Conflict resolution, prevention, and transformation: Search for Common Ground

Despite the real hardship caused by devastating torrential rains and floods over August and September, the success of the recent elections in Sierra Leone have provided a high note for democracy in the West African sub-region and around the world. The elections on August 10 and September 8 saw the ruling party lose control of both the parliament and the presidency to the largest opposition group, led by Ernest Bai Koroma. Following his run off victory of 55% to 45% over the country's Vice President Solomon Berewa, the new President was inaugurated on September 17, in the presence of both the former President and his defeated opponent; a promising symbol of continued peace through the transition process. Despite a limited number of incidents of violence and electoral fraud, international and domestic observers declared the process to be 'free, fair and credible.' The country's strong process, led by a credible National Election Commission and supported with widespread civil society engagement, has raised hopes and excitement for democratic and economic development throughout the region and has set the standard for larger, more developed countries to emulate. Chances of Guinea following this example are growing slimmer, however, as it is looking increasingly doubtful that the December 2007 parliamentary elections will be held as planned, with disagreements among opposition parties delaying the formation of the national electoral commission.

In Liberia, the voluntary repatriation of Liberian refugees that began in October 2004 ended in June with more than 110,000 refugees returning to their home communities. UNHCR is now moving to the second phase of its regional programme focusing on the integration of refugees who chose to remain in exile into local populations. In Cote d'Ivoire, the long overdue process of giving undocumented Ivorians identification papers began in late September. This is key to the peace process and the eventual registration of thousands of new voters for the upcoming poll. The date for the election remains uncertain, as does the status of President Gbagbo's mandate come the end of October. Meanwhile, the trial of Charles Taylor, which held preliminary hearings in June and August, has hit further obstacles and has been postponed until early January to give a new defence team more time to prepare for trial. At this point in time a verdict is not expected until sometime in 2009.

Over the course of the past five years SFCG has been instrumental in building up civil society and media organisations in Sierra Leone, seeking to institutionalise its approach in strong local organisations. In preparation for the election, in addition to its civic and voter education efforts, SFCG focused its efforts on reinforcing the capacity of the Independent Radio Network (IRN), a network of community and independent radio stations located around the country, as well as the National Election Watch (NEW), a civil society coalition of more than 375 local and international organisations. Over the months leading up to the elections, SFCG helped the two groups outline their strategies and then take the necessary steps in order to implement them. On the day of the poll itself, SFCG was at the heart of the citizen-led process, playing a leading role in the domestic observer effort and the independent media coverage of the events. A full account of SFCG's work with NEW and the IRN can be found in a special report on the SFCG website.

In the lead up to the presidential and parliamentary elections SFCG produced a number of special radio and television broadcasts to enhance the public debate on elections issues, and to ensure credible and factual information was in the public arena. On radio, SFCG organised and hosted a parliamentary debate deliberately located in the most divided constituency of each of the 14 districts of the country, which was broadcast live on air on local radio. During the debates the candidates were able to speak about their manifestos and answer questions from the audience, all the while having their answers recorded so that in the future the public could hold them to account for their promises. On television, SFCG produced a ten part comedy drama series called Di Saloon, aimed at encouraging women and youth to participate in the elections. The show was aired twice a week in primetime slots in the ten weeks leading up to the first round poll. As detailed in the last West Africa Update, the series, which was set in a hair salon, told the story of one of the regular clients, Mrs Kamara, and her decision to run for parliament after her husband fails to convince her to vote for his favourite party. The series ended with the characters about to vote and the outcome unknown. Borboh, the salon owner's son, who had been nonplussed about voting, is finally convinced of the importance of the elections. However in a surprise twist, Mrs Kamara's husband tells her he will vote for her opponent since she had not persuaded him on her manifesto, reinforcing the message to the electorate to 'vote their interest'. Feedback from special screenings of the series held in local cinemas was hugely positive, and SFCG Sierra Leone looks forward to using its experience and understanding of the country to inform and enrich future television productions.

Elections: An Opportunity for the Region

The Sierra Leonean elections presented an opportunity for the whole region to learn more about how the process of democracy works; and the role different groups can play in the conduct of a successful and peaceful election. With the political difficulties in neighbouring Guinea, and in advance of elections planned for the end of the year, SFCG invited two journalists from influential private radio stations in the capital, Familia FM and Liberté FM, to spend four days in Sierra Leone over the first round period in early August in the company of SFCG staff. The Liberté journalist hailed the elections as "The first time free and fair elections have been held in the sub-region and an example to us all," and positive feedback was received by both stations from their listeners, eager to compare their system with the events in Sierra Leone.

On July 26, SFCG completed its collaboration with the Canadian and Guinean Governments to reopen a derelict rural radio station in Koundara, near the border with Senegal. Over the course of the project, SFCG installed new production and broadcast equipment, and provided training for the station staff in production techniques as well as the Common Ground approach to journalism. At the official celebration to mark the opening, speakers spoke warmly of the contributions each party had made, with the Deputy Minister of Communications especially thanking SFCG for its efforts implementing the technical and training side of the project. After the opening, SFCG produced a special magazine program on citizenship and good governance specifically relevant to the Koundara area. The renovation of the station provides an outlet for local information and dialogue, and the new transmitter also now captures broadcasts from the national radio, connecting Koundara with the rest of the country.

Such was the success of the project that Radio Rurale Guinée and the Canadian government asked SFCG to play a similar role in the creation of a brand new station in the remote area of Tougué to the north of the centre of the country. Cut off from the world by no telephones, electricity or running water, Tougué has never had a local radio station before, and has united in its efforts to bring radio to their area at long last. Community leaders have donated a plot of land, and wealthy émigrés in Conakry have committed to paying for the construction of a building to the specifics required to house the radio station. In turn the National Director of Radio Rurale Guinée has promised to supply staff and pay their salaries, while for its part SFCG will install modern digital equipment and train the staff on its use in producing radio programmes that provide information and foster dialogue on issues of importance to the community.

In other programme news: SFCG-Guinea has signed agreements with the National Radio and two leading private radio stations in Conakry to broadcast its new radio soap opera, 'Wotanara', which began broadcast in late September. These agreements expand SFCG's reach in the country to a near-national audience. For more information on SFCG's programs in Guinea, see the latest edition of the Guinea Newsletter, available on SFCG's website.

Access to land has been a key conflict within Côte d'Ivoire's ongoing crisis, resulting in deep divisions between people originally coming from a particular region and those who have migrated to the area from other parts of the country. Over the past 14 months, SFCG has focused on land conflicts in specific communities, particularly in the West, seeking to bridge divisions and facilitate groups working together to find solutions. The success story of Blotilé, in Moyen-Cavally near the border with Liberia, provides one example of the common ground approach at work.

SFCG began working in Blotilé in July 2006, when residents who had fled their village during rebel attacks decided that they wanted to return, but were concerned for their safety. They particularly mistrusted those villagers who remained behind, who they associated with the rebels because of their ethnic origin and their willingness to stay in the village. An assessment of the conflict revealed that there were actually two different conflicts unfolding; one based on ethnic lines and another centred on land issues. In response, SFCG worked with the participants to form a mediation council comprised of chiefs from the surrounding areas, where both sides set conditions for the displaced residents' return. Over a period of months, SFCG facilitated a number of face-to-face meetings, conflict management trainings and exchanges, yet was unable to breach the wall of mistrust and fear that divided the two groups.

Finally, a breakthrough occurred in December 2006. SFCG arranged for a interactive theatre group to perform in the village to help the two communities analyse and understand the conflicts that existed between them, and to encourage the displaced residents to discuss their fears of return in public for the first time. The play had a profound effect on both sides and slowly, over the following few months, trust began to grow between them. Visits from the displaced villages led to the two groups working to clean the village together, while the residents who remained were now paying visits to their displaced neighbours. In July the chiefs of the two communities agreed to cooperate on the management of the forest, a key issue dividing the groups.

In August 2007, the first group of 50 volunteers moved back to Blotilé, under the supervision of a joint committee established with representatives from both sides. After the pilot group settled successfully, another 200 returnees moved back to the village. SFCG is planning to celebrate the moment when the final group of displaced residents move back to Blotilé by holding a solidarity festival in the village.

Corruption remains one the biggest obstacles to rapid growth and development in West Africa, and the biggest source of dissatisfaction between the people and the state. Since December 2006, SFCG has been working with the Government of Liberia, with funding from UNDP and The World Bank, to raise public awareness of the government program to tackle corruption, known as GEMAP, (The Governance Economic Management Assistance Program). GEMAP's introduction was highly contentious in Liberia, with charges of neo-colonialism inflaming the public debate over the policy. Over the first six months of 2007 SFCG's public sensitization campaign combined a number of different approaches from the common ground toolkit to facilitate informed dialogue around the policy, its benefits, and its risks. SFCG's approach did not promote GEMAP, but rather provided a platform for different opinions around the policy, and addressed rumours and misinformation that were blurring the debate on the real issues.

Using radio, SFCG's weekly discussion programme, One Step Beyond, invited key government officials and civil society members to discuss various aspects of the anti-corruption programme, including procedures, limitations, oversight, and results. Meanwhile, the popular radio serial Today is Not Tomorrow incorporated GEMAP into the storyline, showing how the policy affected the lives of ordinary people. Seeking to address the problem found in the baseline of information on the policy being centralized in Monrovia and its immediate surroundings, SFCG also produced shorter dramas in all of the country's 16 local languages as well as conducted theatre performances in front of up to 300 people at a time in 15 locations around the country. Recognising the limited understanding that journalists had of GEMAP their role in conveying accurate information to the public, SFCG partnered with the GEMAP Secretariat to host a training for journalists on how to better access information on GEMAP, which had been a confusing and frustrating process. The highly successful project ended with SFCG giving the GEMAP Technical Team a number of recommendations on how to improve their communications and outreach, which had been notably poor up to that point.

With Liberia moving from a post-conflict situation to a development paradigm, early in 2007, SFCG commissioned a DfID funded assessment to examine the capacity and effectiveness of civil society in the country, and make recommendations on areas to be strengthened. The report noted the need for the depoliticisation of civil society space, as well as a reminder of the continued importance of promoting women and youth as civil society leaders. The key findings are now available on the SFCG website.

For four years SFCG partnered with the IRC and the Center for Victims of Torture to implement the Na Wi Pot project, a regional project focused on reducing trafficking and other human rights abuses in the Forest Region of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Its results were recognized in an evaluation of USAID's anti-trafficking programs in Africa, conducted by the private development firm Chemonics. The evaluation praised the impact and effectiveness of SFCG's radio programming in West Africa for 'democratizing the story of trafficking' and 'reaching difficult and vulnerable communities.' Prevention activities such as the broadcast of SFCG's regional local language radio drama were judged 'very successful' demonstrated by:

SFCG recently received a one-year grant to continue its local language radio soap opera, already produced in Kissi and Mende, and expand it to Mandingo as well. SFCG will work with Radio Moa, in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, to transfer capacity in radio drama production, helping create a resource that will carry on the project's aims after the year has closed.