MBOSCUDA: Engages NW Media Actors In The Fight Against Intercultural Conflicts via Cultural Rights & Dialogue Promotion.

By Martial Gnoukapasir.

cross section of workshop participants

      The training workshop on Cultural Rights and Diversity for print and online media men and women in the North West Region of Cameroon lasted three days. This follows a similar workshop with same time frame and objectives, organised a week earlier for those in the audio-visual sector by the NW Regional office of the Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association(MBOSCUDA)in alliance with the north west farmers organisation(NOWEFOR), United purpose UK with funds from the European Union.

Mboscuda NW Co-ordinator: Sali Django

     Opening the workshop, North West regional coordinator for MBOSCUDA Sali Django revealed that the training was intended to offer visibility to media houses on issues relating to cultural rights and it's various forms of expression, so they can better comprehend and raise more awareness on  such rights and diversity by UNESCO standards. It was further necessitated by the need to engage journalists in the promotion of intercultural dialogue via reports and monitoring of cultural activities . 

      MBOSCUDA according to the co-ordinator will better implement a three-year project to run right up to 2021 tittled;

 "Bridging the gap: safeguarding peace and human rights by promoting intercultural dialogue in the North West Region of Cameroon"  if the media played it's role, he added.

     His remarks were further complimented by the NW Regional office for Arts and Culture, whose representative Mrs ILyn Ferla stressed on the need for the press to add an accent on cultural rights promotion, especially at a time when cultural misinterpretation has resulted to endermic conflicts between many communities in the North west region.

ILyn Ferla. NW Arts & Culture Delegation

     Facilitators at the three days workshop included :

Mr Shey Kanjo William. A fine agronomist with educational and career experience in intercultural conflict resolution whose module provided the participants with the  national and international instruments on cultural diversity, and clarifications on some key definitions with regards to;

-cultural goods and services.

-cultural heritage.

- cultural diversity & rights.

-expression of cultural diversity.

- link between cultural diversity and intercultural conflicts.

-cultural dialogue. It's role in the promotion of cultural rights and prevention of intercultural conflicts, as outlined by UNESCO.

    He also shared success stories of Mboscuda resolving farmer-grazier conflicts via one of it's key program _"In search of a common ground"_, A project whose outcome he confessed has been greatly saluted in the NW region by farmers and graziers in some of our local communities therein.

    There was also Charles Nji, founder of Charmers Media and Communication Consults(CHAMECC) who enticed participants with insights on the practice of Cultural reporting and criticisms, elaborating on it's forms, pitching a cultural story as well as creating and managing cultural diversity programs.

      At the end of the three days the Journalists agreed to form a network to consist of media practitioners with interest to building, reporting and promoting cultural rights and expression in strict respect of UNESCO norms and standard.