Intercultural cooperation in crisis areas: Multiple identities and common commitment

Within the framework of the Civil Service for Peace, people from different cultures work together to build peace, whether in conflict prevention, transformation or stabilization for a lasting peace. This multi-culturality is perceived as an opportunity insofar as it allows an apprenticeship of the experiences of each other, having demonstrated elsewhere contents and methods.

Intercultural work is littered with cultural prejudices and shocks. The second booklet of the Building Peace series addresses the issue from our different identities and from our common commitments within the framework of the work of cooperation for more peace.

Multiculturalism can be reduced to a shock between two cultures: that of the persons sent abroad and that of the people of the host country. Without too much attention, we think of Africa as implicitly cultures between « Blacks » and « Whites ». Without speaking of them because these things are taboos, we reduce the other in our perception to a more or less caricatured identity. Our prejudices can guide our behavior and that of others without even being aware of it. Now, in our globalized world, reality is much more complex.

We therefore offer in this brochure elements and illustrations of our work for:

Recognizing and valuing the identities of each Detecting and confronting the stereotypes and prejudices that influence us Developing on the basis of our diverse cultures and identities elements of a common culture of peace and future.

Our conviction is that the quality of collaboration influences the performance of the organization in its work of building peace.

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