The conflict situation in Central Mali is not uniform all over. There are (still) many places where potential for much more efficient use of natural resources is high, and where the local population has a will to realize that potential.
Mid 2018, a small group of leaders from villages in central Mali was invited to reflect on this situation. At the base of this invitation were a group of individuals working at NGOs, donors. They apply a specific process method for sustainable development: Mastercircle. They explore their development options, reflect on their resilience and their potential for scaling up, possibly with help from the state and from donors. A homegrown way move away from the causes of conflict. These native Malinese will present their reflections at PSI 2019 and invite the international community for a debate.
The local potential and leadership will afterwards be shown in a homemade pop-up documentary. A series of development sessions are done partly in Mali and partly by videoconference. Invited experienced volunteers coach the group in their reflections. The sessions are supported by the online Mastercircle tool. The group from central Mali, Mastercircle and the coaches undertake this process on a voluntary basis. The Ministry of Foreign affairs contributes with (video)conferencing facilities and tickets to The Hague.
The presenters from Mali have made a 12 minute pop-up documentary about their future, which you can see here.
Picture credits: Mastercircle