Mobilizing Art for Water and Peace in the Senegal River.

As a vital resource for basic social needs and economic activities, water management has strong implications at the local level. Further, as a resource in motion flowing both at the surface and underground, water constitutes a physical link that sets the preconditions of social cohesion in a given territory. The watershed often constitutes the common denominator for cultural identity of riparian communities, and remains the landmark where societies evolve. In Sahelian societies, community livelihoods and their interactions are organised around the river flood cycle. In order to explore cultural roots and intimate linkages that connect people to water, and increase awareness about local populations’ challenges, the Geneva Water Hub partnered with the “Festival à Sahel Ouvert”, held in Mboumba on the bank of the Senegal River in February 2020. As stressed by the artist Baaba Maal, originally from this Fulani region: “This river has always been a connector for the consolidation of peace and social cohesion for the riparian communities. This is the reason why my songs magnify water as a source of life and peace among people.” This transboundary watercourse is home to one of the most elaborate basin organisation models: the Senegal River Development Organisation (OMVS). The OMVS is the creation of visionary politicians who recognised the necessity to join efforts to secure the water-related needs of the populations in Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal following severe droughts in the 70’s and 80’s. Furthermore, the Organisation demonstrated its capacities to use water as a driver of peace by successfully resolving a dispute between Mauritania and Senegal in 1989 while all other diplomatic channels were suspended between the two countries. Today, the development agenda of the Senegal River is faced with serious challenges. The escalation of armed violence in the region calls for the prevention of damage to water resources. The protection of natural resources and water infrastructure are increasingly at the forefront of international initiatives.

The impacts of climate change, population growth, and more recently, the COVID-19 outbreak, constitute a range of destabilizing factors that weaken trust in political institutions and the very foundation of social cohesion. Traditional livelihoods are threatened by growing competition over natural resources. Local fishermen express their concerns as their activities are impacted by pollution, desertification, and the effect of dams’ operations. As outlined by the philosopher Souleymane Bachir Diagne, “the fisherman’s tragedy illustrates the structural problems inherited from our conception of development. It is necessary to build a new relationship with water and ecosystems if we are truly to talk about a sustainable development.” Basin agencies have a major role to play in order to stem the spread of pockets of fragilities that fuel local conflicts and armed violence. They are expected to regulate water use and its preservation, as well as promote economic integration of local interests. This latter role has been an enduring challenge since major infrastructure, albeit succeeding in implementing regional economic plans, often fall short of encompassing local economic dynamics. The OMVS plans on organising a strategic reflection to respond to these challenges involving local actors and regional experts. The Geneva Water Hub together with Globe, International Network of Basin Organizations, International Secretariat for Water, Milk Music, Pôle Eau Dakar and Waterpreneurs will collaborate in this project. It will mobilize philosophers, artists, and cultural actors in the fields of music, cinema, theatre, and photography, in order to guarantee a creative and engaging dialogue on the multidimensional relationship of humans with water. The artworks produced in this context will convey local populations’ visions and key messages in their exchange with OMVS leaders. They will also raise their voices to the 9th World Water Forum to be held in Dakar in 2021. They will value the cultural heritage of the river basin by strengthening the common identity woven around the flow of water. The actual meetings will be organised at confluence points in the basin, in natural spaces for cultural and economic transactions. These confluence reflection spaces aim at developing practical solutions to local water entrepreneurship challenges. A new approach to local economic integration and innovative projects will hence be developed and promoted in response to issues raised during the discussions.