Are we making progress against racism and hate speech?

Here is the opinion of Reverend Buddy Aaron Larrier received by CPNN February 3, 2018:

The derogatory statements made by President Donald Trump with reference to Haiti and African countries, should be offensive to ALL PEOPLE of goodwill who are aware of their own history and should be an awakening for dark skin people of African descent. Likewise, for Caucasians who are aware of Africa’s history prior to the 15th century (1492) and the formation of the United States of America (USA).

Therefore, as a contribution to Black History Month 2018 I am writing this open letter to address two points; firstly, as an appeal and secondly as a recommendation to the leaders of black people’s led countries of the world, particularly to the Heads of CARICOM Governments. My appeal is: please do not be reactive to the unfortunate statement made by Mr. Donald Trump, but be strategically proactive. I make this appeal because of my vision in 1977 for the 21st century. At the time I had a spiritual, consciousness awakening, which subsequently led me to becoming a student of Racism and a human rights and social justice advocate. In the vision I saw the end of Racism – yes, of White Supremacy. My mission is to assist in its eradication.

In this regard, I have noted with interest that Donald Trump’s statements were made as Haiti took the Chair of CARICOM. It was made also on the eve of the 1st anniversary of his Presidency and the 10th anniversary of the first black President of the United States. The successful presidency of Barack Obama haunts President Donald Trump and other Americans White Supremacists as their worst nightmare. However, the fact is; there has never been a President of the USA who did not subscribe to the institutional system of White Supremacy (Racism). Therefore, I am confident to say that it was necessary for “a Donald Trump” to be elected during this period of transition from lies to truth, so as to reveal to the world that “the Emperor is naked”. President Trump’s statements would be unbecoming of any President of any country; but being holder of the highest office of the world’s most powerful country, his remarks has illuminated the issue of Racism. Whereby, he has dishonoured and disgraced that high office. Nevertheless, he must be congratulated for awakening those persons who were still asleep or had their heads buried to the issue of white supremacy.

While processing the depth of President Trump’s remarks, I was motivated or inspired to pay special attention to the sentencing hearing of Mr. Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing young girls who trusted him. His guilty plea came at a time when changes are taking place, as many influential men who manipulated and violated the rights of women are being publicly disgraced. Human rights advocates are very pleased about this development. I can therefore say with confidence that the timing of President Trump’s abusive remarks is not coincidental. His Racist remarks compare equally to the sexual abuses as stated by the over 150 victims who gave evidence against Mr. Nassar, in particular that of Ms. Rochael Denhollander who started his downfall. Her commanding statement should be studied as a text for exposing the complicity within the wicked system of inferiority and superiority. If we were to substitute the words ‘sexual abuse of children’ and replace them with Racism, we will appreciate the depth of Trump’s remarks. It is clear to see for those paying attention that all around the world African consciousness is being awakened, likewise so is the female consciousness as explained by the Hon. Justin Tuudeau, Prime Minister of Canada at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in January.

By sentencing Larry Nassar to 175 years for his evil deeds of abusing hundreds, a strong message is therefore sent, not only to the USA, but to ALL nations of the world that the woman, who is mother of humankind demands that her humanity and dignity be respected and guaranteed. The black woman who put a racial perspective into Mr. Nassar’s hearing has sent notice that the awakening of African consciousness will also be putting White Supremacy on trial for its evil deeds of abusing the human rights of millions. It is therefore not coincidental that the oldest person in the known world today is a black woman from the Caribbean, where the worst atrocities were committed against the black man and woman – parents of humankind.

Therefore, my recommendation is that an appropriate response to President Trump’s statements should be a resolution to the United Nations that would have an impact on the world and would address the issue of both Racism and Sexism at the core. The historic event which took place on October 12, 1492 started a chain of encounters with different ethnic groups that gave persons like President Trump the authority and confidence to make derogatory statements about blacks and other non-white people and women because of Slavery and Colonialism. It was the nation of Haiti that led the way forward towards ending Slavery and starting the process of repairing the damage. For more than two decades CARICOM has been lobbied to recognize October 12, as a day for truth, justice, peace, healing and reconciliation. It is good that the date has now been proclaimed as ‘Caribbean Holocaust Day’. Therefore, it is appropriate and timely that Haiti as Chair of CARICOM should lead the initiative for a Resolution to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of CARICOM for October 12 to be proclaimed/designated as the International Day for Reparations.

The reason for this recommendation is twofold. Firstly, it is predicated on the history following October 12, 1492 when Columbus made landfall in the Caribbean. Secondly, a proposal on October 12 has been before world leaders, the Governments of Barbados and CARICOM for many years. Barbados played a significant role during the British Empire building process, which makes Barbados the best nation to submit the resolution to the UN on behalf of CARICOM. Barbados is the only colony of colonial Briton where the colonizers and the colonized arrived together. It is the first English colony that went to war with its colonial masters after the execution of Charles 1 in 1649. The wording of the Barbados Peace Charter of 1652 influenced the wording of the constitution of the United States in 1787. Barbados was also a leading trans-shipment point for sending enslaved persons to other Caribbean and North America colonies of England. Barbados led the Caribbean delegation to the UN World Conference against Racism in Durban in 2001. It hosted the first Afrikan and Afrikan descendants World Conference against Racism in October 2002 as a follow-up to the Durban conference. In addition, Barbados has lead responsibility for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Finally, in the hearing of Larry Nassar the question was asked, why did it took so long for him to be exposed when many in authority were aware of his deeds. That same question is relevant for racism and reparatory justice. There are many changes taking place worldwide that are lessons to be learnt by people of colour and the year 2018 is highlighting some of these changes necessary for repairing the damage of the past 500 plus years and the search for truth, justice, peace, healing and reconciliation.

I am firmly of the opinion that should the UN designate October 12 as International Day for Reparations as we advance into the UN declared International Decade for People of African Descent, it would usher in the spirit of genuine truth, justice, peace, healing and reconciliation, which would bring to an end a significant part of my vision and mission for which I have been lobbying since 1977. God’s promise might be slow, but it surely comes on time.

Here are the CPNN articles on this subject:

Brazil: Interfaith event held at the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office celebrates a culture of peace in Paraíba.

Speech from Birmingham, UK, for Solidarity and against Racism

Mercosur without Racism: Brazil will propose a campaign at a meeting of ministers from the bloc

Brazil signs in Buenos Aires declaration to combat hate speech on the internet

International Statement of Solidarity with Decolonial Academics and Activists in France

Time for Australia to Say ‘Indigenous Lives Matter’

What is Juneteenth and how are people commemorating it this year?

USA: Historian Robin D.G. Kelley: Years of Racial Justice Organizing Laid Groundwork for Today’s Uprising

Protests worldwide embrace Black Lives Matter movement

‘A part of history’: Calm prevails over D.C.’s biggest George Floyd protest

Herstory of Black Lives Matter

South Africa Launches Plan to Combat Xenophobia and Racism

Hall’s poetry about more than ‘black history’

USA: Albuquerque March and Rally Against Hate! Sunday, Feb. 21 at 2pm at Albuquerque Civic Plaza

Hundreds join refugee solidarity rally in Madrid, slamming NATO invasions

2015 Black Solidarity Statement with Palestine

USA: Response to the Massacre in Charleston; Grieve, But then Teach and Organize Nonviolence

Closing of the World Social Forum: Citizens of the world versus terrorism and oppression

– – – – Links for the following articles published prior to 2015 do not work because they were made by a version of PERL programming that is no longer supported. With three easy steps, you can find the article by its number. First, click on it before returning to this page. Your browser will say that the article is not available but in the address listed you can see that it was located at ViewArticle=xxxx where xxxx is the number of the article. Returning to this page, then click here for the listing of all years. Then click on the year that contains the number for the article you seek. It will send you to the page where you can easily search for the article by its title. – – – –

Teens Making a Difference: Study Circles in Action

Tribute to Ancestors

Report on the Global African Diaspora Summit

d-tolerance

English bulletin February 1, 2018

MASS MEDIA FOR CULTURE OF PEACE

It has been the dream at CPNN from the beginning that our website and others like us would be able to attract so much readership that the mass media would need to take up the theme of the culture of peace in order compete with us.

I don’t know if we have played a role in this, but indeed we see increasingly, at least in Latin America and Africa, that commercial media are taking up the theme of the culture of peace.

The latest example comes from Mexico as described in the CPNN article, “Zacatecan Radio and Television System to introduce ‘the culture of peace’ as a transversal theme.”

The many decisions taken in their manifesto “Public radio as a force for peace in Mexico” include:

* Every news program should start and end with positive news and should include at least one story related to “peace initiatives”

* Each radio station should hold a marathon at least every quarter with readings, verses, songs and poems for peace and profiles of people who have contributed to peace

* A 30-episode radio program. 15 minutes of duration will be broadcast by all public broadcasters in Mexico with content derived from the manifesto
The manifesto was developed with input from journalists in Colombia who explained how the media are playing a positive role in the transition to peace that their country.

In Colombia, for example, the initiative “Community Radios for Peace and Coexistence”, launched in mid-2016 with support from the European Unon, supports 400 of the 627 community radio stations in the country to generate a culture of peace in the most remote rural areas, those most affected by the armed conflict. The initiative not only opens microphones to the people, but also includes workshops in which 200 community radio journalists have been trained in the elaboration of educational content on peacebuilding,

Last year in Colombia, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace began training journalists and announcers working at hundreds of small community radio stations across the country including many remote regions where radio is the only medium to which people have access.

In Africa, there are now so many media initiatives for a culture of peace that we have started an entire section of CPNN dedicated to the question “African journalism and the culture of peace, A model for the rest of the world?” Links are provided to CPNN articles from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Somalia.

In Uganda, since the end of the civil war with the LRA, local community radio stations have been reaching out to the public through peace reporting with a focus on development. International agencies have trained hundreds of local journalists in peace reporting. A number of community radios were set up with a commitment to peace journalism and are still active today.

UNESCO’s project “Empowering Local Radio with ICTs” is helping radio stations to inspire intolerance for gender-based violence and hold perpetrators and duty-bearers responsible in Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Burundi.

In Senegal last year, journalists and experts from the countries of West Africa and the Sahel met together in a seminar on “The role of journalists and the media in preventing violence and violent extremism.”

“It is the responsibility of each person to spread positive content and useful experiences that participate in the construction of the world, and thus in a culture of peace. It is therefore up to us to make the media a positive tool for the construction of society,”
according to Patrick Busquet, the head of the Hirondelle Foundation (Democratic Republic of Congo). It is in pursuit of this ideal that as of 2014 the Hirondelle Foundation had installed several media in Africa: Radio Okapi in Kinshasa, Radio Ndeke Luka in Bangui, the Tamani studios in Mali, Mozaïk in Ivory Coast, and Hirondelle in Guinea.

Back in 2011, The Journalists’ Network for Peace and Security (NetPeace) was officially launched at the AU headquarters of the African Union under the theme “Promoting a Culture of Peace through the Media”. Regional coordinators were established in Mauritania, Mali, Liberia, Djibouti, Kenya, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

In the United States last year CPNN took part in a panel at Southern Oregon University called “Cultivating a Culture of Peace in an Era of Trump: What’s the Media’s Role?” Among the panelists were Jeff Golden from Southern Oregon Public TV and Bert Etling, a member of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission and editor of the newspaper Ashland Daily Tidings. Articles on the culture of peace from the Daily Tidings are frequently reprinted by CPNN.

Hopefully, we will see further development of media for a culture of peace in the North, but for the time being, it is Africa and Latin America in the lead.

      

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION


Mexico: Zacatecan Radio and Television System to introduce “the culture of peace” as a transversal theme

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY



Burkina Faso: Inter-religious dialogue for peace: “It is the diversity of religions that gives meaning to religion”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Honduras: Culture of peace promoted in 200 young people from “hot” areas

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



‘World’s First Solar Highway’ Opens in China for Testing

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY


Baltimore, USA: Conference on US foreign military bases

HUMAN RIGHTS


Uruguay’s main trade union center plans massive mobilization to construct a culture of peace

WOMEN’S EQUALITY


Women’s March protests across America against President Trump

EDUCATION FOR PEACE


El Salvador to prioritize culture of peace in its schools
Uncategorized

Venezuela: Educational sector plans to train teachers in culture of peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Correo del Orinoco (translated by CPNN)

The training of teachers in values ​​linked to the thought and practice of peace will be developed in the debates that this weekend (20 January) are held throughout the country for the preparation of the National Plan for 2019-2025.


“Los espacios educativos queremos que se conviertan en espacios para la paz; unas instituciones educativas que funcionen como ejemplo de cultura para la paz y donde no sólo se piense, sino que se practique la paz”, explicó el profesor de Física José Azuaje, en un programa especial transmitido por VTV.

(Articles continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

(continued from left column)

Por su parte,la viceministra para le Educación, María Eugenia Piñero, en su intervención en el espacio televisivo, resaltó la unión que se ha afianzado en pro de una formación con conciencia de libertad en todo el gremio educativo que incluye al personal administrativo, docentes, consejos educativos y estudiantes.

“Ahora más que nunca tenemos un magisterio unido, que apuesta por una educación liberadora, por eso llamo a todos los docentes a seguir sumando propuestas en estas asambleas para consolidar un importante nivel de conciencia en la educación”, refirió Piñero.

El propósito de promover la cultura de paz es promover valores de aceptación y convivencia entre los estudiantes con miras a construir un futuro para la sociedad venezolana al margen de la violencia.

Este sábado el ministro para la Educación, Elías Jaua, se reunió con el sector educativo del país para debatir sus aportes al Plan de la Patria 2019-2025, desde la Unidad Educativa Bolivariana Pedro Fontes en la parroquia La Vega de Caracas, donde agradeció la atención de la comunidad educativa al debate que continuará este domingo en 3.500 espacios del país.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Honduras: Culture of peace promoted in 200 young people from “hot” areas

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from La Tribuna (translated by CPNN)

200 young people from different neighborhoods and colonies of the Central District came to the headquarters of the Scout Movement, to participate in the “Honduras Motivate” event, promoting kills for life and leadership, from outdoor play activities,.

The activity was developed within the framework of the comprehensive security strategy program of the government, through the Secretariat of Security in the Office of Prevention and the Cabinet of Prevention, Peace and Coexistence.

During the activities, from 9:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon, the youth practiced and developed different group activities to learn to participate and create shared objectives in the construction of a culture of peace, harmony and coexistence.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

How can sports promote peace?

(continued from left column)

These activities are carried out in strategic neighborhoods to help young people and try to remove them from the risky situation that leads them to fall into the hands of organized criminal groups.

Deputy Minister of Security, Alejandra Hernández, said that “Honduras Motívate is a project promoted by the government of President Hernández, within the framework of the comprehensive security strategy.”

In different parks for a better life, this type of activity is carried out so that young people and children can keep themselves occupied and, above all, develop habits of coexistence.

Young people participate in traditional games to try to recover the culture that has been lost. These games are little known and rarely practiced by children, adolescents and young people, explained Hernández.

They also carry out competitions where they learn and understand that there is no superiority between men and women, by valuing and seeing that each one possesses abilities and strengths different from the others.

Hernandez added that “much remains to be done, the country must advance, and harmonize in the construction of a culture of peace, we are not going back because we are on the right track and we will continue the struggle.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Journalism in Latin America: Is it turning towards a culture of peace?


It was the publishers and editors of Latin American newspapers meeting with the Director-General of UNESCO in Puebla, Mexico, on 27 May, 1997, that first called for an International Year for the Culture of Peace. Perhaps, it is in the same tradition that we see more and more in the past few years that the journalists of Latin America, in particular Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador are turning towards a culture of peace. They join their counterparts in Africa to lead the world in this direction.

Readers are encouraged to add their comments below.

ARTICLES IN ENGLISH

New book: Nonviolent Journalism, a humanist approach to communication

Mexico: Guanajuato as the epicenter of the culture of peace

Five new digital media platforms for uncensored news from Colombia

Punta del Este (Uruguay): Ismael Cala will present the America Business Forum, considered «the Davos of Latin America»

Colombia’s rural radio stations are a key to peace

Mexico: Zacatecan Radio and Television System to introduce “the culture of peace” as a transversal theme

Mexico: Journalism for a Culture of Peace

Ecuador: ‘Dedicated Lives’ at the Casa Carrión

Mexico: Cristina Ávila-Zesatti and peace journalism

The European Union gives voice to peace in Colombia

The European Union, the Colombian Government and the civil society work together in “Community Radios for Peace and Coexistence”

Why radio is proving the best medium to promote Colombia’s peace process

ARTICLES IN SPANISH
d-information

Mexico: Zacatecan Radio and Television System to introduce “the culture of peace” as a transversal theme

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from La Jornada Zacatecas (translated by CPNN)

January 20: The Zacatecan Radio and Television System (Sizart) will modify its contents to introduce as a”the culture of peace” as a transversal theme. The workshop “Sounds for peace, the acoustic landscape of public media in Zacatecas” in which 50 radio and television producers participated, reviewed the programmatic grids “to know what we are doing”, said the director general of Sizart, Teresa Velázquez Navarrete.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

She added that two experts collaborated in this review, one of them from Colombia, who was asked to offer an advance of what is being done in that country in the context of the peace process in the media, “because here we already walk more or less in the same struggle.”

Tito Ballesteros López, a radio producer of the “free networks of Colombia”; was a participant in the recently held International Radio Biennial along with Graciela Martínez Matías, who is a research professor at the UNAM, a PhD in Political Science and an advocate for the Radio Education audiences. The “critical and self-critical review was made with all the producers of the -Sizart-, and then we realized that to remake the contents we would have to speak of a culture of peace “.

The workshop “Sounds for peace, the acoustic landscape of public media in Zacatecas” lasted 30 hours and was held from Monday to Friday of this week with discussions and contributions. Velázquez Navarrete and experts proposed the drafting of a Manifesto “Public radio as a force for peace in Mexico”, which was read yesterdayby the participants.

“We came up with the experience of Colombia with a manifesto to start making a navigation chart of the public media, which we would like everyone to share, but for the time being we assume it as something we can do. We can not speak for others.”

Tito Ballesteros, also a research professor at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana located in Bucaramanga, Colombia, mentioned in a short interview the projects he has participated in, referring to the peace process in his country. The 2016 Peace Agreement, a document of 297 pages, was diffused to the people through social networks and read over the radio, point by point.

In Colombia, there was a radio series in which about 20 professors from different cities participated: Cali, Medellín, Cartagena and Bogotá, who were asked to offer their opinion and discuss the points of the Peace Agreement. Also the European Union supported a training workshop for community radios, at the proposal of President Juan Manuel Santos.

“And that’s how training was done at a national level in the different regions reflecting on the agreements, and how to build stories for peace.”

Ballesteros Lopez mentioned another collaboration with the European Union, “in which the Colombians who were in the media accessed content that had to do with acts of peace.”

(Article continued in the column on the right)

(Click here for the original Spanish version of the article)

Questions related to this article:

Journalism in Latin America: Is it turning towards a culture of peace?

How can peace be promoted by radio?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

The manifesto read yesterday is divided into a series of sections, one aimed at professionals of public radio, which talks among other points, their training and training on issues related to “tolerance, reconciliation, inclusion and peace, so that they are reflected in the day to day of radio programming.”

The manifesto calls on the media to avoid “inappropriate practices in the use of discriminatory speech, verbal and visual language that appeals to violence”, and “urges those who communicate their ideas from the microphones of public media to speak calmly when reporting (…) to reassure the audience.”

Regarding the management of news, it is proposed to start and end programs with positive news, to include at least one story related to “peace events” and to avoid “headlines with half-truths and / or sensationalists” and to “focus the information in depth” , as well as to respect the privacy and dignity of persons.

The section dedicated to music suggests to diffuse sound montages that “invite serenity, calm and calm before moments of crisis”, to support the use of musical artistic expressions as a form of dialogue and healthy coexistence, and to avoid content that appeal to violence, as well as to highlight national productions “that exalt our values ​​and heritage”.

Regarding programming in general, the manifesto calls on each radio station to feature marathons at least every quarter, with “readings, verses, songs and poems related to acts of peace and healthy living”, open spaces to offer profiles of people who have contributed to the peaceful coexistence of the country and the world, and to expand the content to “generate moments of reflection on the culture of encounter”.

It also suggests that program makers should “use sound landscapes from spaces previously suffering from violence and now recovered as spaces of peace”, in order to show how change is possible. And they should strengthen the Mexican identity based on manifestations of popular culture, high culture and history.

With regard to culture, it is added that “radio actors” need to know the country’s past to understand its current context “and how violence has spread to the different corners of the nation”.

Finally, a section was added for the audiences, of whom it was said in yesterday’s event, that their participation is expected in this new communication paradigm.

The manifesto calls for a horizontal communication by the media with audiences to work together in actions for peace through audiovisual media, as well as the importance of the right of reply as a mechanism to make Mexico a tolerant country, and the consolidation of public spaces of citizen participation where the audiences can produce content in order to end the “unidirectional” media.

Finally, it is stated that audiences from social networks “also have the responsibility to share information inspired by values ​​such as truth, respect, and responsibility.”

Yesterday, Tito Ballesteros also announced that there will be “a 30-episode radio program. 15 minutes of duration, which will be broadcast by all public broadcasters in the country. That is, Zacatecas and the Sizart will present a sound program for all radios derived from the manifesto released yesterday.

The students of communication, producers and conductors of Sizart radio and television, communicators, and the Attorney General of the State of Zacatecas, the Deputy Prosecutor for Prevention, the Municipal President of the State Capital, and the General Secretary of the UAZ, all participated and contributed elements to enrich the aforementioned document.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

El Salvador to prioritize culture of peace in its schools

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Prensa Latina (translated by CPNN)

El Salvador will give prioritiy in all its teaching systems to the culture of peace, the education minister, Carlos Canjura announced today [22 January]..

In this way, memory, identity, values ​​and civic competence will be promoted so that the Salvadoran nation can continue its development process without forgetting where it comes from, the official stressed.


(Articles continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

Where is peace education taking place?

(continued from left column)

In a text published on Monday at the official site of the presidency of this country, he gave as an example the so-called Open House program, which seeks to train children, and highly responsible youth, not only for their own development, but also for their family, their community, and the country.

He recalled that on the initiative of Salvadoran President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, in the culture of peace platform, teachers and specialists should participate actively in preparing pedagogical content at all levels of education beginning from early childhood.

Canjura said that the contents prepared by his ministry together with the secretary of culture are tools that equip students to reflect on themselves and their daily life.

He added that the priority is needed because the country has experienced a painful history which, in many cases, young people do not know and which adults tend to forget.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Burkina Faso: Inter-religious dialogue for peace: “It is the diversity of religions that gives meaning to religion”

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Ibrahima Traoré for Lefaso.net

“Live in peace despite our differences”. This was the theme for an inter-religious conference for peace held Saturday, January 13, 2018 in Dédougou. The activity, initiated by the Ahmadiyya Islamic community in Burkina Faso, saw the participation of traditional chiefs, the Catholic community and the Protestant community, each of whom sent a message of peace.

A religion that does not teach love and live together does not deserve the status of being called religion. This is essentially the message of the various speakers. The aim is, according to the Regional Missionary of the Islamic Ahmadiyya Community, Abdoulaye Ouedraogo, to highlight the fact that religions do not have to fight each other; because they all emanate from one God. For him, religious coexistence in Burkina must be constantly promoted and consolidated by religious leaders and elders in order to inculcate the dynamics in the younger generation. He considers that dialogue and the strengthening of fraternity and solidarity … are essential ingredients to maintain. Hence the relevance of the theme: “Living in peace despite our differences”.

(continued in right column)

(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?

(continued from left column)

Several speeches and communications marked this day. The recent attack against gendarmes in the region (Boucle du Mouhoun) also motivates the choice of this theme, according to Abdoulaye Ouedraogo. “We want to give our support to people who have been attacked and who have been bruised in their hearts; We, as an Islamic Ahmadiyya, stand in solidarity with them. What they are doing is not Islam. It is purely barbarism, highway robbery,” he lashed out before calling the youth in particular to remain vigilant not to be caught in ignoble acts, which have nothing to do with Islam. For, he argues, the Koran states in Chapter 2 verse 257 that there is no compulsion in religion.

The Abbot Jean-Baptiste Davou pointed out that the inter-religious conference is important for the culture of peace, for the knowledge of the other. “When we accept to exchange, we get to know each other better, to love each other better, to help each other better. It is the refusal to dialogue, to exchange, which makes for ignorance of the other. And when you do not know something, you do not give it much value, “he said.

The prefect of the department of Dédougou, Emile Hien, also representing the governor, congratulated and encouraged the holding of this conference “of the culture of peace and dialogue”. He offered advice that “Religion must not be a source of division, of violence. It must be an opportunity to strengthen living together “. For Mr. Hien, it is the diversity of religions that gives meaning to religion. Let us all be peacemakers, he said, pledging to support this initiative and ensure its sustainability in the region.

Also satisfied were the traditional chiefs who believe that the inter-religious conference for peace is in line with the founding principle of the city of Dédougou which is peace.

Indeed, argues the elder Pierre Dakuo, we can not have prosperity without peace. And all that goes in this direction has the full support of the traditional chiefs of Dédougou. From the administrators and the speakers to the participants, all wished the durability of the Inter-religious Conference for Peace.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

NICO partners UNESCO on peace, security in Nigeria

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from World Stage

 The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), is to partner the UNESCO, to advocate for peace and security in the country, an official has said.

Louis Eriomala, the Ag. Executive Secretary of NICO, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, ahead of two-day advocacy conference on peace and national security in the country.

The conference organised by the Institute, with its theme: “Culture, Peace And National Security: The Role Of Traditional Rulers,’’ is scheduled for January 30 and January 31.

(Article continued in right column)

 

Question related to this article.

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

Eriomala said that the conference was in furtherance of the institute’s mandate of sensitising the participants to the cultural dimension of sustainable peace and security in Nigeria.

He said that the two-day conference would look at particular reference to royal fathers, the custodians of our culture and traditions and basic objectives in maintaining and promoting peace and security of the country.

“We will talk on the importance of culture, peace and security to national development, and to promote a culture of peace and non-violence among the citizenry.

“We will sensitise traditional rulers on their roles in the sustenance of peace and security in Nigeria; as well as re-appraise the efforts of traditional rulers in the sustenance of peace and security in their domain.

“To encourage the integration of traditional and modern strategies in conflict management, and finally, to promote sustainable peace and security re-orientation among Nigerians,’’ he said.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Peace Museums flourish around the world

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by CPNN based on the newsletter of the International Network of Museums for Peace

The December 2017 newsletter of the International Network of Museums for Peace describes initiatives around the world.

Ban the Bomb is the title given to the exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, celebrating the award of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). At the heart of the exhibition, which will be shown until 25th November 2018, are artefacts from Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kyoto that are being shown in Europe for the first time, thanks to cooperation with the Japanese Peace Museums.


Andrew Young with statue of M. L. King (Credit: Newcastle Chronicle)

The travelling exhibition, Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons was shown in Mexico City in August 2017, at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco). The exhibition was jointly created by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

The Gandhi Museum at Aga Khan Palace in Pune, India, showcases the history of Gandhi’s strategies to wage his final struggle for freedom from foreign rule. The hall dedicated to Gandhi contains, his writing desk and spinning wheel, as well as a painting of his wife, resting her head on Gandhi’s lap. There is also the Sarojini Naidu library with over one thousand books and journals on Gandhian philosophy and practice.

The Anti-War Museum in Berlin is featuring an exhibition on Henry David Thoreau, American writer and opponent of war and slavery who was one of the key influences on the life and thought of Gandhi through his essay on the Duty of Civil Disobedience. The exhibition consists of 52 text-andillustration panels, and is in English and German. It includes comments on Thoreau by Gandhi, Tolstoy, M.L. King and Martin Buber.

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Question for this article:

Peace Museums, Are they giving peace a place in the community?

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In Newcastle, UK, an exhibition shown in the University Library, tells the inside story of King’s remarkable visit to the city in November 1967 to accept an honorary degree from the city’s university. On 6th September 2017, the university bestowed an honorary degree on Andrew Young, King’s close friend and colleague who had accompanied him on that memorable visit. Young, later US ambassador to the UN, unveiled a two metre tall bronze statue of King that the university had commissioned to mark the occasion.

A new Civil Rights Museum was inaugurated on 9th September in Jackson, the state capital of Mississippi. The Civil Rights Museum’s eight interactive galleries show the systematic, brutal oppression of black Mississippians and their struggles for equality and justice that transformed the state and nation. For a concise description of each gallery, and images, please consult this website.

Construction of the building for the Cambodia Peace Museum in Battambang began in September 2017 with a target to open already in 2018. The exhibit on weapons reduction will highlight how Cambodia addressed the high prevalence of guns following decades of war. A central piece of this initiative were the Flames for Peace ceremonies whereby communities would collectively turn in their guns to be destroyed in bonfires, symbolising a community’s decision to reject gun violence.

The Tehran Peace Museum (TPM) held a summer school on ‘Youth Dialogue and Peacebuilding’ from 19th to 23rd September in cooperation with the Berghof Foundation in Germany; in the same period, four student volunteers from TPM joined the 96th global voyage of the Peace Boat and participated in educational programmes and workshops. TPM held its first autumn school for young peacebuilders from 13th to 16th November with the participation of fourteen young students and civil society activists.

In Okinawa, from 1st December 2017 until 31st March 2019 the Himeyuri Peace Museum is showing a special exhibition entitled Passing on the Experience of War to the Future – Our Trip to Europe and the Himeyuri Future Generation Project. For more information please visit the museum’s website.

In Toronto, Canada, a press conference held on 25th September announced plans for the opening in 2019 of an Asia-Pacific Peace Museum and Education Centre in the city. It will promote historical awareness of the atrocities of World War II in Asia, while emphasizing peace, reconciliation, and global citizenship in the present

The Association of Japanese Museums for Peace (AJMP) organised its 24th annual meeting at Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum on 7th & 8th December 2017. AJMP consists of ten relatively influential museums including Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Nagasaki Abomb Museum. The annual meeting was attended by all member museums to exchange experiences and discuss matters for consultation.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global, Uncategorized