Minds of the Movement

“It is like some diplomats only see instability when bombs fall on a presidential palace. But we Sudanese have suffered instability for over 30 years under a dictatorship…”

Last May, I helped organize a round table discussion at the annual SIPRI Forum on Peace and Development in Stockholm, Sweden. At one point, the current war in Sudan came to the fore, suggesting a general misunderstanding about nonviolent movements for rights, justice and freedom among some discussion participants. […]

The citizen movement LUCHA was founded in 2012 by young Congolese frustrated by the dramatic situation in their country. LUCHA pursued nonviolent resistance to inform citizens and fuel their outrage, as well as to hold those in power more responsible and accountable. One of the tools they use is called Fatshimétrie, a barometer for assessing the level of fulfilment of commitments and promises made by the head of state to transform the DRC. […]

Earlier this year, in a meeting with students and colleagues here in Tbilisi, Georgia, we came to a consensus that many important civil resistance stories related to decision-making, specific tactics and defining strategy are frequently lost here. We—activists engaged in movements for democracy, environmental justice, good governance and more—are not writing or documenting enough to create transferable knowledge, so future generations will not know about our country’s civil resistance stories. But with no local resources available to support such “knowledge management” actions, how can we affirm our nonviolent history in the interest of advancing our struggles? […]

Mohsen Sazegara has been a social media influencer since before it became a thing. Having started his YouTube channel in June 2009 to share knowledge and resources on nonviolent action in Farsi, he pre-dates nearly every pioneer of the influencer phenomenon. But Mohsen’s influence has nothing to do with the fashion or fitness industries. The only “brand” he represents is nonviolent revolution for rights, freedom and democracy. […]

Last April and at the beginning of this May, a group of about 150 people spent 12 days and nights traveling the roads of south-southeast of Mexico, responding to the National Indigenous Congress’ call to organize a Caravan called “The South Resists”. Hot days and nights, in regions where temperatures can exceed 40 C degrees (104 F); hostile roads, where thousands of people have disappeared without a trace; hours shared with strangers, who eventually became friends, all in response to a call: it is time to organize ourselves to push back against environmental injustice and protect our lives and livelihoods. […]

From July 2 until today, July 4, 2023, police have been raiding the homes of several pro-democracy activists in Djibouti, a highly geostrategic country in the Horn of Africa, where the world’s major powers jostle for influence—each with their respective military bases. At the time of writing, seven activists, including four women, have been arrested and the general secretary of the movement “RADDE” are in custody. The police are still looking for others. The reason for their arrest was the impersonation of military, police and Republican Guard uniforms as part of a recent nonviolent campaign organized by RADDE. […]