Promoting peace through sport: youth football tournament held in Guinea-Bissau

April 2008 - The Voz di Paz (Voice of Peace) programme in Guinea-Bissau organized an 8-day football tournament in April for youths living along the tension ridden border between Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The tournament, held in the Bissau-Guinean region of Oi/Djalincunda/ Farim included teams from both sides of the border to promote peace.

The Voz di Paz / Voice of Peace programme is implemented by Interpeace and the National Institute of Studies and Research (INEP). The tournament was organized by one of the 10 regional forums that the Voz di Paz programme has created across the country. These regional forums provide a standing ‘platform’ for debate and conflict resolution at the local level, and a conduit between the local and national level. They actively engage the local authorities and connect with the local populations through the many community radios that exist in the country.

The Voz di Paz football tournament. Photo Credit: Voz di Paz/Interpeace

The overall goal of the Voz di Paz programme is to help build the capacity of local people to solve their own problems and promote social stability during the country’s post-conflict transition. The programme was officially launched in July 2007.