CARAVAN OF PEACE "NO TO TERROR"


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YAOUNDE YOUTH ENGAGE IN PEACE MESSAGING (FINAL REPORT)




FINAL REPORT

Activity Name
 Yaounde Youth Engage In Peace Messaging
Description
“Yaoundé youth engage in peace messaging” Promote 2017
“Empowering Youths And Building Peace Through Arts”
Activity Area & Timeline
PROMOTE FAIR 2017: 11th-19th February 2017
Grantee Name
Sweet@rt’frika Association
Date of final Submission
February 25, 2017


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     A-    PRESENTATION OF THE CONTEXT (1) AND OBJECTIVES (2) OF THE CAMPAIGN 
1      -      CONTEXT
Since the year 2014, Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group has been multiplying attacks on Cameroonian territory as well as some neighbouring countries, enrolling youths, killing many innocent people, looting villages and sometimes forcing the population to displace themselves. This situation has resulted to a humanitarian crisis in the northern regions of Cameroon; there is need to inspire youth on good practices of peace building and sustainable development based on models from their own communities. This is the reason why artists of the association Sweet@rt’frica initiate the movement entitled “Yaoundé youth engage in peace messaging”. Sweet@rt’frica is a collective of young Cameroonian visual artists whose aim is to e promote social and cultural development of the peoples of Africa; the collective has been committed since 2014 in the promotion of peace and tolerance.

    2-      OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTIVITY
The global objective is to empower youths through peace messaging. The specific objectives include:
Ø  To distribute 1500 T-shirts for free.
Ø  To educate youth on the necessity of the construction of a lasting Peace, the maintenance of Social Cohesion within their communities for development.
Ø  To disseminate the message of Peace and Social Cohesion within communities.


   B-    Kick-off of the campaign (1) and presentation of the Sweet@art’frica team members with their responsibilities

1-      KICK-OFF OF THE CAMPAIGN
February 11th 2017 witnessed the kick-off of the activities at 8AM at the Yaounde International Business fair, PROMOTE, where Sweet@art’frica projected their vision for a peaceful but far reaching youth social movement catalysing a new renaissance in Africa. The OTI sponsored booth of the association was located at the American pavilion of the fair.  Empowering youths and building peace through art was the message the association passed throughout and our major tool to attain this was the distribution of T-shirts on which the message was inscribed in order for youths to have ‘strong minds’ and ‘open hearts’ ( The campaign ended on February 19 at 8PM.


2-      SWEET@RT’FRICA TEAM MEMBERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The following was the composition of the team members present at PROMOTE 2017 with their responsibilities:
-          1person at the reception for communication and orientation
-          3 surveyors to administer questionnaires
-          1 performing artists who had as role to do body paintings and other artistic work.
-          3 persons in charge of mobilizing and inviting youth to the booth
-          1 person in charge of transports and logistics

          C-    Activities at PROMOTE (1) and highlights (2)

1-      ACTIVITES AT PROMOTE
The activity consisted to distribute T-shirts bearing the message ‘Hope Jeunesse’ (1.1) this after the conduction of surveys (1.2) and the freestyle workshop for body painting (1.3). Each visitor who came to the booth of the association was welcomed by a team member and oriented on our activity:

1.1-            Distribution of T-shirts
This was the principal activity in the Sweet@art’frica booth. These T-shirts will serve as a major tool to sensitize youths on the peace messaging thus youth empowerment. The message inscribed on each T-shirt was ‘Hope Jeunesse.’ T-shirts were of four different colours which were black, blue, white and green. The T-shirts were distributed during all the period of the campaign. A total number of 1368 T-shirts were distributed in the booth and the rest were offered to special and VIP GUESTS: officials, foreigners, ambassadors of the USA, Canada etc.
NB: mention we had educational messages in the

Perceptions about the T-shirt and messaging
From a general point of view, almost all the youths who visited our booth appreciated the idea of the distribution of T-shirt on which was summarised the concept of “Hope Jeunesse” (the Concept of empowering youth and building peace through arts) and representing the idea of education and its role,in social development. In their majority, they appreciated the fact that we use T-shirts as the major tool to pass on our peace messaging. They said this help to re-awake the spirit of Cameroonian youths on the important role each of them has to play in an environment suffering from insecurity, this went to embrace the thoughts of the mother a soldier who was injured during one of the Boko Haram attacks. ‘I’m sure my son will be pleased to hear about this initiative….’she said. Sweet@rt’frica as well as the soldiers in the Far north regions are out to fight against radicalisation, using different methods.
 Even security guards as well as those in charge of sanitation at the pavilion sometimes left their work and came to our booth for the survey. After they went to inform their colleagues about our initiatives who in their own turn came to our booth. Also, a police man haven heard about the initiative through his colleagues came to our booth. He participated in the activity and was offered a T-shirt at the end. “Thanks for this initiative” he told us happily. “This project which aims at educating the youth will help us to face less violence or juvenile delinquency” he said. 




1.2-            Conduction of surveys


            Conducting surveys was one of the activities in the Sweet Art’frika booth at PROMOTE. It was a very challenging exercise and also interesting as well to know what youths think about the various questions that were addressed to them. The survey was conducted from the kick-off of our activities right to the last day of the campaign.  A total number of 1233 people have been surveyed by the team. In general, people had mixed feelings about the questions that were asked to them. Some said they were well structured, others thought otherwise. But some youths came to realize themselves after running the questions as if there were not existing before that. For example when asked about her objectives in life, a youth replied that till then she has not thought of a life objective. She finished by saying she has to start giving a direction to her life.


1.3-            Freestyle workshop for body painting
This was initiated with the aim of making our activity look more attractive, original and interactive. It was animated by arts performers. The freestyle workshop where body painting was done on the themes: hope, freedom, education as the key for Peace and Prosperity. The choice of these themes stems from the fact that education is the main message of sensitization regarding the situation in the Cameroon. This youth must be free and proud to carry the development of Africa on his shoulders and impact on the future of global youth by eradicating ignorance. Theo, a 22 years old volunteer artist who believes in this concept, gave us a helping hand during the event as one of the arts performers, painting and performing for free. . 

Perception of youths in regards to the body painting
Most of the youths appreciated this initiative as they were very willing to have painted messages on the themes mentioned above in regards to our campaign. Some accepted to add a key logo on their body painting, the key representing the change of mentalities for the success of African renaissance. The workshop was therefore a busy area. Mention must be made here that some adults also accepted to have a body painting in order to manifest their solidarity for the initiative. For example one of the many journalists who came to visit accepted the body painting. The impact of this activity is therefore non-negligible because most of those who were painted had the feeling to be the ambassadors of the movement as they happily paraded around the fair show casing them. 











2-      HIGHLIGHT
One of the most important moments of our activities at PROMOTE was the visit of the American ambassador to Cameroon and government officials on Thursday February 16, 2017. Michael Hoza was welcomed by all the Sweet@rt’frica team and was given a brief on the objectives of the campaign by the president of the association. Before he left our booth, he wrote the message “THE YOUTH OF CAMEROON ARE FANTASTIQUE!” on an artistic board specially designed for him in our booth showing his appreciation for the youths in Cameroon.
In return, the Sweet@rt’frica team offered him a personalised T-shirt with his face on, designed by the team. The ambassador highly appreciated his visit.
 Government officials accompanied the U.S ambassador during his visit. Some ministers were present; others were represented by a delegate or the secretary general of the ministry. They include: the ministry of external relations, the ministry of finance, the minister of commerce, the ministry of economic, planning and regional development, the ministry of women’s empowerment and family and the ministry of small and medium size enterprises. Customised T-shirts were also offered to them.


      D-    Observations (1) and suggestions (2)

1-      OBSERVATIONS
The following are the lessons learned:

1.1-            Successes
-          Everybody was pleased with the aesthetics of the T-shirt (colours, message design and quality)
-           We had a target age group of 15-35years, but at the end, all age groups and social status were interested with the activity.  
-          Our booth was acknowledged by all the other booths in the pavilion as the most visited, the most attractive, original and dynamic booth. From day 1 of this activity till the end, we had over 3000 visitors.
-          All other exhibitors in the neighbouring booths came to encourage us
-          All the T-shirts were distributed and people were still demanding for more at the end of the activity. Every day, we had people who came in their numbers and stood in a line in order pass the survey after which they were given T-shirts. Some even came the next day or some days after still to have another one. This demonstrates the level of interest youths had for our activity.
-          Some people stood up in a line for a long period of time and this till they have gotten their T-shirt after the survey. Others came the following day wearing their T-shirt to discuss with us.
-          More than 100 people showed interest in joining the movement and contribute in networking by giving us their contacts
-           Youths who visited our booth saw us as role models.
-          Many other youth leaders, actors of the civil society and public sphere came to visit us (see pictures attached in appendix)
-          At the end of the trade fair, the demand was increasingly growing and people expressed their desire for the activity to be done across the national territory.
-          The Anglophones who visited our booth were very satisfied the survey and the reception as well was also done in English.
-          Some people immediately embraced the concept of our activity. Some youths who looked like street boys came to our booth with the intention of spoiling all what was done. After observing, they saw the seriousness we were putting in our work and how beautiful the T-shirts were. The leader of the gang then accepted to have a brief on the concept after which he accepted passing the survey. He was very emotional at the end, especially as he told us that his role model was his mother. After he was offered a T-shirt, he instructed his gang members to follow. At the end, they all had their T-shirts and promised to pass on the message.

Observations on the team:
Ø  Visitors who came to our booth were well received.
Ø  Participants on the other hand appreciated the team spirit which they witnessed in our booth and showed their appreciation. They showed interest in participating and answering the various questions of the survey and most of them gave suggestions at the end of the questionnaire. Some of them include extending the scope of our activity, adding other aspects of arts in our work etc.

1.2-            Challenges/Lessons Learned
There are as follows
·         Sometimes, we experienced electricity cut. This slowed down activities in the booth
·         Some visitors left our booth sad because they did not have the required age limit for the survey.
·         Some visiotrs stood for several minutes waiting for their own turn, others came after working hours.  
·         The space in our booth was small and sometimes insufficient for people who were waiting.

CONCLUSION
 Empowering youth through arts and using peace messaging has recorded a great success as many people did appreciate the initiative. The campaign ahead looks challenging and tedious but with the lessons learned from the above, the association is well motivated to move forward with this noble initiative. 

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