GCI celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration
Generous donations from individuals in Kumba made possible a visit to Kumba Prison on the morning of December 10 to include the prisoners and prison workers in the celebration of 60 years of human rights. A selection of books donated by the United Nations was provided to create a small human rights library in the prison. The prisoners also received soap and food. This visit succeeded in raising awareness of human rights among the prison wardens and demonstrated that Global Conscience Initiative and the Kumba community remain engaged in prisoners' rights.
With the gracious cooperation of the Women's Empowerment Centre, the afternoon event was held in their assembly hall. Attendance was good, with many school students (especially from the Women's Empowerment Centre, PHS and GTHS), journalists, members of the public, a representative from the Meme Delegation of Secondary Education, and prominent members of the legal profession present. This was due to the individual invitations issued as well as advertising on the radio. GCI would like to see a higher attendance at the next event and will look into how to achieve this.
The meeting was opened with prayers and an introduction by GCI. The event began with a screening of a film on the power of non-violent protest using the example of desegregating lunch counters in one town in the USA ( A Force More Powerful ). The audience was attentive and interested. There followed an exchange of ideas about the effectiveness of non-violent protest.
Barrister Dieuadonné delivered the welcome address on behalf of GCI's CEO Samba Churchill, who was unable to attend due to ill health. This speech focused on the need for Cameroonians to stand together and work hard to improve the human rights situation in this country.
This was followed by a speech by Barrister Pende Nelson of Penn's Law Firm. He examined the history of human rights internationally and drew everyone's attention to the current situation in Cameroon . He effectively engaged the audience in participation. His suggestion that future meetings focus more on a discussion among all, rather than a speech by a few, was considered a good idea and GCI intends to implement this at future public meetings.
A short ‘Ice Breaker' exercise ‘Tangle' was conducted to demonstrate the importance of teamwork and communication, and to make everyone feel involved in the celebration. This was followed by a break when people were able to discuss the events so far and journalists were able to conduct interviews.
Next, two students from PHS delivered a speech on ‘Human Rights are not just for Adults'. They effectively drew on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UDHR to demonstrate their point. They also linked their speech to the film shown at the beginning of the event. Altogether this presentation was highly impressive. The representative from the Delegation of Secondary Education said a few words to congratulate and encourage the students in their human rights clubs.
The event ended with a second film showing, this time focusing on non-violent protest against Apartheid in South Africa . GCI staff answered some questions from the audience on this topic. Afterwards, guests were able to browse the books generously donated by the UN High Commission for Human Rights and everyone was given a book to take home with them.
Overall, GCI was please with the participation. The speeches by Barrister Dieuadonné and Barrister Pende were pertinent and engaging. The PHS presentation was impressive. Questions asked by the audience, particularly school students, revealed a true interest in human rights. GCI was pleased to note the attendance of a staff member from GTHS and students from the human rights club who intended to take the message back to their school. GCI also appreciated the support of the Delegation of Secondary Education.
Attendance by school groups could have been improved by reminding and following up with the schools more frequently in the run up to the event. Attendance by the public could be improved by greater advertising and more contact directly with the community prior to the event. Participation during the event could have been increased by opening up general discussions rather than presentations. Activities in smaller groups could also be included in the future.
The event has been deemed a success by GCI and this is largely due to the enthusiasm of participants, to whom we owe great thanks.
