AFRICANEWS

Action and Contacts

A Caravan for peace and solidarity started a year-long journey across Africa. Beginning at Robben Island on June 26 2000, the African Caravan will go through Southern, Central, Western, Northern, and Eastern Africa, ending its journey in Arusha (Tanzania) on June 21,2001.

Background
The African Caravan for peace and Solidarity is an initiative that originated in the context of the Alliance for a Responsible and United World. The Alliance is a world wide collective process taking its source in a humanist ideal. It has taken up the challenge of building a future where people live in a world of unity and diversity. The Alliance dynamics are driven by a major ambition: to invent new forms of collective action, at the local and global levels, and bring them to bear upon the future of an increasingly complex and interdependent world.

In June 1999, a group of African Alliance members form Benin, Burundi, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa, as well as Allies from India and Chile met in Cape Town, South Africa. Initiatives and activities were discussed to establish an 'African Caravan for Peace and Solidarity' that would combine with and lead to a collective writing process of an 'African Charter for Peace and Solidarity'.

Presentation
The caravan for peace and solidarity will take one year, starting at Robben Island, Cape Town on June 26,2000 (the anniversary of the 1995 south African Freedom Charter). The Caravan will cover every region of the continent - Southern, Central, Western, Northern and Eastern Africa. It will culminate with a continental meeting and the launch of the African Charter for Peace and Solidarity on June 21, 2001 in Arusha, Tanzania. Other continental meetings initiated by the Alliance for a Responsible and United world will take place simultaneously in Europe, America, and Asia. In turn, these will culminate in a World Assembly in December 2001. At this Assembly, the African Charter for Peace and Solidarity will be combined with other continental charters to form the 'Charter for a Responsible, Plural and United World'.

The African Caravan represents a symbolic travel across the continent. During its year-long progression, groups of people will journey through the various sub-regions of Africa. To emphasise the link between the various sub-regions and the unity of Africa, two symbols will be handed from one group to the next: the African Charter for Peace and Solidarity and a sculpture that will carry the different soils of the countries of Africa.

Along its route, the African Caravan will be marked by social and cultural events as well as debate and reflection on various issues of a particular sensitive nature to the continent. The issues covered will include: political renewal and governance, social movements, health, youth and education, economy - in particular rural and agricultural issues, decentralisation and regional integration, culture, values and art.

In this way, diverse African peoples will contribute progressively and collectively to the elaboration of an African Charter for peace and Solidarity that is people-driven-and-developed. It is further envisaged that this African Charter will be developed into a plan of action, which can then be implemented in the different countries that the caravan has visited.

Objectives
Highlight and expose positive activities taking place in Africa.

Promote peace on the continent by creating higher visibility of peace programmes and projects in countries in conflict and strengthening peacemakers in their ability to network and make their voices heard. Publicise and create awareness of the importance of human initiatives, commitment and interrelations.
Create and develop a collective process of writing an African Charter.
Strengthen the existing networks of individuals and organisations.

Encourage reflection and propositions for the 21st century around four thematic areas, embodied in four regional meetings: governance and citizenship; education and youth; agriculture and economy; and values and culture.
Share the richness of ideas and experiences already accumulated on various themes within the Alliance and other partner networks. Activities
The African Caravan will include the following proposed activities:
Forums
Workshops
Dialogue groups
Exhibitions
Public lectures
Drama and Theatre
Music Festivals
Sports
Poem Recitals.

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