AFRICANEWS

A MOVEMENT FOR NON-VIOLENCE

Pan-Africa Reconciliation council (PARC) is grass-root community of people working for socio-political as well as moral emancipation of mother Africa and her siblings world-wide on the basis of non-violence and self-giving love. The movement, based in Lagos City, Nigeria, seeks to promote peace, social justice, mutual understanding and unity of purpose in all areas of human endeavour throughout Africa.

The movement always strives to encourage the goodness in the social-political system world-wide and strongly but non-violently condemns whatever seems to keep our peoples in perpetual bondage, ignorance and wants.

PARC was set up on September 28, 1988 to respond to specific needs and appeals and undertakes non-partisan endeavours on peace-keeping initiatives under a discipline of non-violence and self-less service to the peoples of Africa and their kins in the Diaspora.

Programmes execution

In the execution of its programmes, PARC works closely with persons and organisations who apply the foregoing principles to all aspects of life. It equally seeks to:

• Mobilise public opinion and signature campaign for elimination of threats to peace not only in Africa but also throughout the world. forward written reactions to civil, religious and political authorities on threats to peace.
• Set up structural, information, research and communication programmes that could help our political authorities in taking mass oriented socio-degradation in Africa or elsewhere. encourage the peoples of Africa and their kins in the Diaspora n inter-faith initiatives and respect for one another's religious, cultural or political views.
• support the endeavours of the U.N, O.A.U., ECOWAS as well as any other regional, sub-regional and international organisations on peace, liberation, mediation reconciliation and social justice.

Conflict intervention

Religious, political, social, environmental, ethnic, inter-ethnic and international conflicts have been the bane of Africa since the emergence of independence in the 1960s. Several thousands of people have been sent to their to their rely graves, displace to hostile foreign environments and subjected to a bestial life--style. This as the exact description of the Senegalo-Mauritanian border inhabitants when caught up with conflict in 1989 before PARC intervened through passionate written appeals to the leaders of both warring countries and which contributed to the quick restoration of peace and tranquillity in that area.

The irrational pogrom in Liberia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and currently in the Great Lakes countries has been a source of concern to PARC. With the support of well-meaning partner organisations in the global network, PARC intends to undertake healing, rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation projects in the majority of the affected countries.

PARC is more than convinced that what Africa badly needs now is the pooling of the available resources by the international community to bake the life sustainng cake to feed its teeming millions and not bullets or bombs to kill its offsprings; this is why the movement shall henceforth focus on peace education, pragmatic non-violence training and direct intervention in social conflicts.

Current main projects

• Social and economic justice:
  • fight against social and economic injustice in the entire African Community.
• Non-violence
  • organises work-shops on peace, social justice and reconciliation in African countries.
• Refugees:
  • organises relief materials and welfare services for displaced persons as a result of war and natural disters.
  Social conflicts:
  • studies, conducts research and establishes data on the causes of inter-communal conlicts;
  • plays mediatory roles towards resolving social conflicts;
  • provides warning on the potential sources of conlict within and amongst African communities.
  • setablishes contacts with other movements with similar aims and objectives.
  Inter-faith activities:
  • initiates faith-oriented educational resouces on active non-violence, peace, social justice and reconciliation;
  • undertakes grass-root campaigns for peace, human right, self-determination and self-reliance.
  Youth and women:
  • organises youth leadership traning, co-ordinates international campaign to eliminate discrimination against women and child abuse;
  • assists students address issues of non-violence and peace;
  • encourage transfer of technology and self-reliant endeavours for the youth particularly in the rural environments.

Networking

The establishment of PARC has been greatly inspired and encouraged by the Netherlands based International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the first affiliate of which it became at the IFOR/SERPAJ seminar and council held in Quito, Equador, South America in 1992. The inseparable relationship has since continued to grow leaps and bounds over the years.

Other organisations with which it equally enjoys sound networking over the years include:

• The International Peace Bureau, Geneva, Switzerland.
• World Constitution and Parliament Association, U.S.A.
• Earth Action International, U.S.A. and other organisations too numerous to mention across the globe.

The endorsement of PARC's objectives by the moslem community not only in Nigeria but across the continent is amatter of joy to our rank and file. This encourages the movement to intensify its outreach programmes to other faiths of African origin apart from the existing orthodox persuations.

Membership

Membership of the organisation is open to both Africans and non-africans who conscientiously embrace active non-violence as the way of life and as a means of personal, social and political change. This is without regard for age, sex, creed, race and level of education. PARCs membership count across the continent as at now is about seven hundred (700) and spread across educational institution, religious organisations and indviduals in about twelve (12) African countries and Europe.

For further information contact:
P.A.R.C.,
P.O. Box 9354
Marina, Lagos City,
NIGERIA
Fax (234-1) 2646082-4
Please quote "FDS 091" on fax.