Peacebuilding and Sustainable Development in Africa Through Workshops for Young People

Scientific studies show high correlations between the level of education and the level of peaceful development and democratization of societies. This is especially confirmed for the African context. Nevertheless, not every educational initiative automatically contributes to greater peace and democracy, since authoritarian education, as is still practised in many African countries, can also cement existing social hierarchical and oppressive structures. Civic and ethical education for more peace, democracy, and sustainability is seen as a way of empowering young people for a self-determined life in society, as it is offered by the “Academie Bilimon”. This approach is based on the methodology of Paolo Freire. In a transnational project, the training materials of the workshops of the “Academie Bilimon”, are being written down/compiled, after having previously been passed on from workshop to workshop orally, without written teaching materials, such as a method manual. This gap is now filled with an elaborate method manual for youth education by students from Togo and Germany. These method manuals focus on identity, responsible sexuality, career development, social engagement, interculturality, democracy education, and education for sustainable development. In Freire’s spirit of equal cooperation between teachers and learners, hierarchies are broken down and peers are used as “educational ambassadors”. The teaching materials are already available in German and were translated and made available online free of charge in French, English, Swahili, Haussa, Ewe, and Kabiyè.