James Hallowell

Peace-building - Sierra Leone (West Africa)

 

The ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone is officially over, but the end of the conflict has brought new challenges. The lack of resources to address problems of sustainable livelihoods and a high unemployment rate amongst young people is what James Hallowell deems a “social menace” which has caused “increased corruption” and a “skyrocketing rate of HIV / AIDS.”

As national Co-ordinator of PEACELINKS, a youth organisation aimed at empowering young people to make a positive difference in their communities, James has been involved with organising workshops nationally on peace building, human rights and community development. He has also been involved with The Youth Employment Campaign, launched to establish a culture of entrepreneurship where youth are encouraged to work toward self-employment.

James aims to use his own experience, combined with the skills and knowledge he will acquire through OIYP to “mobilise young people in communities, raise awareness on issues affecting them and develop strategies that will bring about actions to enhance desired change.”

 

Case Study: Songs for Peace

Sierra Leonehas faced over a decade of conflict and fighting. This has had a severe impact on the young people of the country, many of whom were forced to serve in the conflict. While the war officially ended in 2002, the ongoing affects continue to have a detrimental impact on the society, and the post-conflict reconstruction is slow and difficult.

James’ project aims to rehabilitate young people whose lives have been ravaged by war and poverty. He wants to develop awareness and broader support for issues facing young people in post-war Sierra Leone. He works in conjunction with the organization ‘Peacelinks’ in order to empower young people and equip them to make a positive difference in the community.

James chose to use music as a tool to help rehabilitate war-affected youth. He believes that music is a powerful tool for transformation. It is a means by which young people can express themselves. It is also a way to break down barriers and communicate with young people who have been traumatised. James decided to record a Peace/Human Rights Album where young war affected youth were able to share their experiences and the tragedy of a county affected by conflict. The lyrics of the songs, written by young people, cover a range of topics including peace and conflict, respecting human rights, children’s rights, and post-war development issues. Young people have been engaged in every stage of the process. The distribution of the album to different radio stations across the country and into other countries will spread the powerful message that is conveyed in the songs. The words can empower young people and help war affected youth to reintegrate into society.

One of the challenges James has faced has been getting the society to accept the type of work he is doing. In African society, young people are taught not to speak out, as only adults should do this. James is trying to give young people a voice, which goes against the practices of the society. Thus it is a process of educating adults to acknowledge the voices of the youth, as much as it is a process of enabling the youth to speak out. A number of workshops have been conducted on peace building, human rights and other post-war development issues. These enable people to develop good judgement and conflict management skills, and to help change the structure of the society.

While raising awareness about a particular issue is important, there needs to be a means by which people can implement the desired change. James realised it was not enough just to shift the minds of young people away from war and to take away their guns. There needed to be other opportunities and ways that the young people could keep occupied so that they would not return to fighting. Conducting a skills training program for war-effected youth is one strategy that can channel the abilities of young people into productive means and prevent them from being susceptible to being recruited for war. Young people are taught tailoring and dress-making skills, and are provided with the necessary equipment and materials, such as a sewing machine. This enables them to return to their communities and support themselves. Once they have started earning money they are able to pay for the sewing machine, and the money will go to fund further projects. This highlights the importance of ensuring a project is sustainable in order to maximise the ongoing impact it will have. A number of young people who have been ravaged by war have been able to rebuild their lives and become productive and responsible citizens through the assistance of these training programs.

James demonstrates how music can be used as a tool to re-direct the minds of young people from conflict to peace. His project provides young people with practical ways to focus their energy on positive causes, and to develop the necessary skills and ideas to move the society forward. 

 

"…for over a decade my country has been saddled by political conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead. A decade of war has damaged the country’s fragile economy and infrastructure, and we are only now trying to pick up the pieces.  

At a deeper level, the conflict has also left a deep sense of mistrust and division among its people. It has particularly had a severe impact on youth. Young people some as young as 5 years old were forced to serve on both sides of the conflict as child soldiers. It is these children and young people who have grown up knowing nothing but war who are the focus of my organization, Peacelinks."

"Through our educational programs many young people have traded the guns for the books and are now proud students or have graduated and are gainfully employed. By giving the country’s future leaders a shot at a decent life, our work is directly contributing to stabilizing the community and solidifying the country’s hard earned peace.

As an organization, we are now planning to expand the skills training program to benefit many more young people and hence replicate it in other parts of the country."

James Hallowell, Sierra Leone