How I see the Uganda riots

‘My argument is very simple, by virtue of demographic dictates; any development discourse that leaves out the voices of young people is likely to backfire’. Ambrose Kibuuka, linked to the Pluralism Knowledge Programme through the Yogyakarta Summer School, argues for more serious engagement with Ugandan youth.

Yogyakarta Summer School is blogging

Sixteen students and civil society activists from Indonesia, India, Uganda and the Netherlands are studying pluralism, human rights and development at this years Kosmopolis Summer School in Yogyarta, Indonesia. The course is part of the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme. Follow their track by reading this weblog and watching the video log on Holland Doc.

Members of the Indonesia Regional Team

The Regional Teams of the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme are country-based groups of academics and practitioners defining the objectives and the content of the programme. The team is led by the regional coordinator and her/his institution as the core partner of Hivos and Kosmopolis. For Indonesia this is the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) at the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

State must be secular so that society can be religious

In many parts of the world religion is on an upsurge. Religious revivalism and emergent forms of fundamentalisms challenge the capacity of the state to deal with religious diversity. The Hivos-Kosmopolis conference 'Rethinking secularism' (25-26 May, Utrecht, NL) brought together academics, activists, legal experts and policy makers from various parts of the world to debate the future of secularism. Among them: Sudanese thinker and activist Abdullahi An-Na'im and Justice Aftab Alam, sitting...

Homophobia in Uganda: Documentary screened at Hivos-conference in The Hague

LGBT’s in Uganda suffer from a coalition of religious leaders against homosexuality. The documentary 'Victor and Georgina' by Amakula shows the life and work of two transgender activists in that country. Their portrait demonstrates the difficulties for homosexuals in the Ugandan society, ranging from verbal and physical abuse to prosecution.

Promoting pluralism? Diminish the donor dependency!

Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, human rights activist and researcher on Islam and secularism, has been fighting for decades to promote the acceptance of human rights in Muslim countries. Foreign donors can only play a limited role, he thinks.

Apply now! International Summer School on Pluralism and Development

As part of the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme, Hivos supports this Summer School for young academics and civil society activists from India, Indonesia and Uganda. Are you interested in learning more about human development theories? Did you always lack the time to reflect on your own work in development? Are you curious how you can contribute to the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme? Apply now for participation in the Kosmopolis Summer School!

Ethnic and Political Diversity in Uganda

Uganda is an East-African country, bordered by Sudan in the north, Kenya in the east, Lake Victoria as natural border and Tanzania in the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west. With a population of more than 31 million people, the country is the home of over 40 ethnic groups. It is thus not surprising that the people of Uganda think of ethnic diversity when speaking about ‘pluralism’. There is, however, one other important line of thinking when it comes to pluralism in Ugan...

Three papers on women & fundamentalisms

AWID, the Association for Women's Rights in Development, launched an initiative that focuses on fundamentalism in 2006. The project is entitled "Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms: An advocacy-research project". It explores various forms of fundamentalism and the effects on the position, rights and freedoms of women. From all over the world, AWID has gathered examples from women organisations and activists about how they approached the situation in their own countr...

New Partner in Uganda

Hivos and Kosmopolis will cooperate with the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) to start up the Promotig Pluralism Knowledge Programme in East Africa. Starting from September 2008, CCFU will look for academics and practitioners that have experience and that are active in the field of pluralism. Together they will identify major themes and formulate the first research questions. Up to four mapping studies will be carried out. In the beginning of 2009, a permanent team of academics and...