Recently, Flow Public Relations was appointed to help persuade various media to be a conduit for African Shared Values public dialogues, a set of common principles and beliefs that the African Union Commission is promoting as one means of peaceful integration of the continent.
The Department of Political Affairs of the African Union (AU) has been engaging ordinary citizens across Africa through various media platforms in raising their voices, thinking, and to collectively generate community-based interest in implementing shared values.
Early in 2012, the German government’s Development Co-operation Agency commissioned the Communication for Social Change Consortium to develop a Year of Shared Values communication strategy for the AU’s Department of Political Affairs.
A key component of the African Union Shared Values plan is a series of public dialogues called African Shared Values Conversations, which are being held in various African countries this year. Conversations have already taken place in Tunisia, Ethiopia, Gambia and Mozambique, and more are still to take place later this year in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Working with the African Union Shared Values was a great opportunity to learn about African issues. There’s a tendency to see South Africa as the long-lost province of Europe, and what we South Africans don’t realise is that we have a lot in common with the rest of Africa,” says Flow PR CEO Shoni Makhari.
The African Union believes that these conversations are an essential step in demonstrating to elected and appointed officials across Africa, that their actions must be driven by common values such as collective responsibility, unity, self-determination and gender equity.
While these dialogues encourage open critiques of the challenges facing Africa, the process respects the sovereignty of individual countries to be held accountable by their own citizens – and to manage such criticism constructively.
“We have a shared history that has put us on similar paths to development. As Flow PR we see a new awakening of the African continent, which is the next frontier for economic growth due to our abundance in natural and human resources,” continues Shoni.
Dr Salah Hammad Siddiq, human rights expert for the African Union, participated in an hour-long radio dialogue on Shared Values on SAfm on 29 July, and in a second discussion on Power FM on 30 July.
Citizens of the African diaspora are encouraged to continue the dialogue online through the African Shared Values website: www.africansharedvalues.org, or via Facebook or Twitter.