Workshop
In case you were wondering whether our trip up country was all about having fun, it wasn’t. There was a purpose to our trip, so I guess I should tell you a bit about it.
As I’ve mentioned before, the main project I’ll be monitoring is the Land Conflict Resolution Project that is assisting the Land Commission work through land conflict issues. Our implementer organized a 3-day workshop in Voinjama for the Land Commissioners to work on how to best reach out to the public and local leaders in the rural areas of Liberia. Voinjama was selected because it’sclose to where the first of several pilot projects will be initiated over the next few months.
The workshop was held in the Voinjama town hall, a fairly typical government building consisting of one primary open meeting space with a few smaller rooms up front. It even had indoor toilets, though (of course) the water did not work so you had to scoop water out of a bucket to “flush” the toilet. All in all, the building wasn’t bad and was a great place to hold the workshop.
Unfortunately, the Land Commission’s Chairperson was unable to attend because he had to fly to Paris for medical reasons. He had planned to go a week earlier, but there had been a fire at the passport offices and his documents had been delayed. Still, we had 4 Commissioners at the Workshop and it was an opportunity for those Commissioners to play a more active role in the proceedings.
The first day was supposed to be largely an internal discussion with the Commissioners to discuss media relations and to work on the final details of a media strategy regarding the opening of the Lofa County Land Coordination Center in Zorzor. “Supposed to” was the operative word in that sentence because a larger crowd showed up than had been expected and, more importantly, so did the press. It is generally not a good idea to debate how you’re going to handle the press when the press is present, so the Commissioners had to adjust the workshop schedule on the fly.
Things turned out well. The Commissioners presented the work that has been done by the different task forces of the Land Commission (Land Administration (documents and records), Land Conflict Dispute Resolution, Land Use and Management, Land Policy and Programs, and Education and Outreach). They then answered a series of questions about the Land Commission, its goals, and its position on several topical land issues. The latter part of the afternoon was occupied by a discussion of a tribal certificate documentation program that is being conducted with the support of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Commissioners took the opportunity to talk in a small group session with several traditional leaders who were present about tribal certificate issues.
The second day was media strategy day with presentations by a series of media experts about how to effectively present programs to the public and to inform people living in rural areas. In-between a journalist/publisher of one of Liberia’s largest newspapers, a university professor, and a media consultant, there were a wide range of views and tips for how to effectively reach out to communities.
That afternoon, the workshop broke up into teams of people to develop different types of media messages - oral/improvisational; scripted/broadcast; written; and visual - with an emphasis on things to focus on and what to avoid in announcing upcoming activities in the rural areas. Folks representing communities throughout Lofa County were particularly helpful in presenting special concerns that their communities have about being informed and involved in decision-making processes.
The morning of the third day was dedicated to meeting with and hearing the concerns of Paramount Chiefs and elders from Lofa County communities. Several additional Chiefs joined us that day and the Land Commission took full advantage of that to hear directly from them.
Most of the Paramount Chiefs did not speak in English, so translators were used. At least 6 different languages were used during the question and answer period. That session made very clear the concerns that traditional leaders have that their customary rights be acknowledged and taken into consideration in the Land Commission’s policy recommendations, and that they be consulted and actively involved in any project activities that the Land Commission seeks to undertake in their communities. It was exactly the type of meeting and discussion the Land Commission was looking for.
We took off a bit early so that we could make it to Gbarnga before the technical end of Andrew’s driving day. However, on the way back we stopped off at the Zorzor Land Coordination Center. The LCC is supposed to become the focal point of all land matters for the entire county. It will be where our local pilot projects are based out of, it will hold copies of all the records we and others produce, and it is where our program will train mediators to help mediate land disputes. Right now the building has been completed and the Land Commission is in the final stages of hiring staff for the facility.
The LCC should be operational by the end of March, early part of April, which is when our project’s field work should begin.
After our short stay in Zorzor, we headed off to Gbarnga. We had reservations in Zorzor, but after driving through on our way to Voinjama, we decided that the odds of it being a “good” place to stay were low so we called up our friends at the Crystal Palace, where we at least knew we could get running water. After spending three nights in a clean but poorly serviced (electrical and water) guest house, we were anxious to get to a functioning shower head, even if it did have only cold water.