VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Shana Kirsch in Côte d’Ivoire

Shana Kirsch is an intern with Search for Common Ground Côte d’Ivoire.

During the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire, youth – young men as well as women – played a particularly active role, taking up arms in support of both the government forces and the Forces Nouvelles rebel group. Once regarded as a model of modern progress and economic development among its West African neighbors, Côte d’Ivoire began suffering from the effects of an economic downturn even before the outbreak of conflict in 2002. Young people, many who had left their rural hometowns for educational and work opportunities in the cities, were faced with diminishing employment prospects. At the same time, politicians were embracing a divisive rhetoric, exacerbating tensions between diverse ethnic groups present in Côte d’Ivoire. Immigrants from neighboring countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso who contributed significantly to the development of Côte d’Ivoire’s economy – particularly in terms of coffee and cacao cultivation – were increasingly marginalized and targeted as “foreigners,” excluded from the concept of Ivorian identity.

In this highly politicized context, as young people began losing hope for legitimate economic opportunities, they became increasingly susceptible to political manipulation. Politicians on all sides distributed money, food and t-shirts in exchange for the support of young Ivorians, whose frustrations and hopelessness were easily channeled into violent and antagonistic actions on behalf of political parties. Although the crisis has subsided since the signing of the Ouagadougou Peace Accord in 2007, and the country is preparing for national elections in November 2009, tensions among ethnic groups remain. There is still a real risk for renewed violence and conflict, particularly as young people continue to face severe unemployment.

Search for Common Ground established a presence in Côte d’Ivoire in 2005 with the goals of promoting social dialogue and strengthening local capacities for non-violent conflict transformation. In response to the context described above, SFCG in Côte d’Ivoire launched a two-year project in 2007 with funding from the European Commission in order to increase young people’s positive involvement in the civic and democratic electoral process. Making use of both media production and community outreach activities, SFCG targeted youth and women in conflict-affected regions of the country, providing trainings on topics such as conflict resolution, rumor management, and electoral observation, as well as dialogue sessions and community forums that created new opportunities for women and youth to voice their opinions and concerns. ‘

As part of the final evaluation for the European Commission-funded project, I carried out a case study in Sassandra, a coastal city in Côte d’Ivoire’s southwest region of Bas Sassandra, to measure the impact of SFCG’s activities on young peoples’ participation in the democratic process. The case study allowed me to interact face-to-face with the local population, gaining invaluable information that shed light on SFCG’s affect on the community, as well as on problems and challenges that still remain.

The results of the case study showed that SFCG’s presence in Sassandra had a significant impact on young peoples’ self-image and self-confidence. Through their participation in SFCG’s training sessions on leadership and rumor management, they developed the self-confidence and analytical skills required to resist politicians’ attempts at manipulation. At the same time, they began to shift their ideas about the roles young people can play in society; while the conflict was characterized by their role as perpetrators of violence and aggression, young people are beginning to embrace the role of peacekeepers and community leaders. For example, a group of young people who participated in SFCG’s community events decided to create a “listening club” that gathers regularly to listen to SFCG’s radio programs, which are broadcast on local and national radio stations. They then hold discussions on the topics explored through the radio programs (ranging from children’s and women’s rights to conflict management and coexistence) and create and implement outreach campaigns to help disseminate key messages to local residents.

Relations between generations have shown signs of improvement as well. Many older members of the community lost a significant amount of trust in young people during the conflict as they were generally viewed as lacking credibility, inciting (or carrying out) acts of violence, and easily succumbing to political manipulation. But as young people have become more active in positive community activities – such as the “listening club” described above – trust is being rebuilt and all members of the community are beginning to realize the positive and constructive role that young people can play in Côte d’Ivoire’s development.

Despite these positive changes, young people still face many challenges, particularly in light of the global economic crisis and continually high unemployment rates in Sassandra and other cities. Throughout all of my interactions with community members, the question of unemployment surfaced time and time again. The consensus appears to be that as long as educated young people have limited opportunities to earn a viable living, the risk of conflict and violence will remain. However, with the spaces for dialogue and inter-group exchange that have been created by SFCG’s work on the ground, combined with the skills and knowledge acquired by young people through their involvement in SFCG’s activities, local systems have been strengthened in a way that will help mitigate future conflicts as they arise, involving young people in a positive and meaningful way in the search for common ground.