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Wise, which is a panel of eminent African personalities that

advise the African Union Peace and Security Council and the

Chairperson of the African Union on all issues pertaining

to the promotion and maintenance of peace and stability in

Africa, together with the Make Peace Happen programme, are

some African Union initiatives in this regard.

The African Union Commission, in collaboration with UN

Women, spearheaded the launching of the African Queens and

Women Cultural Leaders Network (AQWCLN). AQWCLN is

a voluntary non-profit network of queens and women cultural

leaders, united to foster African cultural solutions that build posi-

tive gender and cultural norms to accelerate the well-being of

women and girls by using our tremendous heritage to serve as

an important engine for socioeconomic development. AQWCLN

aims to build a strong network of queens, queen mothers,

princesses and other women cultural leaders that will act as a

meaningful and effective partner in enabling Africa to fulfil its

aspirations as a unified, peaceful and prosperous continent.

The culture for peace should also focus on the young people,

and especially on the children. Children are in most instances

the first victims of lack of peace. Their future is threatened by

the breakdown of normal social order which prevents them from

attending school or attaining adequate health care.

The African Union’s efforts towards the promotion of

African unity, integration and renaissance will not achieve

the intended results unless they are supported by a culture

of peace. It is also crucial that we work more zealously at

promoting intercultural communication and civic education

in schools, as a basis on which to build a culture of peace. The

fostering of peace must be recognized as a cultural imperative

in African member states, as we grapple with the challenges of

preventing, managing and resolving conflicts.

It is important to deepen intercultural dialogue, trust and

cooperation among the peoples of Africa in order to make

diversity an asset rather than a liability; and to take action to

improve relations across cultures, combat prejudice and foster

development and lasting peace in the African continent and

around the world.

Linguistic diversity

Africa’s rich linguistic diversity should enhance cultural

coexistence and development. It was through this recogni-

tion that the African Union established the African Academy

of Languages (ACALAN) whose mandate is to:

• promote African languages, cross-border languages and

vehicular cross-border languages

• strengthen cooperation between African Union member

states in the area of African languages

• promote African languages in all education

• analyse language policies in Africa

• encourage a scientific and democratic culture based on

the use of African languages

• support the use of African languages as factors of integration,

solidarity, respect of values and mutual understanding in

order to promote peace and prevent conflicts.

The African Union has also adopted its Languages Plan of

Action (1986), whose main objectives are to:

• encourage each and every member state to have a clearly

defined language policy

• ensure that all languages within the boundaries of

member states are recognized and accepted as a source of

mutual enrichment

• liberate the African peoples from undue reliance on the

utilization of non-indigenous languages as the dominant,

official languages of the state in favour of the gradual

take-over of appropriate and carefully selected indigenous

African languages in this domain

• encourage the increased use of African languages as

vehicles of instruction at all educational levels

• foster and promote national, regional and continental

linguistic unity in Africa, in the context of the

multilingualism prevailing in most African countries.

The language policy instruments are gradually being promoted,

implemented and used as guiding tools by the African Union

member states for the development of national instruments.

Africa is endowed with a rich and diverse cultural heritage: here, cultural troupes from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Algeria perform at the

inauguration of the new African Union building

Images: African Union

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