A peace rally through the streets of Freetown last Thursday, 3 July concluded the successful nationwide peace tours which saw musicians, dramatists and comedians perform and preach messages of non-violence to fans across the country in Makeni, Bo, Kenema, Kono and Freetown.
Joining the artists in the ceremony following the peace rally were a host of dignitaries including the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), the Ghanaian High Commissioner, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Acting Resident Representative, and other members of the diplomatic community. Also present was Single Leg Amputee Sports Club which is campaigning for non-violence through outreach to marginalized amputees across the capital.
The peace rally and tours have been supported by UNDP, which partnered with UNIFEM to instigate the ‘Peaceful Election Campaign’. The UN joined forces with two popular artist associations, Artists for Peace and the Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association, to tour the country singing and preaching messages of non-violence to the public.
In addition to performing for fans free and preaching messages of peace, the artists traveled to the hotspot ghetto areas in the towns they visited, speaking directly to troubled youths, to convince them to refrain from engaging in electoral violence. According to the spokesperson for the Artists for Peace, Wahid, ‘Sierra Leone has a fragile peace which needs to be consolidated. As artists we are using our influence to come together and speak to youths, to sustain our country’s peace.’
Speaking at the ceremony following the rally, the UNDP Acting Resident Representative, the Chairperson of NEC and the Ghanaian High Commissioner each thanked the artists and amputees for their hard work over the past weeks in preaching messages of peace, and commended their commitment to Sierra Leone.
The campaign intends to increase participation of eligible voters, particularly youths, women and the physically challenged, in electoral activities. It aims to promote conflict prevention through music and drama to educate, inform and persuade citizens from engaging in violence before, during and after the Local Council Elections. The campaign also aims to promote a post-election reconciliation agenda that can overcome violence, through targeting issues including attitudinal change, food security and ethnic and political tolerance.
Photos: Musicians performing for peace. NEC chairperson Christiana Thorpe joined them on stage(top photo).
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