Peace building, living together: UNESCO moves to strengthen community leaders, students’ role.

The activity in Souza, was in line with a series of others implemented within the framework of a project funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, PBF, on “Strengthening the role of youth in promoting peace living together and multiculturalism through secondary and non-formal education, informal learning centers in Cameroon”. 

It has amongst other key objectives, to reduce and prevent tensions and violent conflicts between displaced people and host communities.

It also seeks to create a formal, non-formal and informal learning environment for young people living in a multicultural and multilingual environment that fully respects the cultural values ​​and linguistic diversity of the populations sharing the same geographical area following conflicts. 

The Project Coordinator, Wache Nzali Aubin Gael, noted that the ongoing tensions in the North West and South West Region of the country has caused a displacement of a huge number of persons to communities where they are not familiar with culture. 

These cultural differences, sometimes results in stigmatisation, difficulties to fully integrate and the feeling to return. 

“That is why we want to use these young people and their community leaders to teach them how well they can be living peaceful with the IDPs here. They knowledge they must have gotten from here, they then transmit to their quarters,” he said

The project draws on the recognised energising effects of the arts and creativity, culture, including languages, in learning processes, their capacity to strengthen and unite young people.

This, the organisers say, will go a long way to fight against stigmatisation or exclusion and to stimulate social transformation with a view to social cohesion especially with IDP students

Following the clause of UN Resolution 52/95 adopted in 1996, on tolerance, education is essential to strengthen the foundations of tolerance and reduce discrimination and violence. 

“Education for peace is a fundamental element in the process of promoting the expression of cultural diversity and a catalyst for promoting living together,” they said.

On this premise, the government of Cameroon, UNESCO and UNOPS have expressed commitments to actively participate in the consolidation of a culture of peace.

This, with particular emphasis on strengthening the capacities of young women and men in matters of peace, civic education by promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism 

The Regional Representative of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, Ebonde Alexis Claude, on his part, schooled the participants on the mission of the body in fostering government's agenda to see more communally inclusive societies. 

The participants said the workshop has helped them developed multicultural habits. 

One of them, Tchewa Anne Seraphine of Government Bilingual High school Grand Souza, noted that, the knowledge gotten from the workshop will help her lead a more communal life. 

Her reaction resonated with that of her peer, Hamed Salim, student at the Government Technical High School in Souza. 

Hamed said she has now understood the importance of bilingualism, adding that: “Cameroonians, we ought not to ask where a person is coming from or what they can offer us before extending a helper’s hand towards them. By so doing, we extend love to each other as citizens of the same country”.