Dialogue & Peace Education in Rakhine (Myanmar) - Save the local team!

Almost 1 year after the military coup in Myanmar, the military is still using severe violence to silence opposition. Differently than in other parts of the country, the situation in Rakhine State had remained relatively stable after the coup. Since late 2020 the civil war fighting rebel Arakan Army and the Myanmar military had adhered to an informal cease-fire. Now, recent skirmishes between the opponents raise concern about the stability. It is unlikely, as analysts point out, that the conflict will be solved peacefully.

The escalation in fighting elsewhere in the country might buy Rakhine some time. Nevertheless, the crack-down will have severe consequences for civil society actors and peace activists. They are in danger of persecution. International support to the region is utterly difficult to deliver. At the same time, solidarity and mutual support between diverse communities in Rakhine state is becoming even more important. 

Since 2017, Culture for Peace has built a team of committed young dialogue activists from Rakhine (Buddhist) and Rohingya (Muslim) communities. Together with our partner PDI- Kintha, we have developed a unique storytelling dialogue method (Training Manual). It enables people from the communities to develop trust and mutual understanding, while discussing conflict experiences and learning basics of conflict resolution and mediation. 

The dialogue facilitators work together in one team, which is one of the unique features of our work. The team has been trained intensely and has built trustful relationships with each other. They are highly appreciated in their communities and ready to continue the work. Unfortunately, the future of the dialogue is unsettled. It is very likely that we will have to bridge a funding gap. Now we fear that our team will fall apart because we cannot pay their salaries. 

Even in the outmost challenging current situation on the ground, our team could continue with the work, for example conducting dialogue meetings, hosting biographical interviews, producing podcasts and dialogue videos and advocate for mutual understanding between communities in conflict on social media. They can use their skills to monitor the situation on the ground in Rakhine in a conflict sensitive way. 

To sustain our team in Rakhine for one month (minimal value), we will need 1500- Euro, i.e. 150,- Euro each staff member (part-time positions).

Culture for Peace works with local grass-roots partners in Myanmar (Rakhine State) since 2017. Culture for Peace staff has extensive experience in human rights work / protection of human rights defenders.