2003 Bo and Kenema Peace Festivals

As part of the continuing efforts on community peace-building SFCG partnered with youth in Bo and Kenema, the southern and eastern capitals respectively, to organise two Peace Festivals. These festivals, which are organised annually, provide a forum for raising awareness about issues threatening the peace and stability of communities. They are typically organized around specific themes. In 2002, the theme for the Bo festival was "Change your way and lek Salone" and for Kenema "No to violence and yes to law and order".

The success of the festivals was based on the collaborative efforts of many partners and stakeholders. In addition to a number of youth groups and organisations partnered with the Police, Army, Scouts, UNAMSIL, NGOs and community leaders to make the events successful. Various committees were formed with a cross-section of these stakeholders, and more than 50 planning meetings were held to organize the events.

The youth in both Bo and Kenema continue to be engaged in a number of follow up activities aimed at building trust and strengthening the peace process. Today, SFCG maintains only a organisational approach to these festivals, allowing the communities to organise them themselves, thus putting additional emphasis on the grassroots aspect of these festivals.

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