For a topical approach in West Africa

We have preferred a cautious approach because of the transition in the coordination of the work completed on the Charter in the West African region (Markoua Dadjo replaced by Sidiki Daff). This cautiousness allowed us to limit the expenses and to seek additional means to develop a continental approach. The transport expenses are very high in Africa. Thanks to the 2006 budget dedicated to develop the process of the Charter in our region, we will be able to succeed in this task.
We will focus this year the topical approaches with sub-regional dimension in different contexts.

1. Armed Conflicts and responsibility
Place: Ziguinchor (Senegal)

The Charter was sent in a zone of conflict (south of Senegal), within the process of popularization but also with the aim to contribute to the effort of peace started in this region. This Senegalese region, submitted to an armed conflict since 1980, is frontier of 2 states (Guinea Bissau and Gambia). The purpose in the year 2006 is to gather former guerrillas from Casamance, former military chiefs from the Senegalese army and movements for peace in Casamance (Senegal) and Gambia, and former guerrillas from the PAIGC (liberation movement of Guinea Bissau, active in the 70’s). At the end of this seminar, we would like to collect experiments on the construction of peace but also to come off with a local charter of responsibilities involving the different actors.

2. Human responsibility and education system: What educational approach in schools?
Place: Aougadougou (Burkina Faso)

The work will consist in a workshop on the educational approaches to follow to introduce the concept of responsibility at school. The countries bordering Burkina Faso are all involved (Mali, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast).
Final product: a booklet for the use of the pupils.

3. The concept of responsibility in the African culture
Place: Bamako (Mali)

The work of translation started in Senegal into Wolof and Pulaar brings us to widen the debate, because there is not only an African culture, but several African cultures. The purpose is to create a dialogue between those who have translated the Charter in the 2 languages with Malians, Guineans and Burkinabese traditionalists in order to better understand this notion in the cultural variants and to get to, if possible, a shared concept.
Final product: a document on the approaches of the different cultures on the concept of responsibility.