Peace Counts in Ivory Coast
The Peace Counts project, in cooperation with Zeitenspiegel, to bring stories of peacemaking to the people of Ivory Coast was a roller-coaster ride of emotions and a resounding success.
Live on stage: Fortuné, one of the country’s most famous actors. His stage presence is undeniable, and the P.A. carries his voice to all corners of the plaza while photos illustrating his words are projected on a screen. More than 1,000 people have gathered to hear him tell of brave people who resolve conflicts between farmers and nomads, fight for the rights of political prisoners, take care of war orphans, or teach former guerrilla warriors a trade.
The event is part of the traveling radio show Faiseurs de Paix, carried by the government broadcaster RTI and by stations formerly run by rebel forces – their first shared project ever.
Since February, the project, initiated in Germany, has trained a dozen Ivorian journalists. Led by Zeitenspiegel writer Tilman Wörtz and Zeitenspiegel founder and photographer Uli Reinhardt, the journalists reported from all over the country, publishing through radio, TV, print media, and public events. The program was underwritten financially by the Goethe Institute in Abidjan and by the Peter Becker Prize which Peace Counts On Tour received from the University of Marburg in May.
Berlin filmmaker Matthias Luthardt recorded the goings-on in a documentary, Peace Counts en Cote d´Ivoire, always pursuing the recurring question: Where does peace come from?
For six years now, Peace Counts has been looking for answers in crisis zones all over the world, in the Ivory Coast for the first time in cooperation with local journalists. The country just had its first presidential election after the civil war, and the threat of violence is still in the air. Here’s hoping that journalism devoted to fostering peace, with the skill set and exposure brought it by Peace Counts, can contribute to keeping things calm.