L'Amade
Monaco, July 23, 2018
Young Central African refugees who benefited from the AMADE programme "Capoeira for Peace" in the DRC now teach Capoeira to reconnect Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic
Five young Central African refugees benefiting from the "Capoeira for Peace" programme, which was initiated by AMADE in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are teaching Capoeira in their country of origin to reconnect Christians and Muslims, according to France tv info.
The group of “capoeiristas” wants to spread the values of peace and tolerance to the children of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, where there are constant clashes between Christians and Muslims. According to France tv info, about 300 children in the capital have been practicing the martial art.
The "Capoeira for Peace" programme, initiated in 2014 in the DRC in partnership with the Embassy of Brazil in the DRC, UNICEF, MONUSCO, the Capoeira Congo association and the Viva Rio Foundation, aimed to contribute to the disarmament and reintegration of child soldiers in the DRC, more particularly in the North Kivu region, by integrating the practice of capoeira with other activities in the reception facilities for demobilized children. Today, more than 3,000 children have benefited from this pilot project.
Capoeira is indeed a sport where there are no winners or losers. It is an inclusive practice with values of peace and tolerance. This practice, combining both the sport and psychosocial approach, plays an important role in promoting inclusion, equality, and citizenship for those kids who have only experienced violence.
The expertise acquired around this pilot project will enable AMADE to extend the dissemination of capoeira as a vector of accompaniment to social and psychosocial reintegration for other vulnerable children, namely: child witches, street children, or even girls who were victims of sexual violence.
Click here to listen to the news on France tv info.