Tag Archives: Africa

Africa: In a World of Turbulence, Writers Reaffirm Their Role for Enlightenment and Information

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from the Senegalese News Agency

Members of the Writers’ Union of Africa, Asia and Latin America (AAAWU) can play the role of “literary enlightenment and information” in a turbulent world . “Literature can play a very important role not only by interpreting but also by information,” said Lamine Kamara, president of the Writers’ Association of Guinea, at the opening on Monday in Dakar of the meeting of the AAAWU.

Former Guinean Foreign Minister, Kamara stressed the need “to open a space of debate through writing, so that the different points of view can confront each other.” According to him, we must “invite the reader and especially the general public to have more tolerance and intercomprehension and to avoid the spirit of violence, hatred and intolerance”.

“Facing this world of turbulence and particularly in Africa, writers have much to say,” adds Chadian poet Samafou Diguilou, president of the Association of Friends of Literature in Chad.

“I come from Chad (where), we have a very dramatic situation with the Boko Haram, a group of terrorists that is rampant in Chad and in neighboring countries such as Cameroon and Mali … the Chadian or African writer must take his pen to denounce this injustice, “continued Mr. Diguilou. The Chadian writer says he still finds it hard to understand the rationality of the members of this group. “You attack people who did not do anything to you, you come, you kill, you explode bombs, you take lives away from innocent people,” he criticized. In the face of this, “the writer, whether Chadian, Senegalese or even African is called upon to intervene.”

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(Click here for the original version of this article in French)

Question for this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?, What is, or should be, their role in our movement?

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“We do not have weapons or explosive devices like them, but we have our pen, and with this we can appeal to major international organizations like the UN, the African Union to support the actions of our countries that are concerned,’ explains the Chadian poet.

Taking as an example the role played by the first African poets in the struggle against slavery and colonization or the march towards independence, Chadian Samafou Diguilou considers that the author can use all literary genres to be hear.

Aware of the fact that literacy has been an obstacle to access to books in African countries, he proposed that we privilege works translated into local languages ​​or interpreted by artists.

The Senegalese writer Aissatou Cissé advocates “readings of peace in this world context of turbulence, verbal and physical violence”. “Every morning, when we get up, we read on the Internet, or through a newspaper or a book, and what we read does not promote the culture of peace, it disrupts even more and creates zizanie [discord], “she said.

“Children, adolescents and adults who read us need to read positive things that can boost their creativity, and it is in peace that we can create,” said the Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, Macky Sall.

The president of the club “Poetists, essayists and novelists” (PEN), Colonel Moumar Guèye invites “writers and journalists to have a responsible pen, to ensure to safeguard national cohesion and social peace”.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Senegal: A regional seminar on “The role of journalists and the media in preventing violence”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Abidjan.net

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs ( DFAE) of Switzerland is organizing a seminar on “The role of journalists and the media in preventing violence and violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel” from 12 to 14 June 2017 in Dakar .

The seminar’s main objective is to help improve the capacity of journalists and the media to better contribute to the prevention of violence, including violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel. It will bring together some thirty journalists and experts from the countries of West Africa and the Sahel.

This meeting follows the recommendations of the conference organized by UNOWAS in partnership with the International Institute for Peace (IPI) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAE) in Dakar on 27 and 28 June 2016, on the theme : “Investing in peace and preventing violence in West Africa and the Sahel: Conversation around the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action”. It also draws on UNESCO’s existing initiatives to promote journalism education and a culture of peace.

(Click here for the original French version of this article.)

Question(s) related to this article:
Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, United Nations,

Côte d’Ivoire: Preservation of the peace in Port-Bouët: Communal youth give their recipes

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Unité.ci

The Union of Youth of the commune of Port-Bouët, in collaboration with the NGO “Acting for peace and well-being” (ONGAPBE), organized on Saturday 10 June 2017 at the Hotel Communal, a seminar on “How can youth develop the culture of peace in the commune of Port-Bouët? “.


Photo legend : Seminar participants sit in a circle

Samuel Kouassi, President of the Youth Union, gave the reasons for holding such a seminar. According to him, it is the young people who in times of acute crisis are instrumentalized to commit acts of violence. “Youth can become the armed fist of people with troubled and selfish purposes. We must therefore work to ensure that this important segment of the population in our commune in particular and in the country in general find ways to protect themselves in case of crisis, disorder or disorder.” That is why he invited the leaders of young people from all parts of the commune to listen carefully to the message delivered today and put it into practice if necessary.

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(Click here for the original French version)

Question for this article

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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Mr Koffi Amani, President of ONGAPBE, gave some suggestions for young people to be peace actors in their families, neighborhoods, communities and, in turn, in Côte d’Ivoire. According to him, the seminar establishes an interactive methodology, “Collective intelligence, listening to others and networking among all the youth groups makes it possible to involve young people in the search for peace,” he said. For him, it is essential to avoid suspicions and dissension. Young people should think together by listening to each one, giving positions and listening to those of others. “The culture of peace must not be an isolated action, since it concerns everyone. With us 1 + 1 is not equal to 2, but to 11. For 11 is the figure of force, while 2 is division. Our methodology is to bring everyone together to produce the desired results, “said Koffi Amani.

He recalled that the NGO he runs has been functioning since December 2012. In January 2013, the NGO trained its facilitators who are people who publicly animate seminars, meetings or training sessions. The facilitator is called the “host.” Their methodology consists in having the participants set up in a circle. “The circle has a specificity in the sense that it allows everyone to see each other during the exchanges. Each point of the circle constituted by each participant has equal value. That is, each participant has the same importance as the others in the debate. There is no leader and everyone has the right to speak. Each one can not speak more than another and each participant can not see the right to speak back. He who has not the word should listen attentively to the one who is speaking. These are the rules we have set ourselves to inculcate certain values ​​to all those who take part in our trainings, “said the president of the NGO.

Participants talked about their experience of peace and how they once worked in their lives to bring harmony into the family, neighborhood, school, etc. It is this experience that they have been asked to remember, the day when they will be faced with a situation that requires them to commit themselves to peace.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Kenya’s pastoralists look beyond patriarchy to property rights for women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Wesley Langat for Thomson Reuters (reprinted by permission)

Norah Chepkulul, a single mother of two young sons, stands outside her home, a grass thatched hut surrounded by cactus-like euphoria trees on the dusty Maasai Mara road in Kenya’s Rift Valley. She has just finished milking her four cows and has asked the boys to keep an eye on the goats corralled in the little compound.

A few years ago, a single mother taking sole responsibility for her family would have been a rare sight among the pastoral Kipsigis and Maasai communities. Traditionally, the predominantly herder societies are patriarchal and men are the decision-makers and managers of land and stock. But over-grazing and the sub-division and privatisation of land and its transfer to agricultural use has forced herder communities to accept and adopt new land strategies, including applying for security of tenure and women in land transfer and inheritance.

“Getting married these days is no longer a priority,” Chepkulul told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I am not married and being a single mother is not easy. I stay at home with my four children as a mother – and as a father, too.”

Deeply-rooted obstacles in society, along with the big gap between new laws against gender discrimination and local custom and tradition however continue to be a problem for women.

Chepkulul, is one of the lucky ones. Her family acknowledged her daily battle to feed, house and educate her children and gave her a plot of land to work, flying in the face of cultural traditions.

“My family members saw the economic challenges I faced in bringing up my children, felt pity, and gave me a small portion of land to farm and put my house on,” she said.

“Sometimes when there is a financial challenge at home, for example hospital bills for the parents, you’re told to sell that cow and any other assets.

“For my brothers that is considered the last option – there is no equality at all. I wish they could realise that my children are the same as theirs.”

Local priest, Mathew Sigilai, believes that the combination of economic pressure and new gender equality laws in Kenya is slowly eroding deep-seated cultural beliefs.

“Things have changed and the population has grown and nowadays, getting married is not guaranteed,” he said.

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Question related to this article:

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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CHANGING ATTITUDES

“As a parent, if my daughter is not married, I will not chase her away. Instead I give her a farm or a cow to earn a living and start off her life like a son.”

Chepkulul’s neighbour, 56-year-old Juliana, recalls her youth, a time when things were even tougher for unmarried women.

“When you were not married, it was difficult to find accommodation or a home. You would not be allowed to stay with your parents. Sometimes a neighbour sympathised with you and offered you an old house,” she said.

“But later, when they wanted it back, you had to leave and find another place … that was life for unmarried women, they were considered outsiders.”

A 2014 World Bank report, Gender at Work, showed that legal discrimination against women on inheritance and property rights remains common in many areas of the world, including the Middle East, North Africa, parts of South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

However, between 1960 and 2010, the report said, Kenya had slashed the number of discriminatory laws against women’s property ownership and rights by more than half.

Purity Wawerua, a retired Kenya Wildlife officer who belongs to a different tribe agreed there had been important progress in women’s inheritance rights among the Maasai.

Land used to be a major source of disputes, particularly after long marriages ended in divorce, she said.

“When (the woman) goes back to her parents’ home, it becomes a problem,” she said. “Thanks to the new Kenyan constitution, equal rights are given to both genders.”

However, according to Mitchelle Oyuga, of the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya), there is still room for improvement.

“People have become quite aware that children are equal and it’s a provision in the new constitution,” she said.

“You are allowed to farm, to do any kind of work on that farm, but when it comes to selling the farm, women are given secondary rights,” she said.

At her home in the Rift Valley, Chepkulul agrees and says that speaking up for themselves remains the most difficult hurdle for many women.

“When you despair you feel like speaking out but no one can understand what you’re going through,” she said.

“Sometimes I have been thinking … that if God had really created human beings equally, there would be no discrimination on gender and all people would have been the same.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mozambique: Taking steps on the long road to ending violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Oxfam

In Mozambique, still building respect for women’s rights and working to end violence against them.

Aida Changuane needed help: She was constantly quarreling with her son and daughter in law. Since her husband passed away a few years ago, it seemed the younger generation in her household was disrespecting her, at times depriving her of food, and she says she was constantly criticizing them. They thought she was interfering in their relationship. They fought a lot.


Aida Changuane, 56, led her family to find ways to resolve conflict and live a happier life together. Photo by Brett Eloff/Oxfam America.

“I was suffering,” she told me, standing outside a community office for the ruling FRELIMO political party in her town, Boane, about an hour from Mozambique’s capital Maputo. “I was sorry my husband passed away, I cried day and night.”

Changuane learned about an organization called Nweti (it means “moon” in the local language, signifying a hopeful light in the night). She attended special community dialogue meetings with Nweti’s trained activists who helped her find ways of provoking dialogue instead of confrontation. “I learned the life we were living was not proper, it was too violent, and they taught me how to handle things…I learned there should be dialogue…when there are problems I now ask them to sit down and discuss them.”

She stressed over and over again that her family is now living peacefully, and that she is much happier, despite her sadness in the loss of her husband.

I never got the impression that the conflict in Changuane’s home ever became physically violent, but that was not the case for 34 year old Virginia Machuene, who lives nearby in a smaller town called Massaca, an hour and a half by car from the capitol Maputo on the road west to Swaziland and South Africa, only about 15 kilometers from the border.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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Machuene says she and her husband fought about a lot of things, and he was frequently physically violent. She also attended the community dialogue meetings and learned how to defuse these violent encounters, and brought her husband materials to read that got him to change his behavior.

“I realized violent confrontation is not good,” she says, with a firm look on her face. “Now I am feeling like I am leading a better life than before.”

What’s really changing?

I just went to Mozambique to look at the ways Oxfam has been working on decreasing domestic and gender-based violence. We’ve funded organizations like Nweti for years, and helped others to research and push for new laws designed to bring better respect to women’s rights and decrease violence.

We (Oxfam and all our partners) have been on this road for more than 20 years, but getting people to respect new laws, and encouraging the police and judges to enforce them, is not easy.

The stories of two women like Changuane and Machuene cannot imply a trend in a huge country like Mozambique, but they give me hope anyway. I’m going to keep looking at the question of what is changing here, what we can do to support this work.

As I go, I’ll try to remember the words of Virginia Machuene:

“What the activists [at Nweti] teach us is that in cases of violence, we should report it to community leaders. They teach us that women should not keep quiet when they suffer violence.”

“Nowadays people are changing…I can’t say why. Maybe it’s the church, the activists working with us here, or maybe the laws are changing, or because we have brochures that people can read and people can change. But not so many people are going through this kind of violence.”

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Togo: Minister Lorenzo Launches Support for master in “culture of peace and development”.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Alwihda Info (translated by CPNN)

The Minister of Communication, Culture, Sports and Civic Training, Guy Madjé LORENZO opened this Tuesday [March 28] in the premises of the Regional Institute of Higher Education and Research in Cultural Development (IRES -RDEC) in Lomé, the work of defense of the first promotion (2014-2016) of master in “culture of peace and development”.

During four semesters of training, students gained theoretical and practical skills on subjects such as conflict and the mechanisms of their resolution, preventive conflict management. They may also conduct projects related to peacebuilding.

For Minister LORENZO, “the establishment in the subregion of the Master in Culture of Peace and Development is the fruit of a new initiative to be welcomed”. The Minister of Communications also invited the recipients to serve as an example for future promotions.

It should be noted that 34 students from Benin, Niger and Togo attended the training. Of these, four graduated and five dropped out. The Regional Institute for Higher Education and Research in Cultural Development is a school for regional training and integration in culture related to development.

(Click here for the original version of this article in French)

Question for this article:
Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Togo: Women’s groups in the Plateaux region sensitized on social cohesion and the culture of peace in Atakpamé

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Television Togolese

The Minister of Social Action, Advancement of Women and Literacy, Tchabinandi Kolani Yentchare spoke on Thursday, 30 March in Atakpamé, to people from the Plateaux region, in this case women, regarding the involvement and role of women in the maintenance and culture of peace.

This meeting is part of the tour to raise awareness about the contribution of women to the promotion of social cohesion and a culture of peace coupled with support to the funds of women’s groups. This awareness-raising, initiated by the Ministry of Social Action, the Promotion of Women and Literacy, is a response to United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), which underlines the importance of full gender equality, conflict prevention and resolution, and peace-building and peace-keeping.

The objective of this session is to strengthen the capacity of women on their role in
culture and peacekeeping in their respective families and communities. It is a question of equipping them with the skills that are conducive to the promotion and culture of peace so that they can fully play their role as peace ambassadors.

(Click here for the original French version)

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Question for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

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The Minister of Social Action, Women’s Development and Literacy underlined the UN peacekeeping strategies, which were adopted by the United Nations at a summit on the Sustainable Development Goals. The 16th objective of the Goals focuses on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all and the strengthening of responsible and effective institutions at all levels . To this end, Togo has embraced this dynamic and has integrated the notion of gender in its development, social cohesion and peace promotion strategies to involve everyone in the Implementation of development policies. She urged women to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the government to develop skills in order to rise to the same level as men in positions of national and international responsibility. She finally invited everyone to pray for peace, solidarity, self-control and forgiveness.

In addition, Minister Tchabinandi Kolani Yentchare handed over to 15 women’s groups in the Plateaux region, specializing in the processing, preservation and sale of agricultural products, financial envelopes amounting to 400,000 CFA francs per group, ie a total of CFAF 6,000.00 for women’s groups in the region. This gesture is a gift from the government and aims to support and financially support these women’s groups in their income-generating activities in order to reduce poverty in rural areas. She also submitted, on behalf of the government, a batch of material consisting of 415 bundles of 0.15 cm metal roofing sheets; 415 bundles of 0.20 cm sheets and 50kg of roofing nails to aid in reconstruction for the victims of recent natural disasters in the Plateaux region.

The prefect of Ogou, Akakpo Edoh, on behalf of the beneficiaries expressed his gratitude to the government for these actions taken to promote the development of women in his region.

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Côte d’Ivoire: National Police: 639 staff trained in culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Daniel Assouman for Fraternité Matin (translated by CPNN)

In order to strengthen socio-security dialogue, the National Police School has strengthened the operational capacities of police officers. The program of five months was initiated by the Director General of the National Police, Kouyaté Youssouf..


(Click on photo to enlarge)

The director general of the national police, Commissary Major, Kouyaté Youssouf, plans to strengthen the dialogue within the institution and also between the police and the population, in order to guarantee security.

To this end, he has signed a partnership with “Verbatims”, a training and support institute for the prevention of conflicts related to identity. By means of 24 refresher and training sessions, 639 police officers, including 79 women and police of all ranks, received capacity building on culture of peace techniques.

These sessions, which began in November 2016 and ended on March 10, 2017, were structured around six modules. These included:
* the notion of ethnicity,
* prejudices and stereotypes,
* identities and conflicts at the micro-social level,
* identities and conflicts at the macro-social level,
* the notion of nationality,
* elections and political candidacies
   
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(click here for the original French version)

Question for this article:

Where are police being trained in culture of peace?

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Marie Stenbock-Fermor, Chair of the Verbatims Board of Directors, recalled that the Project, called “Support the Strengthening of Socio-Security Dialogue” (Pards) is financed by the European Union and Implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Its general goal is to bring the police and the population closer together, in particular, through the organization of police-population dialogue workshops and public forums in order to reduce considerably the mistrust between the population and the police.

During the course of the work, the participants concentrated on reflections on the internal cohesion of the police and the image of the police within the population, according to the Marie Stenbock-Fermor. With regard to internal cohesion, she noted that within the police some deviant behaviors were observed by the hierarchy. For example, questioning colleague with regard to ethnicity and mentioning ethnic prejudices and stereotypes.

According to her, these behaviors that stem from different crises are sources of frustration, mistrust, contempt, withdrawal, fear between colleagues and they severely harm the efficiency of service to the population. That is why she found it necessary to carry out the training.

Returning to the image of the police within the population, she was reassuring. She pointed out that through training, there will be a real improvement in respect for the police by the population., especially to the extent that they perceive new behaviors on the part of the police officers both in terms of reception of complaints and treatment of persons who have committed offenses.

The Director of Training and the National Police School, Chief Police Commissioner Touré Kouacou Albert, who represented the Director General of the National Police, urged the participants to put into practice what had been learned . He transmitted the encouragement of the Director General of the National Police.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Nonviolent Peaceforce in South Sudan: The extremes of the human spirit

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Mel Duncan of Nonviolent Peaceforce

I have just returned from South Sudan. I am heartbroken and inspired. Adequate adjectives escape me. In such extremes, words can lose their meaning. How easily terms like famine, gender based violence, internally displaced, etc. can become abstractions even for the most compassionate of us. I was overwhelmed with anger as I stood with people in the dust, heat, and destruction while armed men lurked close by.


Yet, even in those conditions, I saw glimmers of resilience forming into action. For example, I sat in a hot, dark hut with 100 women, most of whom are rape survivors, as they talked about preventing children from becoming soldiers, intervening when violence flares and organizing rallies to bring opposing clans together. They told me about transporting a rape survivor in a wheelbarrow to a medical clinic. Even with limited resources, these women tirelessly work to protect themselves and others. They want a voice at the peace talks! Seldom have I felt such energy and spirit!

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

Can peace be achieved in South Sudan?

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NP’s teams are training and supporting these women peacekeepers ̶ close to a thousand at work in five locations. Regardless of how bleak the prognosis, we will align with those who without particular power or skill are nonviolently changing the world. The lead article in Sunday’s New York Times, War Consumes South Sudan, a Young Nation Cracking Apart illustrates the horror in places like Bentiu ̶ where we have a team of 21 civilian protectors. Amid the Times’ stories of murder, starvation and gang rape they neglect to tell about these remarkable women who have stepped through the brutality and are working to protect themselves and others. These women not only represent a personal resilience but more importantly, they embody the deepest strength of the human spirit.

    “My heart is moved by all I cannot save:
    so much has been destroyed
    I have to cast my lot with those
    who age after age, perversely,
    with no extraordinary power,
    reconstitute the world.”

    ― Adrienne Rich

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Burkina Faso: Dialogue of religions and cultures: prospects for the Ouagadougou symposium

, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Fasozine

On the eve of the opening of the international symposium on the dialogue of religions and cultures in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the two main initiators of the meeting, Filippe Sawadogo* and Lazare Ki-Zerbo*, discuss in this interview the substance and the highlights of this important meeting on education for the culture of peace.


Lazare Ki-Zerbo* and Filippe Savadogo*

Fasozine.com: Ouagadougou is hosting an international symposium on the dialogue between religions and cultures from 3 to 7 March. Does this mean that the dialogue does not yet exist?

Lazare Ki-Zerbo: It is simply that the situation today invites us to remobilize the mechanisms of dialogue that exist and that have always existed. The Burkinabe people like to stand up to fight against injustices, andviolations. But there are times when we must also know how to fight for peace and for national cohesion. In the light of current events, you will agree that we must really mobilize to preserve and anticipate. We can not sit idly by while our neighboring countries deteriorate and disintegrate.

The initiative aims to strengthen the culture of peace in Burkina Faso and in Africa. What do you think are the ingredients of this culture of peace?

Filippe Savadogo: First of all, peaceful coexistence, which we express through living together. And this is reflected in several mechanisms and sources. By considering our traditional endogenous values, we observe, for example, that joking alliances – which we call “sinagouya” or “rakire” – have been able to temper many concerns during certain crises. Moreover, Africa has always been a continent where the culture of dialogue is a constant part of the education of young people from early childhood: respect for others, initiation to values, etc., and we must revisit all these questions in a world where challenges are only multiplying.

Finally, we also have external supports, such as democracy, good governance, human relations … which we can cultivate by adding new dimensions to build the African man of the new century, a century in which culture becomes engagement and contribution on several horizons towards a better future.

In the face of growing incivility, what place do you give to civic education in this process?

Lazare Ki-Zerbo: The growing incivility reflects the fact that there is a break in the intergenerational bond. In response, our initiative promotes education for peace, a process that should begin at school from a very young age. This is where the mechanisms of living together are learned. The roots of incivility, intolerance and violence must therefore be attacked by an intensive dissemination of the principles of peaceful cohabitation and acceptance of the other. These are the real mechanisms. The problem can not be solved by coercion and brutality.

How would you describe the level of coexistence among different religions in Burkina Faso at the present time?

Filippe Savadogo: In Burkina Faso, the recognition of religious pluralism is a reality. There are also consultations between religious leaders. A good example is the association “faitiere” which is presided by his majesty the Mogho Naaba and which initiates searches of endogenous solutions when there is crisis or misunderstanding.

However, we can also say that nothing should be taken for granted. We must therefore continue to cultivate respect and to understand that the acceptance of difference is an added value. Burkina Faso, a country in the heart of West Africa, has always been a crossroads for dialogue, peaceful cohesion, welcoming and learning about the positive values ​​of other peoples.

Faced with the extremist and terrorist threats, what answers does the Ouagadougou symposium intend to bring?

Lazare Ki-Zerbo: Burkina Faso, is, in effect, at the head of the great old Sahel – the Niger loop, the great empires. To the south we are in relation with the coastal countries, to the west we have this long Border with the Mandingo world … I think that’s what makes us rich. A bit like Cameroon, Burkina is also an Africa in miniature and that is our strength. The fact that we have been at the center of all these great influences has allowed us to take advantage of their contributions and to become stronger.

The message of the symposium is thus: consolidate this capital, which is at the same time social, cultural, historical. A capital that is our wealth and can be a bulwark against the forces of division and separation.

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(Click here for the original French version of this article)

Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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Several well-known personalities take part in this meeting. What do you expect from their participation?

Filippe Savadogo: I believe that the presence of those who gained experience in the generation of independence, as well as scholars and scholars from several disciplines, reflects the fact that we want to put at the center of this symposium a framework of reflections that can lay the foundation for an action plan for the years to come. That is why we are thinking first of all of the major groups in our region, including personalities from ECOWAS countries (Sahelian countries) and the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) West African Economic and Monetary Union. We will have many high-ranking personalities from these countries who will share their experiences.

The symposium welcomes, among others, a professor who comes from Central Africa, a country emerging from a crisis, which is now better, and who should share his experience with the participants. We can also mention the presence of the former President of the Transition in Burkina Faso, Michel Kafando, a great witness of his time, who will explain, from the first day of the symposium, the sources and resources that allowed the transition to overcome its obstacles.

Finally, the presence of the Secretary General of the International Organization of the Francophonie, Michaëlle Jean – who is staying in Burkina Faso as part of a visit – brings us the helpful dimension of the Fez process. Indeed, the question of interreligious and intercultural dialogue is a concern for all of the Francophonie. And at the last summit, heads of state and government still encouraged this kind of symposium …

So, are there bridges to be established between the “Libres ensemble” of La Francophonie and this symposium?

Absolutely! To the extent that everything leads to good governance, to democracy, but also to living together, which is a segment of being “free together” with the help of youth and women. Unesco also plays a significant role, since it has a tradition of researching the culture of peace. We also have Isesco with Dr. Cheikh Boubacar Doukouré, who has participated in the Baku process of the Alliance of Civilizations, as well as many others who will share their experiences with stakeholders from across our subregion. The press is also included because we have a large theme of “Media and Society”.

What do you think of the recent measure taken by the Beninese authorities to prohibit any religious grouping in public spaces? Is it, in your opinion, desirable? Exportable?

I think that a dialogue has been established on this issue with a pause for better reflection. But in another dimension, we can talk about the secularity of our states and the organization of all these issues. So we can find a solution in time, knowing that history is also a projection of the future.

Following the symposium of Cotonou, of which this is the continuation, how will you judge whether the symposium of Ouagadougou is successful or redundant?

Lazare Ki-Zerbo: We received a mandate from the Cotonou symposium to hold the national meeting in Burkina Faso because we know we have our own specificities. We will do it with local players, knowing that very often our human wealth is not sufficiently valued.

Thus, as an example, Cheikh Boubacar Doukouré, who is the president of Isesco’s executive committee (Unesco for the Muslim world), is also the president of the assembly of African ulemas, created recently in Morocco. He is a reference in this field, taking part in this symposium, which is also honored by the presence of Mr. Halidou Ouédraogo, President of the Human Rights Foundation. There is therefore considerable knowledge and know-how related to Burkina that will be highlighted in the symposium.

And all this will contribute to the drafting of the action plan …

Absolutely! The main thrusts of a plan for a peace education will emerge from the debates. We already have some ideas with the media and the researchers, so that we can arrive at an action plan. Its implementation will be supervised by a follow-up committee.

* Filippe Savadogo

Former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Communication, Filippe Savadogo, 63, is the coordinator of a French-speaking platform called Continental Horizon. He has served as the ambassador from Burkina Faso in France and then permanent representative of La Francophonie to the United Nations in New York. He was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Pan-African Film Festival in 2013 in Los Angeles. The Burkina Faso diplomat is also the coordinator for Burkina Faso of the African Initiative for Education for Peace and Development through Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue.

* Lazare Ki-Zerbo

Author and actor in the Pan-African Movement and member of several civil society organizations – Manifesto for Freedom – Movement of Intellectuals, Joseph Ki-Zerbo International Committee for Africa and its Diaspora (Cijkad), Bandung Spirit Network – Lazare Ki -Zerbo was special advisor to the promoter of the African Initiative for Education for Peace and Development through Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue led by Albert Tévoèdjrè. A graduate of the Institute of Federalism of Freiburg and the Austrian Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution of Burg Schlaining, he was also a program specialist at the Organization internationale de la francophonie from 2004 to 2014.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY