Black History Month 2020: CAWR’S Community Conversations present Innocent Musore
As part of our People’s Knowledge Black History Month 2020, we shine a light on some of the most important community-led work carried out in Black communities to tackle inequality, injustice and bring about change. Community Conversations draws attention to how community-led organisations are actively involved in highlighting and developing responses to a range of social issues. Further details below the video… // … Black History Month Community Conversations present Innocent Musore, CEO, Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER):
Global Initiative for Environment and Reconciliation (GER) is a non-governmental organization who aim is to contribute to peace, the reconciliation process and improving environmental conditions in Rwanda and the Great Lakes. GER was set up to support the existing reconciliation process, community recovery and prevention of violence.
Their work includes facilitating interactions with communities, local leaders, religious leaders and young people to address the existing effects of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. GER sees their work is an opportunity to connect what they do to the environment, which they see as a driving factor of peacebuilding, healing the past and improving people’s livelihood. A key focus is to empower the next generation in becoming the agents of change in their respective communities.
The interviewer, Dr. Geraldine Brown, is Assistant Professor in the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) at Coventry University. A focus of her research is community engagement and community action, this has involved working with a range of third sector organisation and the groups they support. In these conversations, Geraldine speaks to representatives from community organisations based in the West Midlands and an NGO based in Rwanda about their work in their local communities; what motivated their involvement and what the focus of their work is. She also asks them to share successes, challenges and how people can get involved.
What is Black History Month and why is it important? The BBC writes:
“..Why is Black History Month important?
Black history month was first launched in London in the 1980s, where the aim was for the local community to challenge racism and educate themselves and others about the British history that was not taught in schools.
Black people have been in Britain for a lot longer than previously thought – One of the oldest skeletons ever found was that of the Cheddar Man who had dark skin.
Archaeologists, the people who study human history through digging up sites looking at bones and ancient objects, think that he was alive during the stone age…”