Celebrating Solidarity

Dancers in Minankro

In July and August, 2010, the villages of Glopaoudy and Minankro celebrated their achievements in mediating conflict with two separate Days of Solidarity. Prior to the SFCG intervention in the community, the community of Glopaoudy was intensely divided over land conflict, with tensions particularly high between the Burkinabé population (from Burkina Faso) and “native” Ivoirians. SFCG’s intervention commenced in 2005, with conflict resolution and prevention training sessions and exchanges between community leaders.

The village of Minankro is the result of the government decision to re-group three smaller villages (Andokro, Kongbèkro and Minankro) into one. This re-classification caused a conflict of leadership between the three villages. SFCG began an intervention in the community in 2009 with training sessions for leaders who passed on what they had learned. Today, there is no longer violent conflict between leaders of Minankro and the three populations work together for the development of their community.

Celebration

The celebrations commenced with music and dance performances followed by a blessing. Testimonies were then given from invited guests, including visiting community leaders from different localities. In Glopaoudy, these visiting guests were female community leaders from Bouaké. In Minakro, these visiting guests were female community leaders from Bin Hoyué.

The day’s events were concluded with interactive theater. In the Glopaoudy play and village chief asked to intervene in a case of adultery, sides with the adulterer after receiving a bribe. In Minankro, the theater troupe was made up of mostly young people and tackled issues of negative youth behavior. It portrayed alcohol abuse and idleness among youth as detrimental to development of the village.

Best Practices

In both communities, the interactive theater performances were highlights. Participants were invited to the microphone to share their impressions. In Minankro, the theater had a more festive air than in Glopaoudy, with the crowd voting for which characters exhibited good or bad behavior with their level of applause.

Minankro: An exchange session with chiefs and the sous-préfet

In Glopaoudy, the discussion was more substantive. The sous-préfet took it upon himself to address the assembled chefs and say that the corruption portrayed in the play, “…reveals a fundamental problem in the village.” He encouraged assembled leaders to maintain their impartiality when mediating conflict in order to merit the respect of the population. His comments were met with enthusiastic applause on the part of community members.

Music was a way to set the tone for the day’s events and to involve many members of the community. It also provided a vehicle for inclusion. Youth were highly involved in the musical presentations of both communities and in Glopaoudy, the dance presentations involved many women in the community.

A diverse range of perspectives from within each host community was provided through the day’s testimonies. Invited guests were also given the opportunity to speak. These testimonies were among the strongest of the day. In Glopaoudy, the testimony of the women of Bouaké helped to even representation by providing some of the only female voices. In Minankro, the women of Bin Hoyué offered a passionate call to action, addressing the assembled male chefs and insisting on the necessity of engaging women in conflict resolution.

Youth were present in a variety of capacities in Minankro. They were among the first to assist with set up before the day’s proceedings began, children and teenagers comprised a substantial portion of the general audience, and the youth president assisted SFCG staff with introducing speakers and providing local-language translations. During a focus group discussion with members of the community convened prior to the event’s commencement, community members said that youth have become much more active in community development since the SFCG intervention. They pointed to the youth president as a positive example of a leader who is well-respected within the community. This positive dynamic was clearly exhibited during the day’s events.

Room for Reflection

There is still room for growth. The involvement of youth and women can still be improved. In Glopaoudy, there was but a single woman on the organizational committee and the strongest female voices came from outside the community – the guest speakers from Bin Hoyué.

One of the points of celebration in Glopaoudy was new unity between the native population and the Burkinabé migrant population. However, during the ceremony, there was little mixing between the two populations. For now peace does not yet mean all bridges have been crossed or obstacles overcome.