2014 Africa Workshops

(This workshop was previously scheduled for Saturday 2:45 p.m.; note new time above)

This workshop will focus on the United States’ militarization of Africa, particularly via the proliferation of drones. How will drones, both armed and surveillance, change the way the US operates militarily in Africa? Who is ultimately benefitting and profiting? As the US increases its presence and training, we will examine ways to promote genuine human security and advocate for non-military solutions.

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This workshop will focus on the cutting edge developments in a “just peace” approach to engaging conflict in the form of unarmed civilian peacekeeping. The Nonviolent Peaceforce has been successfully experimenting with this practice for over 10 years. They’ve been in South Sudan since 2010. They’ve trained local Sudanese and have empowered a women-based peace team. We’ll take lessons from this team, which the UN relies on, and see how far a force for peace can go.

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This workshop will focus on the great contributions Africa has made to the development of restorative (as opposed to punitive, as in the US) justice practices. Another key component of a “just peace” lens, these practices have notable impact in South Africa with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Rwanda with the gacaca approach, and in Sierra Leone with fambul tok. What can we learn from these RJ strategies, and what opportunities are there today for advancing RJ practices in spaces of conflict in Africa?

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As land-grabbing has gained notoriety over the past decade, land grabbers have gotten more sophisticated in their methods of sweeping up key resources and forcing conflict. In Tanzania and Mozambique, the World Economic Forum has held up land in agricultural growth corridors as a prime opportunity for international investors. This initiative gave rise to the G8’s New Alliance, led by the Obama Administration, which pays lip-service to the UN’s land tenure guidelines while creating incentives for large scale mechanized agriculture in the style of land-grabbing. What would Africa look like under the New Alliance? What can we do to prevent resource-scarcity related violence?

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“Oh, Africa has so much conflict!” is an often-heard phrase, but why do Africans fight? What creates these cycles of violence? The workshop will examine the root (internal and external) causes of war in Africa and peace-making roles that American citizens and faith communities can play.

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