Mrs. Biola Ogunyemi represented the Communities’ Alliance against Displacement (CAD)- alongside S4C’s representative, Mr. Okezie Njoku -at the November, 2017 Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) Sharing Workshop (#WACAMsharing). The workshop held in Ghana.

WACAM is a human rights and environmental mining advocacy non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Ghana with a community-based focus. Its objective is to influence policies in favour of the marginalized people, especially those living in mining, oil and gas communities. The NGO was established and run by a couple Mr. and Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng.

The sharing workshop was organised to enable stakeholders from the extractive sector, civil society organisations and community groups from Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal to network and exchange ideas towards resolving common environmental injustices. CAD received the invitation to the workshop through Spaces for Change|S4C.

At the meeting, Mrs. Biola Ogunyemi explained CAD objectives and operations. She also shared her traumatic experiences as an evictee of illegal and ill-planned displacement exercises in Nigeria. She disclosed that her husband died in the fight for justice and affirmed her commitment to the fight for rights and justice for informal settlements and slum communities.

She informed the participants that Spaces for Change empowers youth and women through rights’ enlightenment programs. Mr. Okezie Njoku made a presentation on S4C’s media advocacy program which gives communities a voice to air their experiences and unique perspectives; and streamed short personal stories produced by youth trainees from informal communities in Lagos State as part of a research project tagged IFESOWAPO: Community Action for Policy Change.  Participants were moved by Aminata Salami’s tale titled “Sad over her loss” available at https://youtu.be/yR-Ti-axBBQ.  See pictures of participants below: