ICRC News 29 / 30.07.97** SHORT MENU....
NIGERIA: RED CROSS THEATRE: With the final performance on 24 July of Askari, a tragicomedy by Ben Tomoloju, the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the ICRC regional delegation in Nigeria concluded a three-month-long campaign to promote tolerance through the theatre.
AFRICA: CHILDREN AND WAR: APPEAL FOR BETTER PROTECTION: A conference on children in situations of armed conflict in Africa, held in Addis Ababa from 24 to 26 July and attended by ministers, international organizations and NGOs, agreed unanimously to support a recommendation by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) condemning the recruitment of children under the age of 18 into armed forces or groups.
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NIGERIA RED CROSS THEATRE
With the final performance on 24 July of Askari, a tragicomedy by Ben Tomoloju, the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the ICRC regional delegation in Nigeria concluded a three-month-long campaign to promote tolerance through the theatre.
After its premihre in Lagos on 9 May, Askari toured 20 of Nigeria's 30 states. Travelling by train from one state capital to another, the cast gave a total of 30 performances to some 30,000 enthusiastic spectators who flocked to schools, open-air centres and regular theatres. Some performances of the play, which was given broad publicity in the media, drew an audience of up to 3,000 people.
In Nigeria, the theatre is a popular medium for promoting social dialogue and spreading new ideas. In the case of Askari, although the performances were open to everyone, the message was aimed mainly at young people.
The feedback from the public, including government officials who saw the play, has been extremely positive. Indeed, the military administrator of Delta State was so enthralled by the performance given in Asaba that he urged national television to broadcast the play. "Its message", he said, "should reach all Nigerians".
A videotape and a radio version of Askari, featuring some of Nigeria's most popular actors and actresses, have recently been completed. In addition, television and radio documentaries exploring the theatre's potential for mass communication are currently in the final stages of production.
Further information: Jacqueline Erb, ICRC Lagos, tel. ++234 1 269 00 82 / 269 18 81
AFRICA CHILDREN AND WAR: APPEAL FOR BETTER PROTECTION
A conference on children in situations of armed conflict in Africa, held in Addis Ababa from 24 to 26 July and attended by ministers, international organizations and NGOs, agreed unanimously to support a recommendation by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) condemning the recruitment of children under the age of 18 into armed forces or groups.
The conference, which was organized by the African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) in cooperation with the OAU, also appealed to all African governments to ratify the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and urged that a special committee be set up to follow up its decisions, working closely with the OAU's conflict resolution mechanism. In addition, it unanimously adopted a recommendation urging that a code of conduct for peace-keeping forces be drafted with a view to providing special protection and treatment for children, in accordance with the rules laid down in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
The ICRC mission to the OAU took part in the conference as an observer and gave a talk on the tracing of unaccompanied children and family reunification.
The participants also discussed a wide range of issues relating to displaced persons, the rights of children and child labour in armed conflicts, anti-personnel landmines and alternatives to refugee camps.
Further information: ICRC mission to the OAU, Addis Ababa, tel. ++251 151 83 66
For any information you may need on Friday 1 August (national holiday) or the weekend of 2-3 August 1997 please call Doris Pfister, duty press officer, on: 079 217 36 70 (mobile)