| Posted: April 24 2005,18:11 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
Yes
– as a cultural organization dedicated to providing heritage and
culture from an African perspective, we have helped to erase negative
stereotypes about African people by displaying the great civiliation
African people have created and their past and present contributions to
humanity.
We have developed initiatives to measure
process by the use of monitoring the number of requests received to
acquire the displays and the formation of a number of groups coming
together to display their ethnicity with pride without feelings of
confusion and fear.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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The
obstacles that prevented progress is the lack of funding to purchase
video materials, a projector and other audio visual aids, plus books
for the establishing of an after school reading room where Afrikan
history and tutorial services can be provided which would create an
atmosphere that would enable young people to develop positive
self-images that could help to eliminate crimes and other criminal
activities.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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Let
Spirit Run Free has developed the Breaking the Silence Exhibition from
a community group based project in London by members who are on the
Advisory Committee of the Antislavery International, as part of the
UNESCO Breaking the Silence Transatlantic Slave Route project.
The exhibition is widely displayed in schools, community groups,
the prison institution and in churches. The exhibition is used as a
medium for exploring issues of identity and culture. Through
the
exhibition adults and children are invited to explore the traumas of
slavery that still prevails in modern forms of slavery and racism. The
exhibition is a teaching tool that has opened dialogue for developing
positive images to a dysfunctional race of people who had suffered for
over 400 years and still suffers the turmoil of slavery and
abuse, the effect continues in modern day slavery that bring hardship,
poverty, violence, war and destruction to many across the world. Along
with the exhibition there are lectures that promote issues on the
elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. It is the belief of
the organisation that the spiritual and moral health of the nation is
fundamentally threatened when the finger of discrimination, racism and
abuse of the basic human rights of a people are denied.
The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that 'no one shall be
held in slavery and servitude'. Enslavement takes away justice and
peace. The problems of slavery and slave labour remain
unresolved. In promoting a
cultural of peace all of us have a
critical role to play in ensuring that the issues of enslaved labour
are returned to the top of the human rights agenda.
The Breaking
the Silence exhibition is helping to break the silence and to create a
profound sense for the need for justice in our society and the world.
History continues to show that it is possible and deeply desirable that
the entire human family, regardless of culture, colour or social status
can and must live with appropriate levels of mutual respect and in
peace.
Let Spirit Run Free represents an important contribution
to the education and involvement of concerned people in learning how
the object of peace can be achieve in modern pluralistic societies by
helping young people to develop positive images of themselves, it also
help many to develop within a culture of peace, justice and respect
within their families, communities and the society in general.
Since
the overthrow of the President of Haiti, the bombing of Afghanistan and
then Iraq, we have participated with the Global African Congress and
other grassroots organisations in vigils and mass rallies to
demonstrate and make a stand against the thousands of people who lost
their lives to US bombs and invasions. We have also joined with
the Global Women's Strike to give vocal support to women who everywhere
invest their lives in caring and who are the ones that pay most for
war. We supported the celebration on Pan African Women's Day and
spoke out in solidarity with our African sisters for peace and social
justice. We assisted the Universal Day of Hope Trust to develop a
calendar of events for effecting change that can promote the Caribbean
as a "Crucible of Peace"
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
Our advice would be to develop an innovative educational
Framework
that would show "A culture of Peace as "Buzz" words in schools,
churches, homes and all learning institutions so as to mobilize persons
worldwide to observe and to celebrate the 12th September as the
International day of peace.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
The Global Afrikan Congress
The Universal Day of Hope Trust
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
Our
Organisation is involved with the Global African Congress in promoting
a programme of action for addressing crimes against humanity and in
developing programmes within the community to invest in caring not
killing.
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Postal address of organization
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39 Maxwell Park Drive, Christ Church, Barbados, West Indies
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E-mail address of organization
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tgill_barnett@hotmail.com
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Website address of organization
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Human Rights
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Equality of women
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Caribbean
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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Senegal
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