Agree to Differ

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That is the reason why CIPA has worked in favour of indig-

enous languages in several member countries of the OIF,

mainly in Africa. We would like to point out in particular the

publication, in local indigenous languages, of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights in French, Kikongo, Kiswahili,

Lingala and Tshiluba, on the initiative of a member of the

World Association for the School as an Instrument of Peace

(Switzerland). These versions, widely distributed in schools

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are being adapted to

oral expression and the encouraging experimentation of this

model inspires other countries to adopt them.

Readers of the current volume will be more interested in

the educational aspects developed by CIPA during its numer-

ous summer schools and training sessions with multi-ethnic

groups, which have been fully documented. This is mainly a

question of a teaching method originally associated with the

UNESCO Linguapax programme, the application of which

was highly recommended during an important symposium

in Mons in 1997, through creating a ‘Linguapax university

network’ of several dozens of higher education institutions.

As the name suggests, the aim of Linguapax is above all else

to bring a specific, linguistic response to problems raised in

the search for peace, the protection of human rights and the

promotion of a real education for democracy. In this perspec-

tive, the methodological terms and conditions are established

in order to achieve the following.

One aim is to create a general climate in favour of a dialogue

in a continual interaction between the teacher and the learner

on the one hand and between the learners themselves on the

other hand. This dialogue would be the best way to sharpen the

learners’ senses for listening and expressing themselves, and

therefore to prepare them for a true participation in democracy.

There is a need to develop a critical mind, involving a new

relationship between the teacher and the pupil (that is, avoid-

ing magisterial classes), and the promotion of discussion,

open debate, analysis, reflection and documentation (rather

than censorship).

A further aim is to enable a search for communicative situ-

ations consistent with the learner’s ‘inner self’. The interest

and the desire to defend one’s own point of view stimulate

communication, emphasizing the affective element – an

important stimulant to communication in methodology as

well as in the formulation or the choice of didactic equipment.

CIPA’s also aims to develop capacities for autonomy, creativ-

ity and the preparation of projects; to seize every intercultural

opportunity (such as an unexpected meeting or reaction or the

discovery of a stereotype) and to vary teaching resources (to

reinforce the intercultural environment) and work on up-to-

date documents and topics, always taking the reality of the

educational system in the countries concerned into account.

The goal is to turn school into a living centre, a collective tool

and a forum so it is not just a school, but an educational place.

Objectivizing discussions helps to address the risk of exces-

sive enthusiasm, admiration or rejection in order to avoid any

personal argument. Priority is given to play activities and those

corresponding to the needs expressed by the pupils. Finally,

the objective is to go beyond the stage of tolerance (the ‘right

to be different’) to stress the richness to be found in diversity.

Starting from these objectives, a whole range of educational

activities have been developed, including the use of oral litera-

ture, fairy tales and proverbs from the mother tongue in a

second language course (translation, comparison and so on).

Round-table conferences for argumentation have been held,

so pupils can learn negotiation techniques. Role-play might

entail enacting the resolution of a problem in a certain situa-

tion, or involve different reactions according to culture. This

pushes foreign learners to introduce themselves by highlight-

ing their culture’s specificity and encountered ‘peculiarities’.

Further activities include the comparison of games; critical

analysis of history pages from different textbooks; listening

Image: CIPA

A group of teachers at CIPA, invited by the Governor of Hainaut

gree

iffer