Abidjan, the seat of government and main city of Ivory Coast will be the venue of a new conjunction of the West African Humanist Forum.
The conclave will be held on December 1, 2024, under the theme “The West Africa we want,” coinciding with the arrival of the itinerant team of the 3rd World March for Peace and Nonviolence in the country.
This will be the eighth edition of the Humanist Forum in the western region of the African continent, which took place for the first time in 2010, precisely in the Ivorian capital. Subsequently, the meetings were held successively in Mali (2011), Togo (2012), Conakry (2013), again in Abidjan (2014), Ghana (2016) and Benin (2018).
On this occasion, the meeting is of special importance, not only because of the convergence with the purpose of Peace and Nonviolence that the members of the traveling team symbolically carry around the planet with the support of hundreds of organizations, but also because this Forum represents a renewed milestone in the process of the World Humanist Forum.
In its current format, the World Humanist Forum, after the realization of numerous regional, sub-regional, national, local and thematic events, retakes the founding premises of becoming an instrument of action, debate and permanent exchange on the fundamental issues of today’s world, promoting the active inclusion of the different regions and cultures of the planet within it.
In the same vein, and following up on a recent virtual meeting held on November 2, a new meeting is scheduled for December 7. It is expected to have at this meeting representatives of the different thematic tables of the World Humanist Forum from Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa and Europe, in order to know the current state of their development and possible activities to be implemented in each region.
Central themes and program of the VIII West African Humanist Forum
Making the human being a value and a central concern is one of the purposes that guide the realization of the Forum. In this context, respect for human rights and the fight against all forms of violence and discrimination are fundamental principles to be observed.
Likewise, defending freedom of expression for all citizens, finding solutions for the decent employment of young people, the fight against terrorism and the promotion of well-being and the integral improvement of the situation of the population are declared objectives of this VIII West African Humanist Forum.
After the welcome by the organizing team and the words of the mayor of the commune of Cocody, there will be speeches by the national coordinator of the Forum, Kouadio Vanschooris Fortune and the delegates present from Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.
Mrs. Kady Soukule will officially open the 8th West African Humanist Forum.
This will be followed by a presentation of the Humanist Movement and its member organizations by the President of the Humanist Center of Cultures, Siril Issa, followed by an intervention by a local representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The first panel discussion will focus on the themes of Health and Ecology under the title “What are the principles of ecological agriculture to safeguard our ecosystem”, coordinated by Gligbe Kokou Kekeli, member of Ferme Agroecologie APEPDJ, Togo.
Then, in the thematic area of Education and Expression, specialists and activists will speak about the various obstacles to the development of education in West Africa.
In a plenary session dedicated to the Culture of Nonviolence, moderated by Elisabelt Kpetibo of World Without Wars and Nonviolence Togo, there will be a discussion on how to promote social movements and daily actions that encourage nonviolence.
Under the axis Peace and Sustainable Agriculture, a new panel will address the diagnosis, challenges and prospects for food security in West Africa, touching as important sub-themes the possible ways to generate income for women in the region and how to ensure the quality of life in the face of new prospects. The presentations will be coordinated by Olivier Deye, President of R2ASAO, Côte d’Ivoire and Medemgble Kadjo Agbeko, Togo.
A topical debate will then focus on the question of how to prevent and resolve conflicts in Africa, moderated by Anagba Francis-Hugues Kouakou of the Youth Movement for Peace in Côte d’Ivoire.
The thematic roundtables will end with a new panel on the role of Africa in world geopolitics, which will be chaired by Kondo Koffi Nayote, from Togo.
There will also be space for workshops, followed by a plenary summary session.
The important day of exchange between African humanists and related organizations will close with a cultural event and a ceremony in which the conclusions and future joint actions to be undertaken will be announced with a clear horizon: the humanization of Africa and the whole world.