Social networking through the local régies in Algiers, Oran and Constantine
A simple and strong symbolic idiom: Takatouf el Hadarri. That’s the name given to the Algerian régies de quartier created between 2005 and 2006. Based on the French model of cooperation between inhabitants, local authorities and social partners, they intervene in the management of a particular territory. The collective management is both technical (cleaning, renovation, embellishment…) and social (create social links, mutual aid, citizenship…), and is overseen by and for the inhabitants of those areas.

The first Congolese social forum, a hope for a new social plan
Renewing the Congolese social pact through an independent and participative social survey. That was the objective of the Congolese social forum (CSF) which took place last June from the 24th to the 28th in Kinshasa. According to Martin Lofete Nkake, vice-President of the Congolese trade union confederation and member of the CSF council, this forum “was seen as a dynamic so that in the future Congolese people can have better living and working conditions.” The conception of the forum comes from the need underlined during the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre in January 2003 to create at a national level a similar democratic exchange leading to the building of a fairer society with tighter social networks. This first CSF had the ambition to spread a new political consciousness in favour of the development of a realistic social plan.

A theatre forum performs for kids, and speaks to adults
Education for all has a generational dimension. After encouraging an educational program in primary and secondary schools, the Rwandese organisation Umusuke started to get parents and local authorities involved. This new program named Les Sentiers des droits de l’enfant (Paths for Children’s Rights) started at the beginning of 2007. It aims at discussing educational and participatory matters with parents, through theatre forums. The main purpose is to instil values of sharing, equality and intergenerational dialogue, while taking into account the opinions of the people concerned.

The Fedesi wants to forget the war and carry on its fight for popular economy
The fight against poverty in Ivory Coast through the consolidation of the informal sector remains the main ambition of the Fedesi. This year, the Fedesi and Frères des Hommes joined together to set up the Project for the Support and Reinforcement of Initiatives in the Informal Sector. It aims at improving the socio-economic conditions of the population, which has limited resources after a five year conflict. The informal sector could be described as all the small, highly local economic activities, which are not officially recognized. It accounted for 22% of the national budget before the September 2002 political and military crisis, but it is hardly considered in the 2001-2010 national plan for the development of employment. Even worse, while it could constitute a real opportunity for the prosperity and stability of the national economy, the informal sector is often accused of destroying it.

A Newsletter to Promote Social Movements
Its name gives its position away: Workers World News (WWN). Combining a critical analysis of the news with a summary of recent social science findings is the foundational purpose of this newsletter. WWN informs, connects, and gives voice to unions and social movements principally in Africa, but on other continents as well. This newsletter was founded in the late 1980s by Ilrig, an NGO specializing in public education that wanted to start a quarterly publication.

In the Bio’Top Parade, Garbage Becomes Fashion
Two years ago, Dasha Nicoue, decided to challenge herself to design environmentally friendly fashion. This 34-year-old Senegalese designer organized the second Bio’Top in May 2007 in Dakar, with the idea of publicizing the original concept of “eco-fashion.” Aimed at promoting environmental awareness through fashion, this event was specifically dedicated to the fight against plastic waste. “We have it everywhere. Packaging, bottles, wrappers…plastic is invading. In Senegal, five million plastic bags are thrown away each day, and they will take at least 400 years to decompose,” says the outraged designer. In 2005, the first parade aimed at fighting for the protection of Lake Retba, better known as Lake Rose, situated a few kilometers away from Dakar and popular with tourists.

Jose Bau Diyabanza, leader of the Congolese Théâtr’action
In the Congo, in 1989, Jose Bau Diyabanza founded an NGO theatre troupe, which specializes in community education by giving free performances (relating to health, the environment, and human rights) in small villages.