What Mariama Diomande can teach us about social cohesion

By Jack Kennedy

In the new EPLO documentary, “MARIAMA”, we meet Mariama Diomande, a young Ivorian woman who has dedicated herself to building peace in her community in Abidjan, in the wake of the violence that engulfed Côte d’Ivoire following the 2010 election. Mariama’s story is inspiring; it is a demonstration of what a small group of determined, civic-minded people can do if they put their minds to it. It is also about the marks left by the conflict, and the hopes that Ivorians of all ages have for a better future.

More broadly, Mariama’s story is about the importance of social cohesion in communities trying to recover from and/or prevent conflict. It is a concept applicable across the globe, in a wide variety of post-conflict and conflict-vulnerable societies. Building social cohesion is key to the work of many of EPLO’s member organisations.

Social cohesion

What is social…