New working papers on UCP in Colombia

The Creating Safer Space network has published a new working paper, ‘Unarmed Civilian Protection and Community Self-Protection in Colombia: A Literature Review’. The working paper is written by Laura Jiménez Ospina and Beatriz Elena Arias López at the University of Antioquia, and it is available in both Spanish and English.

The working paper draws upon 617 records that were collected, including academic literature, reports from civil society organisations and audiovisual material. The working paper explores literatures regarding the self-protection mechanisms that exist in Colombia and the communities that have used them; national and international NGOs that support human rights defenders and communities that live in contexts of violence; and other important discussions around UCP and self-protection.

All Creating Safer Space working papers are available here:

Creating Safer Space Working Papers


UCP Research Forum on Asia

The Creating Safer Space team at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, invites you to the third UCP Research Forum on Asia.

12.30 – 2.00 pm UTC (7.30 – 9.00 pm Bangkok time) on Tuesday 26 September
Please use a timezone converter to check your local time.

This time, there will be 2 presentations as follows:

1) “Understanding the Changing Strategy and Practice of Civilian Protection under the Military Junta: A case from Kachin and Northern Shan, Myanmar”
by Nang Seng Law (Nonviolent Peace Force Myanmar)

2) “UCP in southern Thailand: Developing Civilian Protection Guidelines for Violence-prone Communities”
by Fareeda Panjor (Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani, Thailand) and Anchana Heemmina (Director, Duayjai group)

Please Register for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuc-GtqjIsG9XmWc2KcfZDaiQmNMOaxedM

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.


Invitation to Film Festival

First Festival CineAndo with my people: participatory video and community cinema

The Creating Safer Space project Community strategies for Unarmed Civilian Protection in South-West Colombia: local experiences and lessons learned is organising a Film Festival focused on participatory video and community cinema. The deadline for applying to show a film at the festival is 8 October 2023.

The “I Festival CineAndo con mi gente: video participativo y cine comunitario” (“First Festival CineAndo with my people: participatory video and community cinema”), which will take place on 15 and 16 November in the city of Cali, Colombia, is an event that brings together amateur filmmakers, students, artists and members of the community to share, explore and celebrate audiovisual creativity that emerges from a collective and collaborative perspectives. The Festival’s main objective is to provide an inclusive space where individual and collective voices come together to share their stories in ways that reflect the reality, diversity and aspirations of their communities.

Through the screening of videos, short films and other audiovisual works, the festival offers a platform for the presentation of productions resulting from the active participation andcollaboration of different actors. These audiovisual creations can address a wide range of local and global issues, including analysis of socio-cultural situations, reflections on society and personal experiences.

The festival is not limited to the screening of films. It also encourages interaction and dialogue through conversations, talks and interactive workshops. These spaces seek to allow participants to explore a series of topics such as differences and similarities between community cinema and participatory video, learnings and lessons, and challenges of collaborative audiovisual production techniques.

In addition to celebrating creativity and participation, the festival also has a commemorative
component as it makes memory of social leaders and communities who have been victims of the conflict in the country. In so doing, the Festival also provides opportunities for reflection on issues such as human rights, social justice and historical memory. In this sense, the festival can include screenings that pay homage to territorial leaders and debates that promote reflection on social change through cinema and audiovisuals.

More information about how to make an application to show a video at the Festival is available here:

First Festival CineAndo with my people: participatory video and community cinema

Application Form