Project Summary and Background
Violent conflicts in various regions have put a heavy burden on democracy and on the continent’s development. Despite numerous efforts to understand and resolve the causes of violent upheavals and thus to reduce the number of armed conflicts, much still needs to be done. The International Community’s efforts at mediation have often failed to create sustainable peace.
When looking at the recent developments and the most striking continental trends, although statistically the number of violent conflicts has decreased, one cannot help but note there are still many areas of concern. Poor governance also appears to be a scourge increasingly prevalent in Africa, accelerating everywhere the impoverishment of communities, throwing on the oceans thousands of desperate young people in search of elusive paradises, while we are approaching more and more the deadline for the supposed reduction of poverty.
Launched in 2006, the Gorée Ndaje Project takes its name from the Wolof word for ‘forum’ or ‘meeting place’. Building on our experiences, our collaboration with other NGOs, and the privileged environment offered by the Institute, we offer through the Gorée Ndaje Project a flexible and adjustable space for constructive and concrete dialogue in order to diffuse a particular conflict situation or assist in building a more sustainable peace processes. Initially bringing identified protagonists and stakeholders to the Institute on the Island of Gorée, and away from the conflict zones, we are able to provide an environment and encourage processes which are conducive to dialogue and mediation.
The Gorée Ndaje project has a flexible and adaptable format that can be activated at short notice, to promote rapid and deepened interaction with other NGOs and organisations operating in the countries of concern. We believe that this collaboration with Civil Society Organisations located in the conflict zones is essential to the mediation processes if we hope to achieve sustainable peace. It is critical that civil society be involved in mediation and dialogue processes from the beginning in order to ensure that the processes will be appropriated by the local populations once agreements have been signed.
Building on our experiences, our collaboration with other NGOs, and the privileged environment offered by the Institute, we propose through the Gorée Ndaje Project a flexible and adjustable space for constructive and concrete dialogue in order to diffuse a particular conflict situation or assist in building a more sustainable peace process. Bringing identified protagonists and stakeholders to the Institute on the Island of Gorée, and away from the conflict zones, we are able to provide a neutral environment and encourage processes which are conducive to dialogue and mediation.
Our work
In order to successfully promote constructive dialogue among key actors of a zone or a country at risk of conflict and to unblock a stalled or fraught process of dialogue among the protagonists of a particular conflict; we have held a series of political dialogue forums since 2003 in countries such as Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, and Guinea (Conakry).
Protagonists of countries in conflict are identified through the use of a knowledgeable resource person and brought together at the Gorée institute to shed light on the more deeply embedded systematic or behavioural problems threatening a given process. The Institute provides a space and adequate infrastructure to convene a meeting of well-informed and influential people at short notice. We ensure that there is strong civil society participation in the process of negotiating peace.
The group meets for a set number of days to bring their nuanced, contrasting or converging views to the table. The discussions are enhanced because they may take place among people who do not necessarily engage in dialogue in their area of origin, and here they can do so in a privileged and natural environment and be assisted by professional advisors if they so desire.