ISSUE 38: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2005

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A tale of two conflicts and how communities cope

Two very different conflicts and how communities deal with their aftermath will be the focus of a workshop on Building Community or Building Peace, organised by the Local International Learning Project of International Conflict Research (INCORE) in Derry/Londonderry September 15.

Antoine Rutayisire

The event will feature presentations by Antoine Rutayisire, Vice Chair of Rwanda's National Commission for Unity and Reconciliation, and Duncan Morrow, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.

The Local International Learning Project aims to develop innovative and coordinated policy and practice to address the causes and consequences of conflict in Northern Ireland and other countries.

LILP project coordinator Helen Lewis said that there were vast differences between the conflicts in Rwanda and Northern Ireland.

"Rwanda endured a far higher number of casualties in a shorter time frame while in Northern Ireland we dealt with a lower-level war of attrition and reprisal," she said. 

"However, both places are dealing with the fallout from violence. At local and community level, people in both Northern Ireland and Rwanda are developing ways to offset the legacies of mistrust and division. We hope that this event will see a mutual enhancement of thinking and methods to build peace and communities in post-conflict societies."

This workshop, which is being organised in partnership with the CRESCO Trust, a local community development organisation, is part of a series of events focusing on key issues in post-conflict civil society such as funding, sustainability, the politics of community development and managing risk.

The event will be financed by the European Social Fund through the Equal Community Initiative and the Northern Ireland Department for Education and Learning.

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