Sixteen Global Peace Ambassadors will be leading a Peace March and Concert through the principal streets of Tamale on Thursday 29th September 2016, to campaign for peaceful elections, before, during and after the general elections in December. The Global Peace Ambassadors (GPA) believe that peace begins with the individual; peace is a collective effort.
Peace is development and peace is priceless.
The march according to its organizers will take off at the Jubilee Park at about 8:00 a.m. About 500 participants from diverse backgrounds will be participating in this event. There would be representatives of youth groups, political parties, students, traditional leaders, religious leaders, persons with disabilities and the general public. They would go from the Jubilee Park through the principal streets of Tamale with peace messages on placards amidst music and dancing.
Participants would finally congregate back again at the Jubilee Park for the Peace Concert. Key personalities including the regional minister, the regional director of the NCCE and the Global Peace Ambassadors are expected to present some peace messages and later lead in a Peace Declaration. A renowned musician, Ahmed Adam (Mr. Razak) together with his troupe will be treating the audience to some exciting musical performances.
Election violence
The Peace March and Concert is the climax of an eight week long campaign for peaceful elections led by Global Platform Ghana in collaboration with the Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID) since 15th August. Global Platform (GP) Ghana is ActionAid’s training hub for empowerment and activism. They provide training and capacity development for organizations and youth who wish to take positive action in their societies. The campaign course combined academic disciplines such as communication, media studies, political science and globalization with best practices from ActionAid’s vast experience on public campaigning and learning by doing. The main achievements of the campaign so far have been; capacity building of 50 first time voters and 50 adults in the voting process and voters’ rights
A survey on motivating factors, effects and early warning signs of youth-led violence showed that poverty, youth unemployment, weak security, lack of proper parenting and self- discipline, and manipulation or coercion by politicians, are the main motivating factors for youth-led election violence in Tamale.