“Without peace, we cannot be here in the market to sell our products and commodities. We all have a responsibility to maintain peace and this responsibility is one that we need to be reminded about on a daily basis.” - a vendor at the Serrekunda market
Promoting peacebuilding and encouraging women and youth active participation in decision making is a message that needs to reach all corners of grassroots communities. This is why, from the 4 to 8 December 2019, ACTIVISTA The Gambia with support from UNFPA through the UN Peacebuilding funded Women and Youth project, organised a Peace Caravan, to create awareness on the need for collective action to build and promote peace, while encouraging women and youth actively participate in leadership and decision making process.
The caravan, which went round the Greater Banjul Area, West Coast and Upper River Regions, reached a total of 10 communities, including markets and other public places using a public address system for information disseminating, and engaging people in discussion on peace, youth and women political participation, among others.
Through this social mobilisation activity, an estimated 550 people were reached, most of whom were women, to dilate on the following questions/discussion points:
- Why should young people and women participate in peace building and politics?
- How can one participate and what are the current decision-making processes that young people and women can participate in at community level?
Interesting contributions emerged from individuals in the various target communities, buttressing the importance of such an initiative and why it is important that decision-making and peacebuilding processes are participatory and inclusive.
According to Foday, a driver at Westfield,
“youth and women should avoid political divides and conflict and instead should serve as agents of peace and opt for leadership positions.”
