USAID/OTI Sudan Hot Topics November 2006
Broadcasting oral summaries of the DPA in three local languages
The overarching goal of the USAID/OTI Sudan program is to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political marginalization, violence, and instability that has consumed the country for nearly 50 years.
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| USAID/OTI funded oral summaries of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) to increase accessibility to the agreement and to garner popular support for its contents. |
The overarching goal of the USAID/OTI Sudan program is to strengthen Sudanese confidence and capacity to address the causes and consequences of political marginalization, violence, and instability that has consumed the country for nearly 50 years.
Working within the context of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the OTI Sudan program focuses on promoting the emergence of responsive and effective civil authorities; peaceful dialogue within and among communities; fostering the emergence of an active civil society; increasing the availability of independent information; and protecting vulnerable populations from grave human rights violations and related abuses.
Though the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed in May 2006, it remains largely inaccessible to the larger Darfurian population. The agreement has official Arabic and English translations, however, most Darfurians speak neither Arabic nor English, being more culturally tied to their local languages. Past experience has shown that local groups are more likely to identify with such political arrangements if they are available to them in their vernacular.
To assist in increasing access to reliable information about the DPA, OTI produced audio summary translations of the agreement in three of the seven main local languages-Zaghawa, Fur and Masalit. The five-page summaries and translations were funded by OTI in collaboration with a local consulting group, and then independently verified to ensure accuracy and validity. The summaries have been aired on state radio in Nyala, South Darfur.
OTI also funded the production of 6,000 audio cassettes containing the summaries - 3,000 in Zaghawa, 1,800 in Fur and 1,200 in Masalit - for wide distribution throughout Darfur. Audio tapes are considered a highly effective medium for disseminating messages. This component of the DPA information campaign includes a partnership with a UK media consultancy that has taken the lead in the donor community on DPA dissemination.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: : Michele Amatangelo, Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-4275, mamatangel@usaid.gov
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