of Atacora in Cobly, Kerou, Materi, Natitingou; in the department of Alibori in Banikoara, in Karimama and in the department of Donga in Ouaké. This program, he said, responds perfectly to the ambition of the government to ensure continuous improvement of access to basic social services and social protection. “Peace education aims to combat a culture of war by promoting a culture of peace. It calls into question the principle according to which violence is innate in humans and aims to put students at the center, able to resolve conflicts without violence, “he said, while reassuring himself that this program will enable impacted children, adolescents and young people to become responsible, peace-loving citizens. He finally proceeded to the official installation of the committee to lead this project.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Brazil: Lula creates working group to combat violence in schools

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Migalhas (translation by CPNN)

President Lula has signed a decree creating an inter-ministerial working group, with the aim of implementing policies to prevent and confront violence in schools.

The decree was published in the DOU, this Thursday, 6. The measure was created after the massacre at a day care center in Blumenau/SC, where four children died.

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese.)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the relation between peace and education?

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The working group will be coordinated by the Ministry of Education and involves seven additional ministries and two secretariats. With an initial duration of 90 days, the group must propose various measures, including the eventual publication of decrees and bills to combat these crimes. One focus could be internet regulation mechanisms, where hate groups that encourage this type of attack proliferate.

Other measures

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, announced the release of R$ 150 million to expand school patrols across the country, amid the wave of attacks on schools and day care centers.

Another measure is to intensify the monitoring of threats and planning on the internet for attacks on schools. According to Flávio Dino, 50 federal police officers will exclusively monitor this type of crime, from a center at Diop – Integrated Operations Division, linked to Senasp – National Secretariat for Public Security of the ministry, with direct support from the state police . Until now, there were 10 police officers involved in this work.

Culture of peace

The Minister of Justice also defended the involvement of the media and private entities and civil society in a major national mobilization in favor of a culture of peace, which includes, for example, the adoption of protocols in cases like this, to avoid a excessive exposure of the perpetrators of this type of attack, who seek precisely the spotlight.

Here is the decree in full.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Azueï: the union of Dominicans and Haitians through art

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by María Luisa López in Acento

For a group of Dominicans and Haitians to come together to create art may seem unusual, given the complex relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

However, in August 2015, a small group of people decided to come together to create a project that would promote a culture of peace and thus guarantee a space for dialogue through art and culture between the two peoples.


Here is the wall painted on the border by graffiti artists from the Azueï movement. Photo: Josué Azor

The meeting took place on the shores of the lake that separates Haiti from the Dominican Republic: Azueï. From there arose the name of this movement between local artists and from the neighboring country with which they also seek to undo prejudices, value the wealth of the island’s heritage and the proximity of both cultures.

“We decided to create a movement to have another way of doing things with each other. To strengthen the culture between the two nations, create joint works and through this common creation we are discovering each other”, Rachèle Magloire, president of the Azueï association in Haiti, told ACENTO.

In this regard, the filmmaker also narrates her own experience: “I particularly never had a Dominican friend. That never even occurred to me. The dynamics of collaboration and solidarity between the two countries had been completely broken. Now I even speak a little Spanish and I have Dominican friends.”

Younès Karroum, a founding member of the movement, explains that Azueï is multidisciplinary, since it is made up of musicians, graffiti artists, filmmakers and social activists.

When asked about the complexity that uniting citizens of both nations can entail, due to the cultural differences of each one, Karroum highlights artistry and trust.

“The keys to how to generate trust do not lie in the discourse, but in how to work in the arts; to find, first, a common language to be able to build whatever. For that, you have to identify the other as someone with whom I can share, I can work, and this is built through practice and the dynamics of creation… ”, he says.

To this he adds that, many times, the complex thing is to put aside the national reading that one can have when going from one country to another.

“In other words, when we have these meetings, these moments, I take off this contextual reading cap that I can have from my country and I take the gaze of the other and try to have another vision. Open your mind. And this works in Azueï. Azueï artists have developed this new identity that “we are Azueï”. And the discourse of the artists themselves has evolved a lot in these seven years because we already assume things from the other that we did not assume before ”, she specifies.

(Click here for the original version in Spanish.)

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Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?

(Continued from left column)

An island united by art

Both Magloire and Karroum agree that art is the most suitable way to unite both peoples, and they assure that the key that has worked for them is to do it from a constructive position.

They define art as a key tool to change mentalities, both Dominicans and Haitians, and the perception they have of each other.

“Because I think that, in the end, there have been voluntary policies to paint a neighbor in a way for political interests and this with many resources, in the Dominican Republic in particular. This has generated the establishment of a mentality towards the other based only on these criteria, not based on day-to-day reality. In the Dominican Republic there is a lot of interaction with Haitians. There are many examples of solidarity. There are many organizations working on the issue, there are many cases of positive relationship”, indicates Karroum.
.
On his side, Magloire also puts the issue of discrimination in context and assures that it not only occurs towards Haitians, but also towards Dominicans.

“We also see discrimination against Haitians because our artists were imprisoned or mistreated. We have some who live here. But we also discovered discrimination against Dominicans. Racism is not only against Haitians. There is deep racism here (on the island), which is not talked about,” he indicates.

Activities in the country

These days, Azueï is immersed in a tour of the Dominican Republic that has included demonstrations, workshops, rehearsals, recording of documentaries and music sessions.

“The activities began in February with a residency at Xiomara Fortuna’s Campeche ecological ranch with the graffiti artists from the Azueï team, and representatives of Haitian and Dominican cultural organizations that we have financed within the QuisqueyArt project to encourage exchanges beyond us. Other organizations are invited to undertake these cultural exchanges. Because in the Dominican there is a need for cultural projects with Haiti, and just as in Haiti this connection is needed”, Karroum points out.

He explains that their residence, carried out as a dynamic of conflict transformation through the arts, worked on the concept for a mural on the border between Dajabón and Juana Méndez.

Among the activities of the tour in the country they also included a conversation
with the entire team of the movement in El Portal Cultural, in the Colonial City.
In the same place on Friday, they will have a session with all the Azueï musicians for those who want to go and play with them.

And to close the tour they will perform a concert at the Cultural Center of Spain, in the Colonial City, at 8:00 p.m., in which they will play all the songs from their album Artybonito.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

From Madagascar: Identity specificity and civilization of the universal

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Julien Rakotonaivo in L’Express de Madagascar (translation by CPNN)

….the appreciation of Friendship, the culture of Fihavanana, the culture of peace is a Culture that looks like us, a culture that looks like us. It shows that we are not essentially an “ethnic” Nation based on races, castes, tribes, but more a “civic” Nation based on values: the values of freedom, democracy, solidarity, respect for human dignity, for the language and culture of others (hence the importance of multilingualism).


Photo of Jean Joseph Rabearivelo from Wikipedia

But this transversality of Culture should not annihilate our specific identity. Far from it ! And in this regard, I like to refer to Jean Joseph RABEARIVELO, the most illustrious of our poets, undisputed master of WORDS both in Malagasy and in French (and even in Spanish) even though he left the School at 13… He defined himself as “A scholar of color, crazy about the French language, but burning to remain fundamentally Malagasy”…

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(click here for the French original of this article)

Question for this article:

How can poetry promote a culture of peace?

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In this year 2023, we should mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of this genius, whose destiny was shattered on a good day or rather a bad day of June 23, 1937…). And to drive the point home, or rather icing on the cake, I deliver for our wisdom, by way of conclusion, the admirable and edifying words of Mahatma GANDHI as follows: “I do not want my house to be closed on all sides and that the windows are obstructed. I want the Culture of all countries to permeate my home as freely as possible but I refuse to be swept away by any of them.

Through cultural diversity, which should be nurtured by a permanent dialogue without ulterior motives, we are rich in our differences! The epic stories of Homer (through the Iliad and the Odyssey), the immortal works of Shakespeare and the Universal Theater of Molière, the Sonata of the divine Mozart, the Trumpet of Luis Armstrong, the magic flute of Rakoto Frah, the dreams of Martin Luther King (I have a dream!), the Island of Syllables by flames by Jacques Rabemananjara, Ethiopiques and Nocturnes by Léopold Serdâr Senghor, the legend of the centuries by Victor Hugo, the poems by Rimbaud and Verlaine. I’ll stop the list! It’s far from exhaustive…Let’s drink to these inexhaustible sources of the civilization of the universal.

-Let us assume our differences

-Let us overcome our differences

– Cultivate our attractions

-Let us join together our hopes to fully enjoy our shared passion for positive interculturality.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Mexico: Meeting for a culture of peace in teacher training schools held in San Lázaro

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Canal del Congress

The “2nd International Meeting for a Culture of Peace in Normal Schools”, (teachers training schools) was held in the Chamber of Deputies, where cultural authorities from the legislature and students from Mexico and Colombia agreed on the need to implement actions to eradicate conflicts. inside and outside normal schools.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the relation between peace and education?

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In this regard, the coordinator of Information Services, Libraries and Museums, Carolina Alonso Peñafiel, pointed out that it should be a priority to strengthen human rights and competencies in terms of peaceful relations and conflict prevention, so it is necessary to establish solutions as an integral part of educational programs.

Meanwhile, the director of Libraries, María Vázquez Valdez, said that this meeting represents an opportunity to establish ties, strategies and reflections to develop a fabric on peace between Mexico and Colombia, in order to open a peaceful path in schools and communities, to sow peace and overcome violence.

The event was attended by students and professors from normal schools in Mexico and Colombia, who exchanged ideas to help eradicate acts of violence within their institutions and thereby build safe communities. In their interventions, they proposed awareness and sensitization workshops, to create communication networks between students and to reinforce respect for cultures and ideologies, generating environments of peace, harmony and allocating resources to safe spaces for students with disabilities.

Meanwhile, teachers and students from normal schools in Colombia indicated that, given the contexts in which their institutions are developed, it is necessary to eradicate violence and move towards building peace inside and outside the schools, through inclusion and interculturality within the framework of peace.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

28TH FESPACO: Gold for Tunisia and silver for Burkina

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Issa Siguire in Le Pays de Burkina Faso (translation by CPNN)

The lanterns of the 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) went out on March 4, 2023. It was Youssef Chebbi of Tunisia, who won the Etalon d’or de Yennenga, with his film “Ashkal”. Burkinabe director Apolline Traoré wins the Silver Stallion.


Tunisian director Youssef Chebbi succeeds Somalian Khadar, director of the film “The Gravedigger’s Wife”, by winning the Yennenga Gold Stallion, with his film “Ashkal” at the 28th edition of FESPACO. Absent at the ceremony, his representative received the trophy and the sum of 20 million CFA francs in his name. `

Directors Apolline Traoré from Burkina and Angela Wamai from Kenya, 2nd and 3rd respectively, win the Silver and Bronze Stallions.

For Dora Bouchoucha, president of the jury, the process which led to the choice of the film brings together political considerations, entertainment and cinematographic creativity. “In the Three Stallions, there is all that. But the one that had more creativity, more cinematic talent, was the Ashkal movie,” she explained.

Even if Apolline Traoré did not win gold, she says she is proud to win the Silver Stallion: “We have problems. This Gold would have comforted the people of Burkina Faso but if it can do it for the Tunisian people who also have problems, so be it. After my special prizes, I can not dare to say that I am not happy, “she rejoiced.

As for the Minister in charge of the Arts of Burkina Faso, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, he was delighted with the holding of the festival which, in his opinion, shows to the eyes of the whole world that Burkina Faso is still a country to be visited. “It was also a way for us to show that despite all the difficulties and security pressure, Burkina Faso remains standing as well as African culture”.

And to express the gratitude of Burkina to Mali, guest country of honor and to its counterparts from the sister countries of Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, like the Minister in charge of Culture of Burkina, that of Mali, Andogoly Guindo, welcomed the masterful organization. “I would like, at this stage, to renew the gratitude of the Malian government, of the Malian people to the Head of State of Burkina Faso. We can safely say that this 28th edition has kept its promises”, he declared.

It should be noted that the results of the 28th edition of FESPACO were drawn up by its General Delegate, Moussa Alex Sawadogo. According to him, more than 10,000 accredited people, including 2,413 film and audiovisual professionals and 1,328 journalists, made the trip to experience the festival of African cinema live. 95 directors of film festivals responded to the call of the biennial of African cinema. Better still, some fifty countries from diverse backgrounds were welcomed to the capital of African cinema, Ouagadougou.

“I take this opportunity to convey all my gratitude to the institutional and private partners from America, Europe and Africa without forgetting the State of Burkina Faso and Mali, guest of honor country which, by their presence, their support financial, material and technical, for their multifaceted contributions, gave the celebration an exceptional beauty. Our congratulations go to all the winners of the 28th edition of FESPACO, recipients of special prizes or prizes from the official juries“, said Moussa Alex Sawadogo, before announcing that the 29th edition of the biennial of African cinema will take place from February 22 to March 1, 2025.
 
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(Click here for the original French version of this article.)

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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The 28th edition of FESPACO in numbers

– More than 10,000 accredited participants
– 2,413 film and audiovisual professionals
– 1,328 journalists
– 95 directors of film festivals
– 50 from different countries were welcomed in the capital of African cinema;
– 1,200 films were viewed
– 170 officially selected films
– 12 sections;
– 365 screening sessions
– 9 rooms
– 36 screening sessions in Kaya on eight (08) selected sites
– 96 booths out of 98 occupied at the 21st MICA
– 218,000,000 CFA francs distributed under the official prize list and special prizes.
– 22 participants in the Yennenga Academy including 16 girls
– 08 candidates for five scholarships provided for the Yennenga Post-production;
– 17 participants for the Yennenga Co-production;
– 16 papers
– 5 practical workshops
– 57 archive professionals took part in the workshops.

Sources: Press kit

They said:

Minister in charge of the Arts of Burkina Faso, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo: “African culture remains standing”

“It was a huge challenge for Burkina to organize this 28th edition of FESPACO. Tonight, we can say that it is a challenge that has been met. It is a way for us to say that despite all the difficulties, including those of security, Burkina Faso remains standing. African culture remains standing and I think it is a great proof of this state of mind that has been given through the organization of this edition. Mali is the guest country of honour. It is hand in hand, with Mali, that the organization was carried out. We had the honor and the pleasure of counting among us counterparts from our brother countries, from Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Senegal and Guinea Conakry. I think it’s a very good lesson in solidarity that has been given through this edition. »

Minister of Culture and Francophonie, Françoise Remarck: “FESPACO is essential and demonstrates that African culture and cinema are important elements for the influence of our continent”

“I really salute the organizing committee for the work done. I salute the commitment of my colleague from communication and culture in Burkina Faso. I thank him for all the attention towards me and my delegation. The level of competition was high. These biennales demonstrate that our countries were right to invest in cinema. Some organized countries raise the level but we also see the arrival of new countries such as CAR, Mauritius, Cape Verde. This means that by implementing cinema policies, by investing, it pays off. We are extremely happy to be here. We congratulate all those who have been selected and of course, all the winners. FESPACO is essential and demonstrates that African culture and cinema are important elements for the influence of our continent. They make it possible to highlight our personal stories, to change the narrative about us and all this is to be credited to FESPACO. We are very proud of it and we are very happy with what we have seen. We take this opportunity to say thank you to Burkina Faso. We congratulate the organizing committee which, despite the rather special condition, did not give up, on the contrary, took up the challenge and we are very proud of it. »

Apolline Traoré, director and Etalon d’Argent: “We will continue to fight”

” We have problems. This Gold would have comforted the people of Burkina Faso but if it can do it for the Tunisian people who also have problems, so be it. After my special prizes, I can’t dare say that I’m not happy. It wouldn’t be good of me. Even if I don’t have the Gold Stallion, I have the Silver Stallion and I’m happy about it. I’m not giving up, I’ll keep fighting. I had also hoped that a woman would win the Etalon d’or for the first time, even if it wasn’t necessarily me. But we will continue to fight. »

Chloé Aïcha Boro, Burkinabe director: “FESPACO makes us and we make FESPACO”

“As a rule, the artists that we are, we criticize. We criticize the policies, the organization. We are in our role and it is normal. This announcement, we must salute the fact that they have maintained the edition despite the security context. As for the organization, it’s FESPACO and there’s always a mess. We love and we hate it at the same time. FESPACO is our home. It makes us and we make the FESPACO”. 

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE