权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

Voices from 'Ground Zero': Interrogating History, Culture and Identity in the Resolution of Cameroon's 'Anglophone' Conflict

来自“归零地”的声音：在解决喀麦隆“英语国家”冲突中审视历史、文化和身份

基本信息

批准号：
AH/V005324/1
负责人：
Gordon Crawford
金额：
$ 17.16万
依托单位：
Coventry University
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2020 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FV005324%2F1
关键词：
Voices Ground Zero Interrogating History

项目摘要

This research seeks to contribute to peaceful resolution of the current 'Anglophone conflict' in Cameroon. The so-called 'Anglophone crisis' in bi-lingual Cameroon is an internationally neglected conflict between government security forces and armed separatist groups calling for an independent state in the two Anglophone regions of South-West and North-West Cameroon. What started in October 2016 with peaceful protests led by 'lawyers in wigs and teachers in suits' to protect the English legal and education systems against francophone assimilation, subsequently degenerated into a civil war as separatist groups emerged in 2017 following government repression of the mass protests. However it is the civilian population in the Anglophone regions that has borne the brunt of the conflict, with almost daily local reports of violence and atrocities, yet which oft remain hidden from general awareness and scrutiny. Reports indicate over 12,000 people killed, 750,000 displaced, and hundreds of villages destroyed. Moreover, 700,000 children are out of school, with 80% of schools closed. A June 2019 human rights report documents killings, rape, kidnappings, torture and unlawful imprisonment. There is an urgent need for ending the violence and resolving the conflict, and this research is oriented to that objective.It does so innovatively by giving voice to those civilians most affected by the conflict, namely internally displaced persons forced to flee their homes and those who remain in the conflict zones, known locally as 'ground zero'. This is important as such voices have hitherto been completely ignored and excluded from any official dialogue. Through participatory arts-based methods such as collage-making, the research will document and report on their diverse experiences and perspectives, highlighting in particular those of women and young people. The current conflict has a long history, with its roots embedded in the colonial period as well as in post-independence events. The research thus includes a historical dimension to facilitate full understanding of the historical context and to draw lessons that can help provide solutions to the conflict. In addition, language, culture and identity are central to the conflict, notably the alienation of 'anglophone Cameroonians' as a distinct linguistic and cultural group, leading to the initial peaceful protests in 2016. Therefore the research uses sociolinguistic analysis to understand the cultural, identity and linguistic elements of the conflict, and explores linguistic strategies to help resolve the conflict.At the time of writing, official dialogue aimed at conflict resolution had failed. The government's 'Major National Dialogue' in October 2019 was criticised for excluding key actors, not only separatist groups but also peaceful civil society groups, and the war intensified following the failed dialogue. Calls for more 'inclusive dialogue' have come from Catholic bishops and the Swiss government, offering to mediate peace talks. However, such external calls remain top-down and elite-driven and continue to exclude those civilians most affected by the conflict. There is an urgent need for the views of Anglophone civilians on conflict resolution to be heard locally, nationally and internationally. This research aims to enable that through its outputs, while simultaneously addressing the historical, linguistic and cultural dimensions of the conflict. The project collaborates with key humanitarian NGOs that operate at 'ground zero' and who provide a further conduit by which the voices within affected communities can be expressed to the wider world. The research project thus includes a capacity building element aimed at strengthening the network of civil society organisations working for peace in Cameroon, and at enhancing their ability to bring the voices of most-affected people into the public domain and to influence future dialogue for peace.

本研究旨在为和平解决喀麦隆目前的“英语国家冲突”做出贡献。双语喀麦隆所谓的“英语危机”是一场被国际社会忽视的冲突，冲突发生在政府安全部队和武装分裂组织之间，这些组织呼吁在喀麦隆西南部和西北部两个英语地区建立独立国家。2016年10月，由“戴假发的律师和穿西装的教师”领导的和平抗议活动开始，以保护英国的法律和教育系统不受法语同化，随后在政府镇压大规模抗议活动后，分裂主义团体于2017年出现，演变为内战。然而，在冲突中首当其冲的是英语地区的平民，几乎每天都有关于当地暴力和暴行的报道，但这些报道往往不为公众所知和审查。报告显示，超过1.2万人死亡，75万人流离失所，数百个村庄被毁。此外，70万儿童失学，80%的学校关闭。2019年6月的一份人权报告记录了杀戮、强奸、绑架、酷刑和非法监禁。目前迫切需要结束暴力和解决冲突，本研究就是为了实现这一目标。它通过让受冲突影响最严重的平民，即被迫逃离家园的国内流离失所者和留在冲突地区的人（在当地被称为“归零地”）发表意见，以创新的方式做到了这一点。这一点很重要，因为这些声音迄今完全被忽视，被排除在任何官方对话之外。通过拼贴制作等参与性艺术方法，研究将记录和报告他们的不同经历和观点，特别是妇女和年轻人的经历和观点。当前的冲突有着悠久的历史，其根源可以追溯到殖民时期以及独立后的事件。因此，这项研究包括一个历史维度，以促进对历史背景的充分理解，并吸取有助于解决冲突的教训。此外，语言、文化和身份是冲突的核心，特别是“喀麦隆英语族”作为一个独特的语言和文化群体的异化，导致了2016年最初的和平抗议活动。因此，本研究运用社会语言学分析来了解冲突的文化、身份和语言因素，并探讨有助于解决冲突的语言策略。在编写本报告时，旨在解决冲突的官方对话已告失败。政府于2019年10月举行的“重大全国对话”被批评排除了关键行为者，不仅包括分离主义团体，还包括和平的民间社会团体，在对话失败后，战争加剧了。天主教主教和瑞士政府呼吁进行更多“包容性对话”，并提出调解和平谈判。然而，这种外部呼吁仍然是自上而下和精英驱动的，并继续将受冲突影响最大的平民排除在外。迫切需要在地方、国家和国际上听到讲英语的平民对解决冲突的意见。这项研究旨在通过其产出实现这一点，同时解决冲突的历史、语言和文化层面。该项目与主要的人道主义非政府组织合作，这些非政府组织在“归零地”开展工作，为受影响社区的声音向更广泛的世界表达提供了进一步的渠道。因此，该研究项目包括一项能力建设内容，旨在加强为喀麦隆和平而努力的民间社会组织网络，提高它们将受影响最严重的人的声音带入公共领域并影响未来和平对话的能力。