CGNK Expands Partnerships in Africa

CGNK Co-Directors Greg Bourne and Karen Cross recently visisted several locations in Africa to further develop and explore new nonkilling partners among numerous organizations who had been in contact with the Center. Visits included grassroots and governmental organizations in Monrovia, Liberia; Bujumbura, Burundi; and Kigali, Rwanda.

With approximately 20 organizations in the Africa Great Lakes region in contact with CGNK, bringing about diverse joint projects such as the KiSwahili translation of Nonkilling Global Political Science or diverse local and international seminars on nonkilling practice, the Center’s Co-Directors traveled to Burundi during August 2010 to meet with the leaders of these organizations, with the intent of exploring and expanding working partnerships.

They also met with potential partner organizations in Liberia, and began exploring new partnerships in Rwanda. Meetings were also convened with elected and government officials, NGO leaders, traditional leaders, and courageous women leaders who were instrumental in ending war and initiating reconciliation in these regions. The Center now has working partnerships in the Africa Great Lakes region (Burundi, Eastern DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania), as well as other locations in Africa, including Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa and Western Sahara.