Legacies of Slavery in Niger 2: Mobilising Memory, Heritage, and Politics to End Abuse (LESLAN 2)

LESLAN 2以LESLAN 1的成就为基础，产生重大的政治、社会和文化影响。它支持尼日尔主要的反奴隶制非政府组织Timidria努力改善尼日尔共和国和撒哈拉-萨赫勒次区域奴隶后裔的境况。许多报告强调，在这一领域继续存在着基于血统的奴隶制、对以前被奴役的人及其后代的歧视，以及各种形式的性奴役（如瓦哈亚习俗），这些都是贩卖妇女和女孩的原因。这种情况具有复杂的原因和后果，LESLAN 1（该合作的第一阶段，于2018年10月至2020年1月进行）通过在尼日尔所有地区开展研究并收集受影响群体成员的约200份证词，为揭示这一情况做出了贡献。LESLAN 1也开始破坏持久的等级意识形态，这些意识形态使奴隶后代蒙受耻辱，并将拥有奴隶视为荣誉的象征。在称为LESLAN 2的第二阶段，研究和数据收集活动被强调早期发现的实施所取代，目的是对社会和政治产生深远和持久的影响。与研究有关的活动仅限于参与性分析和解释以前收集的证据，以便制定旨在减少基于血统的奴隶制及其遗留问题的战略和做法。LESLAN 2的目标和方法是由LESLAN 1的团队根据初步结果、意外发展以及与基层参与者的协商共同设计的。在LESLAN 2中，俄罗斯在所有活动的管理和执行方面发挥主导作用。借鉴第一期LESLAN的见解和最佳做法，它使有关政府机构、其他次区域非政府组织、艺术家和创意专业人员、受影响社区的代表以及广大公众参与一项旨在改变次区域与奴隶制有关的政策和做法的合作行动方案。活动包括与不同利益攸关方举行一系列重点会议，编写与西非废奴组织和奴隶制幸存者共同设计和撰写的面向用户、可公开获取的出版物，以及旨在争取公众支持反奴隶制立场和政策的艺术运动。通过协商、出版、宣传、公众参与和以艺术为基础的外联，LESLAN 2致力于阻止奴隶制，支持受害者，并保护那些最容易受到奴役的人。它继续促进对在尼日尔和该次区域的某些地区和情况下奴隶制及其遗留问题的恢复负有责任的等级制度意识形态的转变。它涉及与受影响群体的基层社区密切合作，特别是女性幸存者，她们希望分享自己过去的经历，让人们听到她们的声音，而不是作为受害者，而是作为变革的推动者。它通过每周“自由艺术家”广播节目、一系列“自由音乐”巡回演唱会、为非洲奴隶制主题的作品设立艺术奖，以及面向不同国家和国际公众的新闻和媒体宣传活动，来争取公众的支持。

LESLAN 2 builds on LESLAN 1's achievements to deliver significant political, social and cultural impacts. It supports Timidria, Niger's main anti-slavery NGO, in its efforts to improve the circumstances of persons of slave descent in the Republic of Niger and the Sahara-Sahel sub-region. Numerous reports highlight the continuing existence in this area of descent-based slavery, discrimination against formerly enslaved persons and their descendants, and forms of sexual slavery (such as the wahaya practice) that account for ongoing trafficking in women and girls. This situation has complex causes and consequences, which LESLAN 1 (the first stage of this collaboration, which took place from October 2018 to January 2020) contributed to unveil by conducting research in all of Niger's regions and collecting about 200 testimonies by members of affected groups. LESLAN 1 also started to undermine enduring hierarchical ideologies that stigmatise slave descendants and consider slave ownership a sign of honour. In this second stage, called LESLAN 2, research and data-collection activities are replaced by emphasis on the operationalisation of earlier findings with the aim of achieving a profound and lasting impact on society and politics. Research-related activities are limited to the participatory analysis and interpretation of previously collected evidence for the purpose of developing strategies and practices aimed at reducing descent-based slavery and its legacies. The objectives and methods of LESLAN 2 have been co-designed by the team of LESLAN 1 on the basis of initial results, unexpected developments, and consultation with grassroots participants. In LESLAN 2 Timidria plays a leading role in the management and implementation of all activities. Drawing from insights and best practices learned in LESLAN 1, it engages relevant governmental institutions, other sub-regional NGOs, artists and creative professionals, representatives of affected communities, and the wider public in a programme of collaborative action aimed at changing slavery-related policy and practice in the sub-region. Activities include a series of focused meetings with different stakeholders, the development of user-oriented, openly accessible publications co-designed and co-authored with West African abolitionist organisations and survivors of slavery, and an art-based campaign aimed at gaining public support for anti-slavery stances and policies. Through consultations, publications, advocacy, public engagement and art-based outreach LESLAN 2 contributes to hampering slavery, supporting victims, and protecting those most vulnerable to enslavement. It continues to promote the transformation of ideologies of hierarchy responsible for the resilience of slavery and its legacies in certain regions and contexts of Niger and the sub-region. It involves a close collaboration with grassroots communities of affected groups, especially female survivors who wish to share their past experience and make their voices heard not as victims, but as drivers of change. It musters public support through an 'Artists for Freedom' weekly radio programme, a series of 'Music for Freedom' concert tours, an art prize for works on the theme of slavery in Africa, and news and media information campaigns reaching out to a diverse national and international public.