\u201cLet\u2019s begin to lead the hearts and minds to the culture of nonviolence. If you think that the economic and political system is a disaster and both our future and the one of the continent is not assured anymore, then you will have to say \u2018\u2019NO\u2019\u2019 to violence and \u2018\u2019YES\u2019\u2019 to peace by strongly\u00a0engaging in this project in order to set this new mechanism of positive conscience in Africa.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n
The foregoing statement leads the preamble of the announcement documents detailing this \u201cAfrican campaign for Education of Nonviolence\u201d<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur planet Earth needs deep political, economic and social change in terms of education, health and environment. It is deemed necessary to draw back from all kinds of violence. Therefore, there is a prerequisite:\u201d Education of people for people\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNonviolence is nowadays the only true wisdom and method that give direction to life and allow people to choose their future. Of all times, nonviolence is expressed through humanism, compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, love, brotherhood, social justice. Nonviolence takes place when a society is based on the development of each and every human being as a central priority and when education and living conditions is growing for all. Nonviolence is in you, in your culture, your beliefs and your best qualities!\u201d<\/p>\n
This Pan-African Campaign is leaving Lome, Togo (West Africa) on October 2, 2013(the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi\u2019s birth), declared the \u201cInternational Day of Nonviolence\u201d by the United Nations.<\/p>\n
The Campaign will end at Marracuene\u2019s Park of Studies and Reflections in Mozambique on May 4, 2014 (anniversary of the birth of the Humanist Movement). It will last for 215 days, seven long months of education and sharing through more than 35 African countries.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAfrican Campaign for Education of Nonviolence\u201d<\/i> is initiated by the Organisms of the Humanist Movement which Movement is based on the current of thought known as New Humanism, or Universalist Humanism inspired by Mario Rodriguez Cobos, known as Silo.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAfrican Campaign\u201d<\/i> will take shape through the free participation of schools and universities, parties, companies, associations, NGO\u2019s and through people who share the same mindset. They can participate in the campaign in many different ways: whether by organizing or joining activities in countries, either by promoting new initiatives or taking part in the campaign virtually using a website. Everybody without distinction of ethnicities, races, beliefs and religions\u00a0can participate in the campaign in their country. All those who share love and peace in Africa!<\/p>\n
The national and international institutions, religions and other spiritualities, the traditional chiefs, are all taken into account by this project of education of nonviolence. This new educational policy of people for people aspires to reach the majority of the African populations to the extent that the media gives coverage and will positively affect all the individuals taking part and thereby influencing their social environments.<\/p>\n
It entails that a permanent team of 20 to 40 trainers will conduct the principal journey. To some extent, the responsible activists of the Organisms and enthused volunteers of the various countries will join the main team to continue the journey to other countries \u2013 here we see the continuing effects of the epochal World March of previous moments \u2013 from Wellington, New Zealand in October 2009 via Asia, Europe, North America to South America and finally Punta de Vacas, Argentina, in January 2010.<\/p>\n
As the \u201cAfrica Campaign\u201d<\/i> passes through the continent\u2019s cities there will be organized all kinds of events: training sessions, workshops, conferences, seminars, forums, interviews, marches, festivals, sensitizations\u2026<\/p>\n
NOTE: The activities of each country will be organized according to the local initiatives that are emerging. The action plan of the campaign will be based on a triple method \u2013 institutional, individual and social.<\/p>\n
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?<\/p>\n
– Promote educational tools and nonviolence practices;<\/p>\n
– Train a new generation of people that value the culture of peace and nonviolence;<\/p>\n
– Encourage African leaders and international institutions to insert nonviolence studies into schools and universities\u2019 curricula, as well as the usual subjects of mathematics, geography, languages, etc;<\/p>\n
– Sensitize the populations to nonviolence as a method of action in order to create new personal and collective behaviours;<\/p>\n
– Create a global awareness that rejects all forms of violence \u2013 physical, psychological, racial, ethnic, religious, economic and sexual;<\/p>\n
– Send a strong signal to everyone who wants to live in Africa without wars and without violence.<\/p>\n
This first \u201cAfrican Campaign for Education of Nonviolence\u201d is synthesized in the ideal and slogan of, \u201cHumanizing the Earth\u201d.<\/p>\n