IDEX Program Officers, Kat and Vini are in Africa visiting IDEX partners in South Africa. But they also spent one week in Senegal and met with a number of NGOs there to explore the possibility of IDEX expanding our work to Senegal. Vini recently sent us more details about Senegal and specifically Casamance.Very few people outside West Africa actually know about the painful Casamance conflict. Fewer still in the "international community" have done much to build peace in the region. It is the longest running armed struggle in West Africa with over 20 years of conflict. For more information read The Casamance Conflict: Out of Sight Out of Mind.
The 2 sides, the separatist group MFDC (Movement of Democratic Forces of the Casamance) and the Senegalese government, have been fighting over the question of independence for the Casamance region. In the process they have impacted the people of Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and the Gambia, the two neighboring states. Tens of thousands have been killed, almost 80,000 displaced as per numbers from Caritas and UNHCR. Before the separatist movement in Independent Senegal, the region was a colonial battlefield for the French and the Portuguese.
Landmines are still strewn all over the region including the once beautiful national parks. All sides heap blame on each other. Not until 2004 did relative calm begin to return to the region. The impetus for peace came from the people of Casamance. They wanted to bring home their relatives and rebuild the region.
It is in this context that we get to meet with USOFORAL, AJAC and AJAEDO, 3 distinct groups that work in Enampor and Oussaye areas of Casamance. Of the people we meet most are elders. They had returned home in the past decade, having longed to be reunited with their land for over 30 years. They now teach the younger women and men of the region forgotten sustainable agriculture practices, using land and cultivation as concrete peace building methods.
The drive from Ziguinchor to Oussaye is lush, past the Casamance River and through orchards of orange, mangoes, palm oil and papayas. It’s beauty disguising a bloody history.
Chartered airplanes from all over Europe fly into the beaches of Cap Skirring, just an hour's drive from this impoverished region where recently returned displaced people are slowly but certainly rebuilding their homes, communities and lives. Two separate worlds exist in Casamance - the gorgeous luxury resorts of Cap nestled amongst landlessness, broken and displaced families from 3 decades of war that the people of the region never want to encounter again.
Labels: AJAC, AJAEDO, Casamance, Senegal, USOFORAL
Last Wednesday we visited AJAC (Casamance Young Farmers' Association), an organization based in Zinguachor. AJAC works in 46 villages with women, youth and mixed groups.AJAC helps group members build skills and offers technical assistance to generate income and develop work opportunities in Casamance. As a result of the conflict in Casamance, many families moved to other parts of Senegal and nearby countries such as Guinea-Bissau and the Gambia. Since the region has become more peaceful many families are now returning to Casamance. Thanks to organizations like AJAC, they can learn skills that will allow generating income for their families.
AJAC recognizes that women are at the core of community development and peace building. At the same time, AJAC is aware that to ensure sustainable peace you can't exclude men and youth, as they are part of the local communities and thus, AJAC works with them too.
AJAC facilitates training in several income-generating activities, with a focus on sustainable agriculture. They encourage the development of vegetable gardens, where people grow crops like tomato and cabbage. But they also encourage planting mangrove trees to promote fish farming.
There are 10 staff members at AJAC, 7 in the office, 2 community promoters and 1 agricultural technician. Most of the staff has been chosen by the groups they serve due to an organizational structure where each group selects a representative each for AJAC's General Assembly. The General Assembly selects who becomes a Board members and the Board will then select the staff of AJAC. Having staff directly selected by the groups AJAC works for ensures a trustworthy relationship between AJAC and the communities.
Not only that, AJAC is also aware of the need to be transparent in their work. AJAC ensures that all groups are aware of how much funding AJAC receives and when they receive it.
We had the opportunity to visit a training session where a group of women (all widows from the conflict) were learning about making compost. The women welcomed us so warmly and shared with us papayas that they have grown in AJAC's main vegetable garden. The women grow vegetables and fruits such as banana and papayas. It was so good to eat fresh fruit straight from the field. The women here were so energetic, it was great to feel their positive vibe. We could observe how the women were eager to learn and work as well as having a great relationship with AJAC staff.
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long, and had to leave the dancing in time to head off for our next meeting. The AJAC staff stayed behind to continue the workshop on composting.