african academy for non-violent activism

We’ll kick your ass. Peacefully

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.

Martin Luther King, Jr.  Those who make peaceful revolution

impossible will make violent revolution inevitable

JFK

"Those who profess to favor freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.“

Frederick Douglass, African-American abolitionist

Promoting non-violent change Targeting existing activists -civil

society leaders veterans in their fights Transferring valuable knowledge to

where it is needed most increasing effectiveness of non-violent

struggles Creating the first in-Africa school for

non-violent resistance

1. Theory of non-violent change2. Historical Lessons3. Field actions4. Communication5. E-activism

Thoreau, Saul Alinsky, MK Gandhi, M.L.King etc.

Orange revolutions, Jasmine revolutions Iran Arab spring revolutions etc.

Effective demonstration techniques – marches, rallies, sit-ins, picketing, blockades etc.

Police violence, Demonstrations and the law, Police interrogations Handling court procedure.

Maximizing use of media Communicating your message Controlling the framing of the issue Deflecting smear campaign Artivism

Use of social media WWW Email communication Twitter Blogging Text messaging

The African Academy of None-violent Activism (AANA) aims to be based in an African country

The long term goal is to build legitimacy to a new concept - civil disobedience in-country school.

As it is, African regimes are not likely to allow this, and the international community will not likely stand behind the concept.

But this can change, riding the wave of growing acceptance to none-violent resistance.

Physical school Training large groups of selected

activists Two weeks program First stage – “train the trainers” -

using external experts to build local capacity for the African academy.

The Academy’s content is not illegal Teaching in the Academy is not illegal No reproach is expected by

government (arrests, legal action)

School can be closed down by government

Short term backup to the physical version

Online real-time courses, with trainers answering questions, passing exams etc.

By Webminar software Participation is controlled Trainers can be outside of Africa Participants are protected

Locating volunteer trainers to build lesson plans for the program

Able to dedicate their time to teach parts of the program in front of the computer.

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