Network developments in Africa.

Since 1999 GEN-Europe has invested time and resources to support the launch of ecovillage networks in Africa, especially in French speaking West Africa (Senegal and Guinea). GEN believes that traditional rural villages in the South have the potential to evolve into ecovillages for the benefit of local populations and the environment. In Senegal the first ecovillage network (GEN-Senegal) has been officially founded under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment with an initial core group of twelve traditional villages committed to improve living conditions adopting ecological solutions. In other parts of Africa, there are no ecovillage network as such yet, but two interesting sustainable settlements in South Africa are worth mentioning: Thlolego Development Project, 100 kilometres from Johannesburg, and Kuthumba Nature Reserve.

Other activities in Africa supported by GEN-Europe include two permaculture courses that were held with Gaia Trust´s support to train local staff in Fahoune (Senegal) and Madina (Guinea), in co-operation with the local network Colufifa (Comité de Lutte Pour la Fin de la Faim). Permaculture is a design method that helps us to understand the connections between different elements in nature and society, respecting local traditions and cultures. In the African context, permaculture can be applied to protect nature and improve traditional farming methods, to address severe problems such as water scarcity, loss of bio-diversity, lack of co-operation and disruption of social structures, and to introduce appropriate technologies and environmental education.

The Colufifa network was founded more than 20 years ago and comprises 350 traditional villages striving to create acceptable living conditions for their inhabitants through education, training and the creation of local employment for young people.

One of the selected Living and Learning Centres is Eco Yoff / CRESP on the outskirts of Dakar, a local development organisation founded in 1993 to organise the Third Eco-City Conference. CRESP has an extensive website on their training and research activities in the fishing village of Yoff at www.cresp.sn/gensen

GEN-Europe also promotes a Twin Villages programme, which brings together European ecovillages with traditional African villages. Last year representatives of Torri Superiore, Italy, visited Madina in Northern Guinea, where they built a solar drier for the inhabitants. Other European villages have applied to join this scheme and they are being matched with local partners to start exchanging information and visits.

Lucilla Borio, GEN-Europe, Italy

contacts: Colufifa aajac-colufifa@sentoo.sn,
web: www.siup.sn/faoune/aajac/aajac.htm