Tag Archives: Africa

Lawan, Forum Task Nigerians On Religious Tolerance

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Leadership Nigeria

Senate president Ahmed Lawan and Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace have said religious tolerance is a veritable tool for peaceful co-existence in a plural religious society like Nigeria.

They made the assertion yesterday in Abuja at the Interfaith Roundtable with the theme: “Building a culture of peace and unity in our country,” which was organised by the Methodist Church of Nigeria.

Senator Lawan who was represented by the Senate minority whip, Senator Philip Aduda, said the quest for peace and unity should be the responsibility of all citizens of the country because peace is a process that requires patience, understanding and tolerance to achieve.

He said, “By achieving this, it needs people of different faiths and it is also possible because we have come a long way and the efforts of our founding fathers have been rewarding enough for us to build upon as leaders.

(continued in right column)

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

(continued from left column).

“We have again been instinctively in emphasising the importance of peace and the benefits of unity was great.”

Similarly, the president, Vision Africa and co-chair Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said that there is a lack of tolerance among different religions.

He said this is the reason for the violent outbursts and hostility towards other beliefs and the manner they choose to practice or express their religious cravings.

According to him, intolerance towards people of different beliefs, because of blind and fixed psychological delusion that one is pure and the other is an error has resulted to various intra religious  disturbances.

Bishop Onuoha said another problem bedevilling the country was the ‘state of origin’ which he said if abolished would stop hatred, disunity, and agitations among people of different geopolitical zones.

He added that, “If we want to build one country, the state of origin should be removed from the bio-data.”

In his welcome address, the Bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr Samuel Chukwuemeka said the essence of organising the event is for the Muslims and Christians to be able to express their feelings.

Chukwuemeka said what is happening today is as a result of ignorance because people interpret religion differently.

The emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayaro, said social interaction would help “our people to build trust, harmony and embrace tolerance across all the religions.”

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

CEPEJ Takes Peace, Environmental Advocacy To Schools Across Nigeria

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Tribune Online

Niger Delta-based Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has inaugurated Peace and Environment Clubs (PECs) in over 15 secondary schools across the country with a mandate to promote peace and environmental best practices among young ones for a better society.

The most recent PECs were established at the Federal Capital Territory to serve as “safe spaces” with the idea of catching them young and bringing the next generation together from different social and cultural backgrounds to discuss critical issues relating to peace, conflict prevention/management and environmental sustainability, as well as share values of tolerance and civic responsibility.

The National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade appreciated the FCT board for the partnership to enable the NGO to establish the Peace and Environment Clubs and to inaugurate PEC coordinators for Government Senior Secondary School, Bwari, and Mabushi Secondary School, both in Abuja.

(continued in right column)

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

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(continued from left column)

FCT Secondary School Board Chairman, Hon. Yahaya Musa Muhammed, who was represented by Assistant Directors, Mr Itam Nneoyi and Mrs Mary Ajibola, appreciated CEPEJ for the laudable initiative.

They pledged to work with the CSO to educate and guide the youths in the ways of life.

Speaking in the same vein, the Principals of Government Secondary School, Bwari, Dr Mrs Nse Martina Ikwo, and Government Secondary School, Mabushi, Mr Muhammed Shaba thanked CEPEJ for establishing the peace clubs to educate pupils on the need to imbibe the culture of peace and environmental protection, highly needed in Nigeria today.

They promised to ensure the sustainability of the clubs.

The Programme Director of CEPEJ, Mrs Nafisat Amadu Abdulmalik, however, listed improved life skills (leadership, negotiation, decision making, values, self-esteem, conflict management etc.), enhanced advocacy skills-speaking up for self and for others, among others.

She said CEPEJ would facilitate training the trainers’ workshops in the coming weeks before the activities would kick off fully.

Others in attendance included Vice Principals, administrative staff, as well as senior teachers and students.

These advocacies are expected to help the young lads to imbibe values of mutual respect, fairness, teamwork, discipline and tolerance, in order to birth a society with a mindset that values peace and environmental best practices.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Burkina Faso: Great nights of the communities of Dédougou: Young people sensitized on the culture of peace

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Lawali Dembele in Le Faso (translation by CPNN)

A reflection, communication and experience-sharing activity, the national community forum was held this Saturday, September 26, 2021 on the second day of the Great Nights of the Dédougou communities, initiated by the association ImpactAdo. The theme of the GNC, “Promotion of peace and social cohesion, what contributions of youth”, was dissected and debated by the facilitators for an afternoon.

Séverine Sawadogo, Adama Démé, two students and Dieudonné Zagré and Aminata Boly, two other students each talked about living together and social cohesion. Very applied and without complexes, the young speakers presented their communication to the ovations of the participants.

Introduing the speeches, the promoter of the Great nights of communities, Ibrahim Donyéré, set the scene by explaining the strategy adopted by the association Impact Ado with the involvement of young people/ “These young people will share their experiences. Through this choice, we want the message of the search for peace, social cohesion and living together to be carried by young people and adolescents themselves.”

Two young boys and two young girls, it is the young team which, during two hours, took stock of the situation of the lack of peace and social cohesion in Burkina Faso, while proposing solutions and behaviors for young people for the consolidation of a peaceful climate in Burkina Faso and particularly in the Boucle du Mouhoun region.

For Séverine Sawadogo, an economics student at Norbert Zongo University and first facilitator, several actions should be taken in the search for peace. Addressing the central theme of the Great nights of communities, she insisted: “To ensure the well-being of the community, we must demonstrate patriotism and civility by organizing forums for meeting and sharing of experiences like the GNC. ”

To better understand the difficulties experienced by young people and especially how to resolve them, she quoted the emblematic figure of the Burkinabé revolution, Thomas Sankara: “We must not leave a monopoly of thought, imagination and creativity to our enemies yesterday and today.”
(continued in right column)

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

Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(continued from left column)

A student in the first D class, Dieudonné Zagré, in turn, gave a presentation on the benefits of personal development in a context where the search for peace remains an equation to be solved.

According to the student Zagré, the term “personal development” is self-improvement, personal work that consists of surpassing oneself. “I would like to see a renewed youth of Burkina Faso. Let’s ignore our differences, let’s accept each other, let’s come together for the development of our homeland, Burkina Faso, ”said Dieudonné Zagré.

The use of social networks at the heart of discussions

A Sstudent in the Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences, Adama Démé from Norbert Zongo University in Koudougou shared the experience of young people on the use of social networks.

“The misuse of social networks by young people is a real problem. We see cases of recurring disinformation on social networks, the sharing of fake news with consequences including cybercrime. ”

These facts constitute evils according to the student. He then called for awareness among young people so that the fight against the trans-generational transmission of this misuse of social networks can be stopped. Otherwise, the culture of peace and social cohesion will be undermined.

For the last facilitator, Aminata Boly, a final year D student at the Saint Gabriel private college in Dédougou, the promotion of culture, customs and traditions is an explorable solution to safeguard peace in Burkina Faso: “I think that knowledge of customary and traditional values ​​is important for the culture of peace and social cohesion. ”

Starting from the African proverb which affirms that “a country without culture is like a tree without fruit”, the student called on the Burkinabè youth and especially that of Dédougou to promote cultural and traditional values ​​for a better Burkina.

Present as guest of honor, the mayor of Barani, Hamidou Sidibé welcomed the holding of the national community forum.

“We are very happy with what we have seen. This youth is conscious and engaged. Conscious of his society and committed to the positive transformation of society. We are reassured that the next generation is assured, ”said Mr. Sidibé.

Before concluding, he did not fail to quote Professor Joseph Ki-Zerbo: “We do not just develop, we develop ourselves. ”

For Aminata Diallo, secretary general of the Impact Ado association and moderator of the forum, this activity aims to bring about change so that young people are more engaged, more united. “We hold that the education is the foundation for lasting peace. Also, it was recommended more equity, equality and justice in society in order to cultivate a peace and social cohesion that is sustainable.

The forum concluded with a guided visit to the village and communities.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Dalaba, Guinea: launch of the APAC Project of Didhèrè Foulah in Kaala

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Guinée Matin

The Association for the promotion of local initiatives “APIL” launched last Saturday, September 25, 2021, the APAC Project of Didhèrè Foulah in Kolia, in the sub-prefecture of Kaala (a locality located 20 km from the urban commune of Dalaba). The ceremony took place in the presence of the new prefect, Colonel Mohamed Bangoura, as well as prefectural, sub-prefectural and municipal officials, according to Guineematin through one of its correspondents in the Mamou region.

The APAC project of Didhèrè Foulah aims to protect a site at the confluence of several rivers and at the intersection of plains and highlands to enable it to maintain a viable ecosystem in the Dalaba area. Its overall objective is above all to support local initiatives for resilience in the face of COVID-19 by the communities of the APAC and to contribute to the conservation and maintenance of the ecosystem of Didhèrè Foulah.

“Our activities aim to build the capacities of environmental stakeholders, sensitize communities on the importance of ICCA, provide communities with materials and equipment for monitoring ICCA, train them in ” setting up a nursery, supply them with seeds and materials for agriculture, promote ecotourism by building a mausoleum and a shelter for tourists anf initiate other development activities of our localities so that the populations are independent and eradicate poverty,” explained Mrs. Mariama Diouldé Diallo, president of APIL.

At the launching ceremony of this project in Hérico district, Dr Hassimiou Bah, the secretary general of APIL, briefly reviewed the history of Didhèrè Foulah, once considered a place of demons.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in French)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between the environment and peace

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(continued from left column)

Didhèrè Foulah, a veritable protected area of ​​historical heritage, is closely integrated into the lifestyles, land management strategies and identities of the local community, in the sense that all inhabitants pay sustained attention to the conservation of the site.

In the past, this site was considered the place of the demons and spirits of the Tènè river. There was a forest there which was so thick that the sun’s rays hardly ever reached it. This is where the Djallonkés came to worship the spirits. In this place an event so unexpected happened that the place was baptized Didhèrè Foulah. The pagans seized Abdoulaye Foulah and decided to immolate him in honor of the spirits of the site. They wanted to cut his throat, but the knife couldn’t hurt him. God saved Foulah. Because his boubou, which was too long, caused his head to emerge from the water and he lived there for a while (for 3 months or 12 days, according to legend). While Foulah was alive, the fish gnawed on his right little toe. Thus, until today, his descendants are born without a nail on this little toe. It was a woman from the NDanyebhé family who saved him from the waters and he survived and resumed his struggle to establish Islam, ”explained Dr Hassimiou Bah.

On behalf of the local populations, the mayor of the rural town of Kaala, Mamadou Saliou Barry, welcomed the initiative of APIL and pledged to support the implementation of the APAC project for the benefit of the local populations.

“The event that brings us together here is the launch of the APAC project which should contribute to the conservation and maintenance of the ecosystem of Didhèrè Foulah. Our population warmly welcomes the presence of this project in our rural community. We will fight to make this project a reality for the benefit of our citizens and future generations, ”said Mamadou Saliou Barry.

Present at this ceremony, Colonel Mohamed Bangoura, new prefect of Dalaba, welcomed this project and invited the populations to the culture of peace.

“I am very happy, a few days after my appointment as Prefect, to launch a major project linked to resilience to COVID-19, with many actions in view, including: the preservation of the biodiversity in the protected site, poultry farming, beekeeping, the creation of nurseries, market gardening, ecotourism… I congratulate the initiators of this project and the international cooperation for its funding. Brave people of Kaala, I ask you to take advantage of this project by making your contribution and to do everything to make it sustainable. This is why I urge you to join forces and your initiatives to make this project a success in your locality. Development must be our ambition. To succeed, we must create a climate of peace, unity and social cohesion between the various development actors, ”said Mohamed Bangoura.

It should be noted that the association for the promotion of local initiatives is an apolitical non-profit association, born from the desire of a group of people concerned with making their contribution in the process of combating poverty, especially in rural areas. .

Africa, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Chad: AJPNV training for democracy and human rights

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Alwihda Info (translation by CPNN)

As part of its project to promote democracy and human rights in Chad, the youth association for peace and non-violence (AJPNV) is organizing a training workshop from October 1 to 2, 2021 for leaders of civil society organizations and the media.


The workshop opened on Friday, October 1, 2021 at the national headquarters of the association in the Amtoukougne district. The AJPNV, created in 2000, is a secular, apolitical and humanitarian non-profit Chadian civil society organization. It is an accredited member of IRC (International Rehabilitation for Council of Victims of Torture) based in Copenhagen) and a member of IFHRO (International Federation of Health and Human Right Organization) based in Geneva.

AJPNV aims to promote and protect human rights and provide free medical, psychosocial and legal assistance to victims of human rights violence, refugees, and internally displaced persons, prisoners, women victims of sexual violence. It promotes socio-economic reintegration through information, communication and education of refugees; the promotion of the culture of peace and democracy in Chad; promotion of reproductive health; health promotion linked to human rights; strengthen women’s capacities to fight poverty, unhealthy traditional practices and HIV.

(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in French)

Questions for this article:

How can we promote a human rights, peace based education?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(Article continued from left column)

Officially launching the workshop, AJPNV President Nodjigoto Charbonnel asserts that civil society organizations and the media are a pillar in the national system for the promotion and protection of human rights. Their main responsibilities are, on the one hand, to promote human rights through the dissemination of a national culture of human rights in which the values ​​of tolerance, equality and mutual respect flourish, in particular. through human rights education and on the other hand to protect human rights, by identifying or investigating cases of human rights violations.

To carry out their mission of promoting and protecting human rights in their country, Nodjigoto Charbonnel maintains that civil society organizations and the media need to be strengthened and supported. And to add that, this strengthening project working in the field of human rights responds to the need for strengthening and broadening the field of action of associations.

Nodjigoto Charbonnel says human rights movements, democracy organizations and development donors have a common goal but have not always seen each other as allies. It is quite possible that the three groups have found common ground around the notion of a rights-based approach to development. He goes on to insist that good democratic governance must inevitably focus on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Without this protection, he says, there can be no real democracy.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

South Sudan : Community leaders in Unity state pledge to promote a culture of peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from United Nations Mission in South Sudan

Some 60 participants from local administration, including women’s representatives, from Guit and Rubkona counties in Unity state attended an UNMISS forum on enhancing peace and stability.


Photo by Jacob Ruai/UNMISS

“We must stop the perennial cycle of revenge killings if we are to live in peace and prosper,” said Jany Nyang, a traditional leader in Budang payam [administrative division] located within Rubkona county in Unity state.

“Frequent cattle raids lead to outbreaks of conflict and this, in turn, destroys the fragile fabric of people’s lives. Peace doesn’t just happen; we have to all shoulder our individual responsibility and learn to coexist if we want our children to have a bright future,” he continued.

Mr. Nyang was speaking at a three-day forum hosted by the Civil Affairs Division of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which brought together local administrators as well as traditional and community leaders from two counties, Guit and Rubkona, to find localized solutions to issues such as cattle rustling, intercommunal conflict and increasing social cohesion.

(Article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Can peace be achieved in South Sudan?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(Article continued from left column)

More than 60 participants, including women, participated in these discussions, which also included the important topic of cooperation among politicians from different parties across the state.

For Mary Nyakun Diew, a women’s representative, inclusion of women and youth in decision-making is key to establishing a sustained peace. “The participation of women in peacebuilding is of utmost importance. Women constitute 50 per cent of any society and this country’s leadership must make all efforts to include us in peace activities,” she stated.

Another participant, Nyakun Nyadiew explained that real peace cannot be achieved when every civilian is holding a gun. “If we want to live in a secure and free society, the government needs to carry out disarmament across the country. The proliferation of arms among civilians is one of the root causes of insecurity in our community,” he averred passionately.

For his part, Matthew Gatmai, Executive Director, Bentiu Town Council, advised communities to put their differences aside. “We cannot have a sense of peace if we don’t invest in it ourselves and our investment should take the form of tolerance. We need to forgive past hurts and look towards the future.”

According to Paul Adejoh, Civil Affairs Officer, UNMISS, discussions like this enable local-level authorities and communities to understand and own ongoing peace processes in the world’s youngest nation.

“As Civil Affairs Officers, we constantly engage with community leaders and members across South Sudan and we have come to realize that most conflict stems from a lack of investment in building peace from the ground up,” said Mr. Adejoh. “What we try and do is bring people together so that they can have free and frank discussions and realise that all citizens have a role to play in establishing durable peace. Every opinion counts, every individual matters.”

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Cameroon: Peace action: tribute to Mirabelle Lingom and Confort Tamasang

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Cameroun Actuel

Women’s rights organizations, including the pioneer WILPF Cameroon, gathered within the Consultation Platform “Cameroon Women for National Dialogue”, organized a workshop on September 28, 2021 in Douala. to monitor and evaluate their actions .

Created on September 10, 2019, after the announcement of the national dialogue by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, the Women’s Consultation Platform for the National Dialogue was set up and organized with other partners, consultations of women’s associations and groups in the country and in the diaspora to discuss the process to be taken collectively to make the voice of women heard during the national dialogue. This pre-dialogue consultation was in line with the National Action Plan implemented in line with Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Following the GDN, the platform embarked on a new advocacy for the holding of a new national dialogue that is more inclusive of the main stakeholders and that takes more account of the voice of women.

To this end, the convention organized by this platform appeared to be an extraordinary opportunity, a real catalyst that could have favored the government’s capitalization of initiatives such as the “Cry of Cameroon women”.

From then on, WILPF Cameroon carried out a gender analysis of conflicts, which helped them to put in place a process towards peace with the support of its members. So far, the results of the analysis have shown that women support each other in the context of conflict in Cameroon. Notwithstanding a few obstacles, the platform got involved in activities despite the difficult context marked by an increase in killings in Cameroon and fewer opportunities for solutions.

(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the original French version)

Questions for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

(Article continued from left column)

Out of the crisis through dialogue

The members of this platform continue to lose their brothers and sisters because of gender-based violence and war. For Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, president of WILPF Cameroon and coordinator of the platform, “the workshop to evaluate the actions of this platform aims to proceed with a better structuring, coordination and also to question our associative commitment. That’s why we thought about enlisting the support of a consultant to discuss the ins and outs of our problems as members of civil society organizations and platforms.”

Regarding issues that affect women, the platform believes that the government must, among other things: put in place measures to address the issue of impunity for perpetrators of gender-based violence in a sustainable manner; concretize the institutionalization of peace education in order to promote a culture of peace in and outside school; institutionalize a simplified procedure for accessing legal birth certificates and national identity cards destroyed as a result of the crisis; improve women’s access to property; make arrangements for the establishment of a structure specializing in trauma in order to deal with the problems of sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts, etc …

End conflicts

Thanks to the support of development partners and the government, women’s movements have been structured to create more and more spaces for women. But with the rise of violence and crises in recent years in Cameroon, women have regularly risen to ask for peace.

In this case, on September 28, members of the platform “Cameroon Women for National Dialogue” recalled that this workshop was also organized for survivors and victims. In particular, thoughts are with Mirabelle Lingom and Confort Tamasang, who have paid the price for gender-based violence respectively.

“These lives are being lost for nothing, as voices are raised to call for inclusive dialogue to end conflict and combat gender-based violence.” concluded Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo, coordinator of the platform.

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Fatima Al-Ansar Describes Her Vision While Launching a “Urgent Appeal” to All Malian Organizations Working in the Field of Conflict Resolution, Mediation and the Prevention of Violent Extremism to “Unite Their Efforts”

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from Bamada Net

On the sidelines of the conference-debate on “religions, secularism and citizenship: what are the stakes for Mali? », the new director of Timbuktu Institute-Mali, gave us the first interview since taking office last week. At the head of this research-action structure, advocating the taking into account of endogenous resources and the experimentation of agile approaches in a crisis context, Fatima al-Ansar sets out her vision while launching an “urgent appeal” to all organizations of Malian women working in the field of conflict resolution, mediation and prevention of violent extremism to “unite their efforts within the framework of an inclusive coalition of actors”.


Photo of Fatima Al-Ansar from Peacetalks

The Independent: You have just been appointed to head the Think Tank, Timbuktu Institute, which is an African Center for Peace Studies. What is the scope of the establishment of this structure in Mali, especially as there are a number of other organizations also involved in this issue?

Fatima Al-Ansar: This approach is in line with the conference-debate that we organized on Saturday September 25th. Before the creation of the Timbuktu Institute, when the various actors, national, regional or international met and consulted, they all deplored either the insufficiency of endogenous capacities or their non-development in the search for a solution to conflicts or the prevention of crises in Africa. Considering this delay in these efforts and also the deplorable scarcity of forward thinking frameworks promoting endogenous and inclusive solutions, Timbuktu Institute wants to be a regional instrument capable of compensating for this lack.

(Article continued in right column)

(Click here for the original French version)

Questions for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(Article continued from left column)

L’Indép: So what will be your magic recipe to achieve it when you know others have tried it before you?

F.A: It should be noted that the vocation of the Timbuktu Institute is the training of new generations in innovative methods and approaches in promoting the culture of peace as well as the capacity building of actors who can develop public policies. We look for endogenous dimension of solutions, but this does not prevent us from working with international partners on issues related to peacebuilding and conflict prevention, political violence, identity, even religious, etc. Considering our past rich with inputs from many sources, we believe that approaches are available today that can accelerate our process of reconciliation.

L’Indép: Since the outbreak of the multidimensional crisis in Mali in 2012, we have heard so many declarations of good intentions and wishful thinking. What are your assets in achieving the objectives set, namely the return of peace?

F.A: The difference is that the installation of the Institute in our country coincides with a critical moment, a turning point where we have no choice but to move forward or expose the country to an inextricable crisis in addition to the current difficulties. In fact, in my vision at the head of Timbuktu Institute-Mali, I am campaigning with Mali’s international partners to construct solutions with us that take our concerns into account.

In this spirit of a holistic and inclusive approach, our first program, which will soon be launched, is entitled “The Word to Malians: for reconciliation.” It is fully in line with strategic documents such as the National Reconciliation Strategy and the one on reconciliation and prevention of violent extremism that was recently validated. The failure of nation building strategies in Afghanistan reminds us that we must listen our own people and not impose paradigms devised elsewhere.

L’Indép: In your remarks, you put forward the idea of ​​launching a large coalition of partnerfs engaged research and action for endogenous solutions. What does it consist of?

F.A: You know, there is too much dispersion of precious efforts by the research-action structures and by Malian civil society organizations. More and more, we find a real desire for synergy. The Timbuktu Institute seeks to give substance to this desire for unity which is emerging. After making contact with many of these actors in all regions of Mali, I am starting with my team, next week, a series of meetings with organizations sharing this vision. I think now is the time to act. We must build these synergies to boost inclusive endogenous initiatives, promote them and support them through strategic thinking.

For me, this is not at odds with international cooperation; it is a simple promotion of the solutions that the Malians themselves can offer. I believe much more in this empowerment of thinking about our problems than in the desire to play on international rivalries or import conflicts. The people of Mali and their desire for peace and reconciliation are part of the solution. We need to gather together around the table of solutions and move towards reconciliation. We have the resources if we can cope with political crises. All that is needed is the will.

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Toumodi, Ivory Coast: Community leaders trained in the culture of peace

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Abidjan.net

Heads of village, community and associations of women and young people of the department of Toumodi participated, Wednesday, September 1, 2021, in an awareness-raising workshop on the culture of peace and living together initiated by the National Program for Social Cohesion (PNCS).


© AIP By DR (Click on image to enlarge)

Questions related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

“For us, it is about sensitizing communities to the culture of living together in order to contribute to the consolidation of peace through the establishment of community income-generating activities”, explained the director general of the PNCS, Arsène Kouassi.

Toumodi is one of the six localities in the country chosen to host these workshops, because of the violence that punctuated the last presidential elections there. “Toumodi has had difficult times, but tensions have eased now. This workshop will help us build trust between populations,” explained the third deputy mayor, Célestin Sialou.

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

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Chad: Ouaddai Youth Debate on Culture of Peace and Civic Engagement

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Hambali Nassour/Abba Issa in Al Wihda

The awareness-raising project on the culture of peace and civic and electoral engagement, led by the Youth Star Association for Culture and Development, organized on September 4 a forum for discussion on the culture of peace.

Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

The one-day event brought together representatives of young people from the city of Abéché. Placed under the theme of “the engagement of a culture of peace among youth”, the meeting allowed young people to share their ideas.

Panelist Saleh Souloum invited young people to have a spirit of national unity, to show love and social cohesion in order to build a better Chad.

He explained that civic and electoral engagement is not just the business of leaders but that it is up to each young person to get involved to make their contribution.

The president of the Abéché Youth Star Association, Hassan Abdoulaye Hassan, gave a brief overview of the achievements of his organization, before discussing the merits of the culture of peace.

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

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY