Making sense of girls empowerment in Sierra Leone: a conversation

This Testify article features a conversation about the emancipatory potentials and pitfalls of girls empowerment as practiced, experienced, and judged by Sierra Leonean activists. We – two scholars and four activists – discussed views on and experiences of girls empowerment approaches that have been interpreted in critical scholarly literature as a form of neoliberal responsibilization. Also within this critical literature, there is often the notion that these approaches may yet create openings for emancipatory agency and counter-conduct. However, it remains unclear whether this happens and to what extent. Our conversation centres activists’ views on the academic critique of girls empowerment and raises a number of questions, including: Why do many feminist activists in Sierra Leone embrace girls empowerment approaches? What do they see in them? How do they interpret and practice them? Where do they see potentials and pitfalls? And what is the role of donors

Costs and benefits of community-based justice in Sierra Leone

Sustainable development goal 16.3 aims to “promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all”. In 2012, Sierra Leone enacted a progressive legal aid law which established a mixed system of criminal and civil legal aid to be provided by a variety of players including paralegals, private and public lawyers, NGOs, and law clinics. By that law, the government committed to place at least one paralegal in each of the country’s 190 chiefdoms to provide legal advice, assistance, and education to the inhabitants. However, fiscal constraints mean that the government funded Legal Aid Board and NGOs delivering paralegal services cannot operate and deliver their services at scale. This research aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on approaches to expanding access to justice in Sierra Leone and globally in a cost-effective, strategic, and sustainable manner.Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA

Scaling access to justice research collaboration

This cost-benefit study was undertaken to assess the outcomes of community-based justice services (paralegal NGOs) and to make recommendations on strategies for scaling up access to justice in Sierra Leone. The project’s outcomes include: evidence for policy makers to be used in decision making related to justice funding priorities; generation of reference material for future research; network building and collaboration with researchers in Canada, Kenya and South Africa; experience in building and managing research teams; and change in the data management system of community-based justice providers. Lack of data limits advocacy capabilities of justice activists, and affects government and donors’ decision making capacities

Embracing aporia: exploring arts-based methods, pain, “playfulness,” and improvisation in research on gender and social violence

This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 2021 that explored various social dimensions of sexual and gender-based violence in rural communities. The “fun” components that are so frequently dismissed in favor of more flat and binary research helped us better understand the complex, and often painful, emotions of women in these communities. We pay particular attention to how singing, which was not originally part of the research plan, became critical to engaging these women on discussions of social violence. We argue that researchers should be more aware and open to the prospects that “play,” “fun,” and improvisation have to offer in research processes, and how such components can themselves be absolutely critical to how we conduct and analyze research, as well as engage with participants, even in relation to sensitive subject matter. Le présent article s'intéresse au rôle du jeu et de la gaieté, à la fois en tant qu'outils méthodologiques et analytiques, dans la recherche sur la violence sociale. Alors que le jeu peut paraître antithétique par rapport aux discussions sur les méthodes et l’étude de la violence sociale, nous avons observé qu'il était finalement très productif de s'y intéresser. Cet article se fonde sur une série d'ateliers participatifs impliquant le théâtre, la danse et l'humour, qui se sont déroulés en Sierra Leone en 2021. Ils traitaient de plusieurs dimensions sociales de la violence sexuelle et fondée sur le genre au sein des communautés rurales. Les composantes « amusantes », si souvent balayées en faveur de recherches plus monotones et binaires, nous ont permis de mieux comprendre les émotions complexes, et souvent douloureuses, des femmes de ces communautés. Nous nous sommes notamment attardés sur la façon dont le chant, qui ne faisait initialement pas partie du programme de recherche, s'est révélé essentiel pour entrer en communication avec ces femmes au sujet des violences sociales. Nous soutenons que les chercheurs devraient être plus conscients des possibilités offertes par le « jeu », l’« amusement » et l'improvisation dans le cadre des procédés de recherche, et ouverts à celles-ci. Ces composantes peuvent en fait se révéler tout à fait essentielles dans la conduite et l'analyse de recherches, mais aussi pour s'adresser aux participants, même quand il s'agit de sujets sensibles. Este artículo analiza el papel del juego y la capacidad para jugar como herramientas metodológicas y analíticas en la investigación sobre la violencia social. Si bien el juego puede parecer antitético en el marco tanto de las discusiones sobre los métodos como del estudio de la violencia social, hemos descubierto que prestar atención a estos elementos es, de hecho, muy productivo. Este artículo se basa en una serie de talleres participativos que se celebraron en Sierra Leona en 2021, en los que se utilizó el teatro, la danza y la comedia y en los que se exploraron diversas dimensiones sociales de la violencia sexual y de género en las comunidades rurales. Los componentes «divertidos», que tan frecuentemente se descartan en favor de una investigación más plana y binaria, nos ayudaron a comprender mejor las complejas, y a menudo dolorosas, emociones de las mujeres de estas comunidades. Prestamos especial atención a cómo el canto, que en un principio no formaba parte del plan de investigación, se convirtió en algo fundamental para involucrar a estas mujeres en los debates sobre la violencia social. Sostenemos que los investigadores deberían ser más conscientes y estar más abiertos a las perspectivas que ofrecen el «juego», la «diversión» y la improvisación en los procesos de investigación, y cómo estos componentes pueden ser en sí mismos absolutamente críticos para la forma en que realizamos y analizamos la investigación, así como para relacionarnos con los participantes, incluso en relación con temas delicados

The Meaning and Practice of Women's Empowerment in Post-conflict Sierra Leone

Hussaina J. Abdullah and Aisha Fofana-Ibrahim address the meaning and practice of women's empowerment in Sierra Leone's post-conflict reconstruction and peace consolidation processes from the perspectives of the Government of Sierra Leone and the UN system in Sierra Leone. These two institutions illustrate how women's empowerment has been pursued in two institutions with key roles and positions in Sierra Leone's post-war renewal processes.

Interrogating Young Women's Political Participation in Post-war Sierra Leone : final technical report (February 2011 – August 2013)

Even though youths formed the core of the rebel movement and comprise over 50% of the population, they have, post-war, remained marginalized and excluded from conventional processes of the state and have had little or no say in decisions that matter to them. The picture is worse for young women. The research seeks to understand factors that have enabled women’s participation thus far, as well as entrenched barriers impeding full participation in the political arena. Participants in the study contributed to its design and implementation

Gendered “choices” in Sierra Leone: women in artisanal mining in Tonkolili District

This paper examines women’s “choices” in artisanal gold mining in Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone. It argues that women’s status in Sierra Leone and their socio-economic conditions contribute to the particular economic practices within artisanal gold mining in which they are able to participate. Showing how state interventions are enmeshed in the pre-existing social relations, dependency ties and governance relations in gold mining sites, it examines how gendered norms and practices, combined with governance issues pertaining to the effectiveness of policy in advancing equality, contribute to keeping women in gendered roles and limit their empowerment and full participation in the sector. These norms and relationships largely work against women, keeping them on the margins of the artisanal gold mines even while this economic activity may provide women (and their households) with much-needed financial resources

Freedom through Association: Assessing the Contributions of to Gender-Sensitive Police Reform in West Africa

The views expressed in this research paper are the author’s alone and are not necessarily the views of The North-South Institute or the funders of this research project. research for a fairer worldExecutive Summary Security sector reform (SSR) is a key element in the state-building process. SSR traditionally focuses on re-equipping and re-training security sector institutions, changing policies and practices, and creating oversight mechanisms in contexts emerging from conflict or oppressive regimes. Little focus is placed on changing the culture within the security sector in favour of inclusivity and rights for women and minorities. Moreover, little attention is paid to what internal actors can do to ensure that this type of progress occurs. This is changing. A small body of literature exists on the role that police associations for minority and female police officers can play in changing the culture of policing. Situated within the security sector and therefore enjoying the support of police staff associations, female police associations are well placed to take concrete steps toward achieving women and minority rights. This study explores what women are doing in police services to change the nature of their work i

Embracing aporia : exploring arts-based methods, pain, “playfulness,” and improvisation in research on gender and social violence

This article explores the role of play and playfulness—as both methodological and analytical tools—in research on social violence. While play may seem antithetical to both discussions on methods and to studying social violence, we found that actually paying attention to such elements was in fact very productive. This article draws on a series of participatory workshops that engaged theater, dance, and comedy, which were held in Sierra Leone in 2021 that explored various social dimensions of sexual and gender-based violence in rural communities. The “fun” components that are so frequently dismissed in favor of more flat and binary research helped us better understand the complex, and often painful, emotions of women in these communities. We pay particular attention to how singing, which was not originally part of the research plan, became critical to engaging these women on discussions of social violence. We argue that researchers should be more aware and open to the prospects that “play,” “fun,” and improvisation have to offer in research processes, and how such components can themselves be absolutely critical to how we conduct and analyze research, as well as engage with participants, even in relation to sensitive subject matter.Le présent article s'intéresse au rôle du jeu et de la gaieté, à la fois en tant qu'outils méthodologiques et analytiques, dans la recherche sur la violence sociale. Alors que le jeu peut paraître antithétique par rapport aux discussions sur les méthodes et l’étude de la violence sociale, nous avons observé qu'il était finalement très productif de s'y intéresser. Cet article se fonde sur une série d'ateliers participatifs impliquant le théâtre, la danse et l'humour, qui se sont déroulés en Sierra Leone en 2021. Ils traitaient de plusieurs dimensions sociales de la violence sexuelle et fondée sur le genre au sein des communautés rurales. Les composantes « amusantes », si souvent balayées en faveur de recherches plus monotones et binaires, nous ont permis de mieux comprendre les émotions complexes, et souvent douloureuses, des femmes de ces communautés. Nous nous sommes notamment attardés sur la façon dont le chant, qui ne faisait initialement pas partie du programme de recherche, s'est révélé essentiel pour entrer en communication avec ces femmes au sujet des violences sociales. Nous soutenons que les chercheurs devraient être plus conscients des possibilités offertes par le « jeu », l’« amusement » et l'improvisation dans le cadre des procédés de recherche, et ouverts à celles-ci. Ces composantes peuvent en fait se révéler tout à fait essentielles dans la conduite et l'analyse de recherches, mais aussi pour s'adresser aux participants, même quand il s'agit de sujets sensibles.Este artículo analiza el papel del juego y la capacidad para jugar como herramientas metodológicas y analíticas en la investigación sobre la violencia social. Si bien el juego puede parecer antitético en el marco tanto de las discusiones sobre los métodos como del estudio de la violencia social, hemos descubierto que prestar atención a estos elementos es, de hecho, muy productivo. Este artículo se basa en una serie de talleres participativos que se celebraron en Sierra Leona en 2021, en los que se utilizó el teatro, la danza y la comedia y en los que se exploraron diversas dimensiones sociales de la violencia sexual y de género en las comunidades rurales. Los componentes «divertidos», que tan frecuentemente se descartan en favor de una investigación más plana y binaria, nos ayudaron a comprender mejor las complejas, y a menudo dolorosas, emociones de las mujeres de estas comunidades. Prestamos especial atención a cómo el canto, que en un principio no formaba parte del plan de investigación, se convirtió en algo fundamental para involucrar a estas mujeres en los debates sobre la violencia social. Sostenemos que los investigadores deberían ser más conscientes y estar más abiertos a las perspectivas que ofrecen el «juego», la «diversión» y la improvisación en los procesos de investigación, y cómo estos componentes pueden ser en sí mismos absolutamente críticos para la forma en que realizamos y analizamos la investigación, así como para relacionarnos con los participantes, incluso en relación con temas delicados.The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)https://academic.oup.com/isagsqhj2023Dram

Performing Arts and Social Violence: Innovating Research Approaches to Sexual and Gender-based Violence in the Global South

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a global epidemic. It has been estimated that one in three women worldwide is subjected to physical and/or sexual violence during their lifetime. And yet, there is a paradox between the commonality of SGBV and the ability to speak and address these issues openly. Some of the reasons and rationales for this are culturally specific, but the fact remains universal – it is difficult to talk about and address SGBV. Fighting SGBV is a stated objective for numerous governments and international organisations, as well as researchers. However, methods and approaches can be heavily standardized and bureaucratic, taking no account of the range of emotion involved in tackling SGBV. Relying on these risks neglecting the fundamentally complex and contradictory dynamics of SGBV, and limiting the effectiveness of discussions about it. Driven by a belief in the power of the arts and humanities to provide playful, creative, and counter-intuitive responses to urgent problems, this project used comedy, theatre, song and dance in activities run for women and men in partnership with established NGOs. Emphatically, the project’s findings illustrated how ‘fun’ arts approaches (such as humour and improvisation) may be highly effective in opening up very sensitive conversations about deadly serious topics. Instead of being disrespectful or incongruous responses to the matter, they may provide insights into how concepts such as violence are understood contextually and culturally. Thus these methods have the capacity to open up completely new ways of understanding these notions in order to address them. The methodological headlines of the project have already been published in a peer-reviewed academic article entitled “Embracing Aporia: Exploring Arts-based Methods, Pain, “Playfulness” and Improvisation in Research on Gender and Social Violence.” Some of the conceptual findings around performance and dramaturgy in the midst of workshops can also be found in the forthcoming article “The Theatre of Development: Dramaturgy, Actors and Performances in the ‘Workshop Space’” in Third World Quarterly. The project was evidenced by fieldwork and workshops in Sierra Leone and South Africa. The scoping work highlighted the extent to which SGBV research in the Global South is directly relevant to the Global North. While this project conducted research primarily in the Global South, the findings have broader implications for exploring the nuanced ways in which SGBV is an acute, pernicious global epidemic embedded in the subtleties of individual and collective attitudes and behaviours. In addition to known drivers of SGBV (such as socio-economic privation), there are drivers that are not as well understood. These include socio-cultural narratives supporting individual and institutional responses to stereotypical notions of masculinity and femininity (e.g. men’s treatment of wives as property and the complicity of police); the affordances of technology (e.g. easy access to pornography); the enabling role of local institutions and social norms that create barriers to justice; discourses of sex and sexual roles; and geographically and culturally inflected gender performances. Without understanding these drivers, it is impossible to find ways to stem the tide of SGBV, safeguard victims and survivors, and change the behaviours that perpetuate the cycles of social violence globally. Developing this work, therefore, requires new funding streams and award schemes that promote the co-construction by academic and community researchers of creative, discovery-led, longitudinal work. Any ambitious new funding programme should facilitate broader comparative case studies, alongside the further development and deployment of arts and humanities-led interdisciplinary approaches, and expand existing innovations to advance the field. Funded projects should include capacity building, e.g. research training for community participants and for NGO members; doctoral training for local researchers at local universities; institutions and infrastructure to support ongoing work beyond the life of a project. These programmes should be international and integrate the practice of international exchange between the Global North and South to enable comparative study of SGBV cultures and explore the universality of the nuances driving social violence and allow scope for extensive knowledge exchange across these contexts. This should include provision for Global South researchers to participate materially in fieldwork and research activities in the Global North. Methodologically, this project strongly endorses the use of arts-based methods, including comedy, song and dance, and theatre, to engage audiences in discussions around SGBV. The scoping project identified a major new research opportunity for the urgent use of arts and humanities-led interdisciplinary approaches to explore the subtle ways in which social violence, specifically sex and gender-based violence, manifests and persists. The exercise confirmed that arts-based methods (when used meaningfully and appropriately) can facilitate discussion about sensitive subject matter, including SGBV, and may in fact be a ‘natural’ or intuitive way of engaging with this discussion. It also highlighted the value of approaching the design and conduct of research in different ways. These include the need for research to be slow or incremental: that is, building relationships and trust with communities and project partners, co-designing projects and performances with the full research teams and returning to locations over time and for research to involve exchanges. Further, instead of focussing on pre-determined outcomes, arts-based methods enable researchers to maintain flexibility and remain open to travelling where the research leads. Following the affective turn in applied theatre, we aimed to engage the sensory, embodied and affective power of performance and produce certain sensory effects in relation to a particular theme (here, SGBV). Our team are sceptical about transformational, interventionist projects, and recommend that emphasis be placed on how to engage with existing practices as methods that open up difficult conversations and move people emotionally and physically. We argue that fun and playfulness should not be dismissed in the face of sensitive subjects such as SGBV, but rather more fully embraced and explored in greater depth. This means moving away from using flat, binary data as evidence and results, and instead having the intellectual conviction to back the potential of this sensory, ludic, proleptic approach to methods, evidence and outcomes