This initiative uses the medium of film to convey the socio-economic, medical, and psychological effects of landmines on the survivors of these weapons. Drawing mostly on victim testimonies, the film - which is in French with English subtitles - focuses on the plight of women and children in the Casamance and is elaborated through expert and agency interviews with local and international non-governmental organisation (NGO) representatives, government officials, and rebel leaders. Click here to view the video online.

In terms of the creation of the film itself, partnership has been a key strategy in this effort on the part of WITNESS, an organisation based in the United States that uses the power of video to open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. By partnering with local organisations around the globe, such as RADDHO, WITNESS works to empower human rights defenders to use video to highlight those most affected by human rights violations as part of an effort to transform personal stories of abuse into tools of justice.

As part of this collaborative WITNESS/RADDHO advocacy campaign, "Against the Tide of History" was screened before Senegalese government officials and civil society organisations in September 2004. The screening garnered national media attention and the film was subsequently screened at the Forum on Peace, Truth and Reconciliation organised by RADDHO in Ziguinchor. On November 30 2004, "Against the Tide of History" was screened at the Nairobi Conference on a Mine Free World before the Senegalese government delegation to the conference; United Nations (UN) representatives and members of civil society organisations were also exposed to the film. It has also been accepted to Three Continents Film Festival and the United Nations Association Film Festival, which led to a wider audience having access to its messages.

RADDHO and WITNESS continue to use the video to call for further assistance to landmine victims and to advocate for the provision of such assistance to be part of a systematic policy for future landmine survivors.

Conflict, Rights.

According to WITNESS, the armed conflict between the Senegalese government and the separatist rebels, the Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC), began in 1982. This long-standing conflict has created what the organisation describes as an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Senegal, and has made the Casamance one of the most mined areas in West Africa. To date, landmines have killed approximately 1,000 people in the Casamance; 75% of the victims are civilians, mostly women and children.

In order to tackle the continued wide-scale use of landmines, an international treaty was established to ban the use of landmines worldwide. Article 6 (3) provides for the medical, socio-economic and psychological assistance to landmine victims. Then, on December 31 2004, the Senegalese government and MFDC signed a peace deal to end 22 years of conflict.

WITNESS reports that the screening of "Against the Tide of History" had the following advocacy results: At the Forum on Peace Truth and Reconciliation, the Minister of Women and Family Affairs pledged a grant for the assistance of women landmine survivors. In January 2005, a grant of 5 million CFA (approximately US$10,000) was provided to women landmine survivors through the Association of Landmine Victims in Senegal and will be used to create an income-generating development project. WITNESS indicates that this is the first time that a government entity in Senegal has provided assistance to landmine survivors. Furthermore, prostheses are now freely available to landmine survivors in the Casamance (a prosthetics laboratory has been set up in the regional hospital of Ziguinchor). In addition, the Belgium embassy in Dakar has provided 35 million CFA (approx. US$60,000) for income-generating projects for landmine survivors.