Home Information Resources

African Media and Conflict By Abiodun Onadipe and David Lord is available online at
http://www.c-r.org/occ_papers/af_media/contents.htm . From the preface: ...This discussion paper sets out some concepts about the actual role of the African media in responding to widespread conflict or the threat of conflict and what we believe to be a more constructive and proactive role. Its current focus is on how that may be accomplished by improving processes for understanding the complex, multi-levelled changes African societies are undergoing and drawing on the knowledge, commitment and technical and
organisational skills of African media practitioners to translate that increased understanding into more constructive professional practice. The "hard news" in this version of African Media and Conflict is the inclusion of much material from the consultations in Accra, Monrovia and Lusaka in May and June of 1998 and subsequent contributions of essays by some of the participants in the consultations. The consultations drew on the experiences of senior journalists from 11 countries and generated a wealth of information concerning African journalists' working conditions, knowledge of conflict and their understanding of their roles and responsibilities in conflict situations. Whether employed by state-controlled broadcasting corporations or editing weekly or daily newspapers surviving on street-corner sales, most of the journalists involved said that they believe they have a vital role to play
in the prevention and resolution of conflict. For many the question was not whether they should be fulfilling that role, but rather how they could do so, given the formidable hurdles confronting them in the day-to-day struggle to cover news. Intended to be as inclusive as possible, given the constraints of time, part of the consultation process involved working journalists and academics, government officials and others connected with the media. ... In summary, what has been attempted here is an effort to encourage
discussion and comment that contributes to the development and enhancement of the African media and improves the effectiveness of African journalists, particularly those working in the numerous conflict situations on the continent. October 1998

Assessing Landmine Impact at the Community Level - A Training Manual - Millard, Ananda S. 2002 Avaliação do Impacto das Minas Terrestres ao Nível da Comunidade - Um Manual de Formação Millard, Ananda S. 2003 Available in English and Portuguese The manual - both in its Portuguese and English version - is available on the web and can be provided as paper copies upon request. Millard, Ananda S. 2002. Assessing Landmine Impact at the Community Level - A Training Manual. Oslo: PRIO For an overview over other publications from the AMAC (Assistance to Mine Affected Communities) project, consult our web-pages at www.prio.no or e-mail AMAC@PRIO.NO

At http://www.electroniccommunity.org West African organizations are building a hub for sharing ideas, experience and information. Visit if you work in the area, or if you want to work with an African organization by taking part in their new 'virtual volunteering' project. In 1997 the Ford Foundation, West Africa, began an ambitious project designed to provide grantees throughout West Africa with access to the Internet. Through a grant provided the of Boston Massachusetts (EWF), the Electronic Community Project was started. The EWF Team prepared a plan predicated on building a "ladder to the Internet". The proposal recognized the vast technical and institutional disparities among the various NGO's served; and, ensure a means for introducing the technology and training necessary to provide each of the participating NGO's the opportunity to participate, at the level most appropriate to their own internal capacity and expertise. Email address: wdking@moosewood.com

"Est-il possible de vivre ensemble"? (Is it possible to live together) ?. This Booklet (available online) has 47 pages, and it has been published in French and Kirundi. It has been funded by American Embassy in Burundi. With the funds received from American Embassy in Burundi, we were able to print 22,000 copies in French and Kirundi. We continue to search for additional funds so that we may be able to print 68,000 more copies. This Booklet is about : 1. How Burundians used to live together peacefully; 2. How conflict began in Burundi and its consequences; 3. How people destroy the future of other peoples and the country, just for their own interests; 4. How to solve conflict peacefully according to the culture of Burundians; 5. How peace can it be found and how it can be kept/maintained; 6. How to involve the youth in Peace building and Reconciliation process; 7. Why Reconciliation is needed in Burundi; 8. New way of living, behaving and acting in different situations. This Booklet, in its conclusion, it shows a new way of living, behaving and acting, which creates an environment to fight poverty and division among the communities. We are so glad to make this small contribution, in the area of peacebuilding and reconciliation of our nation. Together for peace and reconciliation, for more information contact Prosper Ndabishuriye jrmd@usan-bu.net

LINKING POLICY TO PRACTICE: A VIDEO PROJECT FROM RESPONDING TO CONFLICT. The project aims to achieve the following: - to illustrate the work of African peacebuilding initiatives; - to create a resource of accessible information on peacebuilding that will enable practitioners to learn from each other and improve the effectiveness of their work; - to raise awareness within the international agencies and governments of existing initiatives and to influence their policies in favour of peacebuilding and conflict-handling work; and - to create a body of documentation that will assist practitioners to assess the impact of their own work and invent new strategies for action.

An Overview of the Programme Priorities for a Five Year Action Plan To Strengthen Education for Peace in Africa by the U.N. University for Peace in Costa Rica http://www.peace.ca/AfricapeaceeducationUNUPeace.doc (highly recommended reading)

RURAL WOMEN IN AFRICA: IDEAS FOR EARNING MONEY: NEW CD-ROM http://www.wougnet.org/Links/agriculture.html#IWTC_CD A new CD-ROM entitled "Rural Women in Africa: Ideas for Earning Money" tries to meet the demand of providing content material to use online once rural women have access to computers. Designed as a visual "computer book," it allows the user to easily navigate using only a click of the "mouse." Developed by the International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC) in partnership with a technical team in Uganda and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) East and Southern Africa Office in Nairobi, it is intended for use by women with minimal education and only local language fluency. Available in English and Luganda, plans call for the addition of other language tracks in the near future. To order, or for more information, contact: IWTC/Women wink@womenink.org

MAKING COMMITMENTS MATTER - A Toolkit For Young People To Evaluate National Youth Policy http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr/index.html#toolkit In 2005 the General Assembly will be reviewing the situation of youth and achievements made in the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY). The year 2005 has been chosen because it is ten years after the adoption of WPAY. This Toolkit is meant for national youth organisations and/or representatives working with youth. It can be used as a tool to: assess your country’s progress in reaching the WPAY goals; prioritize your organisation’s work, based on your findings; and, initiate actions at the national level.

Videos:
1. "The Wajir Story" documents the story of a peace-building initiative which began with a group of women in Wajir, north-eastern Kenya and spread quickly to all sectors of the community and reached up into the government. Part of the proceeds from this video will go to the Wajir Peace and Development Committee.
2. "Gulu, The Struggle for Peace" examines the work done by practitioners in Northern Uganda. It looks at the work done to rehabilitate child soldiers, efforts to ease the trauma and suffering of women affected by the violence and broader efforts to encourage soldiers to return home and end the fighting.
3. "Pulling Together - Community Policing in the New South Africa" looks at efforts to rebuild the relationship between community members and the police, former adversaries, in Daveyton, South Africa.
4. The fourth in the series will look at peace-building efforts in Somaliland. Release date - June 2000.
All of these films have accompanying notes, which assist in their use in a training environment and provide detailed information on the context. To order copies of the videos, please contact Responding to Conflict, 1046 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)121 415 5641; Fax: +44 (0)121 415 4119; Email: enquiries@respond.org. Or visit their website at: www.respond.org

"When You Are the Peacebuilder: Stories and Reflections on Peacebuilding from Africa" by Babu Ayindo, Sam Ggbaydee Doe and Janice Jenner. It is available from Eastern Mennonite University in book form, CD-rom and is on the Eastern Mennonite University website http://www.emu.edu/ctp/ . The book could be used in training or general discussions about conflict and conflict trransformation in an African context. It is built around stories - some folk stories, some are case histories - they illustrate Conflict and Identity, Conflict and Power, Peace and Justice, etc. Definitely worth exploring. I believe EMU has a limited number of paper copies of the book available free. Of course the electronic versions are even easier to distribute free. Conflict Transformation Program, Eastern Mennnonite University, 1200 Park Road Harrisongburg VA 22802 USA. Paul Wahrhaftig