West Africa Program Update

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West Africa Program Update
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Program Overview

• Sierra Leone
• Talking Drum Studio
• 12 regular programs
• 3 studio locations
• Community Peacebuilding Unit
• Youth
• Community Radio
• Peace Carnivals and Tours

• Liberia
• Talking Drum Studio
• 12 regular programs
• TINAMENIMA (Community Services Unit)
• Peace and Reconciliation Workshops
• Drama Outreach

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Sierra Leone Case StudyMakeni Peace Carnival

• December 30, 2002-January 1, 2003

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Makeni Peace Carnival

• Objective To provide a forum for the community
  to focus on growing levels of violence in Makeni
  at schools, on sports fields, in homes

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Background

• Makeniformer RUF stronghold, with large
  excombatant population
  
• SFCG-SL holds outreach events to promote
  partnership and peacebuilding and develop local
  capacity
  
• Annual Peace Carnival in Bo every Easter
• Steady Bongo Peace Tour (2)
• Makeni wanted a similar event

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Coalition of Planners

• National Commission on Disarmament,
  Demobilization, and Reintegration
  
• The Police
• The Army
• The Drivers Association
• The Cassette Sellers Association
• Sierra Leone Teachers Union
• Radio Mankneh
• Several Youth Groups

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Established Action Committees

• Organizingoverall planning, coordination and
  implementation
  
• Groundsdemarcation of field for booths
• Securitymade up of Police, Army, youth, and
  community members
  
• Financeproceeds from the gates
• Ticketsales of tickets
• Publicityposters, banners, and advertising

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Purpose of committees

• The committees established local ownership of and
  responsibility for the event
  
• Provided community-based direction to strategy
• Developed local capacity
• Each committee had representatives of various
  stakeholders

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• Together the stakeholders developed a theme for
  the peace carnival
  
• Maintaining Law and Order in a
• Post-conflict Society

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Carnival Components

• 5 drama troupes
• 7 cultural groups
• 36 booths
• Steady Bongo and the Cultural Heroes
• Live broadcasting
• Rehabilitation of field hosting the event

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Issues Addressed

• Law and order
• Domestic violence
• Local government structures
• Role of media in conflict resolution
• Violence in schools and sports
• HIV/AIDS
• Local Partnership Board-roles and
  responsibilities
  

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Local Partnership Board (LPB)

• Established as a community-based organization
• LPB received 80 of the revenue from the event
• Revenue to be used for a community development
  project
  
• Report to the community required on how much
  money was used on what to ensure transparency and
  accountability

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Hugely Successful!

• 20,000 people
• attended
• 10Million Leones
• generated
• 15 local organizations involved
• 3 days of festivities, 14 hours a day
• 1000s of kudos!

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Liberia Case StudyBong County Peace and
Reconciliation Workshop

• October 31-November 10, 2002

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Background

• 3rd in a series of workshops between ethnic
  groups in Liberias southeastern counties
  
• Ethnicity has been exploited by political
  factions
  
• Lofa County conflict has largely been fueled by
  ethnicity
  
• this series is to prevent a similar occurrence in
  the southeast
  

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Workshops Held

• March 2001
• Sinoe County Sarpos
• and Krus
• March 2002
• Nimba and Grand Gedeh Counties Gios, Manos and
  Krahns
  
• October-November 2002
• Bong County Gios, Manos, Kpelles, Lormas, and
  Mandingos
  

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Targeted Counties
March 2002
October 2002
March 2001
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October-November Workshop

• Originally scheduled for early summer, but
  delayed by politically-driven ethnic tension
  against Mandingos
  
• Format
• 3 small plenary workshops each between Mandingos
  and one other ethnic group
  
• Final large workshop among all participating
  ethnic groups
  

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Purpose of the Plenary Sessions

• Identified and defined the conflict
• Confronted immediate distrust and suspicion
  between groups
  
• Laid groundwork for a frank discussion of issues
• Facilitated the beginning development of
  relationships
  

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Full Workshop

• Included representatives
• from each ethnic group
• Discussion addressed
• stereotypes
• negative and positive experiences with ethnic
  preference
  
• perceived qualities and characteristics of each
  ethnic group
  
• TDS taped dialogue and interviews throughout to
  share with a national audience

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Observations and Results

• Delegates came to the meeting open to discussion
  and genuinely seeking peace
  
• Parties took ground rules very seriously,
  enforcing the rules themselves
  
• Delegates recognized that despite solid progress,
  only the surface on these conflicts has been
  touched, especially as ethnic tensions are
  exacerbated for political gain

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Observations and Results cont.

• The group achieved maximum capacity in
  participation
  
• The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Bong
  Countys Superintendent sent letters to all
  tribal governors asking that they each send 5
  member delegations
• Indicated incredible interest in building peace
  between ethnic groups

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Fun Finale

• To wrap up the workshop, TINAMENIMA held a fun
  soccer match between community members, the joint
  security forces and local government leaders