2014 Friendship Games

The 5th edition of the African Great Lakes Friendship Games will bring together staff and youngsters for a variety of sporting, cultural and symbolic activities.

This edition of the African Great Lakes Friendship Games will bring together staff and youngsters from youth centres in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for a variety of sporting, cultural and symbolic activities, such as opening and closing ceremonies; peace runs; planting of 'peace trees'; demonstrations and introductory sessions to little-known sports; sporting competitions; showcasing of the cultural heritage of each country and awareness-raising activities (information stands, film screenings and HIV/AIDS testing etc.). The three participating countries have suffered from years of conflict, bringing major trauma and heightened tension to the local communities, which are still at the heart of the problems faced by the region.

A major peace process has been underway in the area since 2005. Sport has been embraced by the region's young population and the countries' governments and has played a key role in these efforts. The values of sport, its impact on personal development and the rules it helps to establish, have become a gateway for education, dialogue and reconciliation among the local communities. In other words, sport has helped to pave the way to peace.

This year, the Friendship Games are taking place in a specific context:

The escalation of regional tension in recent months has made the Games more necessary than ever
This situation has strengthened the will of the respective governments to take action
More and more local actors are taking part in the event each year, enabling Peace and Sport to envisage the Games being held independently by these actors in coming years

Each year, the Friendship Games reach almost 300 youngsters aged 9-16 from neighbouring areas. The kids take part as athletes in sporting competitions and cultural activities and take home valuable information from awareness-raising exercises. The event is not just aimed at young people, however: the Games are a unique opportunity to bring together people of different ages and backgrounds from all over the Great Lakes region. They have proved effective in building and strengthening ties among communities, national sports federations and national authorities and are a true platform for diplomacy through sport.