Guinea Responds to Women’s Caravan With Hope

BEFORE, in partnership with the Guinea Ministry for the National Promotion of Solidarity for Women and Children and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), launched the Guinea Caravan of Reconciliation, National Unity and Peace to foster a climate of social and political peace among women in the lead up to the country’s first multi-party presidential elections on June 27, 2010.

On Friday, June 11th, Prime Minister Jean Marié Doré chaired the official start of the Women’s Caravan at the People’s Palace in Conakry. Prime Minister Doré encouraged attendees to work through their country’s history, ”Peace is first a state of mind [we need to] achieve with each other because our country has experienced so many unfortunate, and sometimes complicated, events that it makes one wonder if it’s possible to firmly establish democracy in Guinea if our efforts are not profoundly executed and Guineans do not discuss and move beyond their contradictions, their differences and their origins.”

Also at the opening ceremony, Ms. Namfadima Magassouba, Minister of the National Promotion for Solidarity of Women and Children, acknowledged the interim President of Guinea, General Sékouba Konaté, for his courage and willingness to see through this democratic and peaceful governmental transition.

The Women’s Caravan inspired many Guineans to look at, identify and address national and individual challenges and to promote democracy and development. RPG (the Gathering of the People of Guinea) reported that most of the analysts they interviewed felt that the Women’s Caravans could actually influence the nationwide dynamic among women, which is particularly tense after the brutal September 28th events in which more than 157 civilians were killed and scores of women were raped and beaten in broad daylight by soldiers, during this particularly sensitive time on the eve of the presidential elections.

Prime Minister Doré concluded by saying that ”Guinea is standing to speak for itself, to look forward courageously, repudiating its penchant for bad, and to move courageously towards its own development.”

Prominent members of Guinean national leadership in attendance included former Prime Minister Ahmed Tidjane Souaré, Minister of Microfinance for Youth Women Dr. Mariam Béavogui, and Minister of Tourism and Hotels Mrs. Mariam Sy Diallo.

To read the Guinean national media outlets coverage of the launch of the event, click on the following links below:

• Kababachir coverage in French, or the automatically translated English version
• RPG Guinée coverage in French, or the automatically translated English version
• Guinée Live coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Guinée Nouvelle coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Boubah coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Aminata coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• AfricaLog coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version

To help support the people of Guinea in their bid for peace, join BEFORE and take action today.