Who are we ?
Tournons La Page (TLP) is an international citizen movement, bringing together 250 organizations, which leads and relays actions to promote democratic transition of power in Africa.
The average age in Africa is 19 years old but the average age of presidents is 63 years old. In Africa, 8 leaders have been in power for more than 20 years. In Gabon, Togo, and Equatorial Guinea, 90% of the population has known only one family in charge. We, citizens of Africa and Europe, wish to fight this situation and refuse fatalism. In Africa, as elsewhere, no democracy without changes of power !
Tournons La Page (TLP) is today the international reference network on the issue of democratic processes in Africa.
What are our main actions ?
- Social mobilisation and civic education
- Advocacy and communication
- The training of activists and the strengthening of organisations
- Protection of activists and campaigners
> Conduct advocacy actions
- To refuse any constitutional manipulation for personal purposes ;
- To delegitimize authoritarian regimes in the eyes of public opinion and international decision-makers;
- To stop the endorsement by Western leaders of undemocratic practices in Africa;
- To ensure the defence and protection of our members in danger;
- To build a solid expertise and give content to the post-alternation.
> Support civil society movements committed to democracy
- Through networking, exchange of practices and experiences and pan-African solidarity;
- Through media coverage, relay and promotion of citizen mobilisations;
- By supporting and protecting movements and activists who are threatened or arrested;
- Strengthening the capacities of the movement's member organisations to ensure its sustainability.
Who are the recipients of your donations ?
Our donation recipients are 200 organizations from the civil society in 10 African countries. Each year, 1,5 millions of citizens are affected by our actions. In these acts of sensibilization and mobilization, an important focus is made on young people and women. A network of 92 lawyers has been formed in order to defend endangered activists.
In France, the International Secretariat based in Paris supports the coalitions : training, coordination and animation of the network, lobbying and advocacy, media presence, protection of activists...
What are our intervention methods ?
On the ground, in ten countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, DRC, Togo), our coalitions are carrying out peaceful and non-partisan actions to contribute to the democratic future of their countries.
However, the work of activists is not without danger, and many suffer serious violations of their rights. The members of Tournons La Page are particularly targeted by these attacks. Our purpose is to draw attention to these human rights defenders who are persecuted in their respective countries for their work of citizen control.
What are our project’s value and specificity ?
Citizen movements (Y’en a marre, Balai Citoyen, Ras-le-Bol, Ca suffit, Iyina…) join with rights NGOs, trade unions or faith-based organisations to defend the right to freely choose their leaders.
In this confrontation with power, people sometimes take great risks. But we don't talk about it enough. For us it is time for a new alliance between citizens of Africa, Europe and elsewhere, for a new stage: to obtain and keep alive democratic elections.
The original idea to launch an international campaign to defend and promote alternation in Africa came from civil society actors in Congo.
The founding call was then born from the meeting between associations and intellectuals from Africa (Senegal, DRC, Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Burkina Faso…) and Europe (France, Belgium…). A Senegalese historian is the main author. The first signatories are mainly from Africa (17 countries) and Europe (6 countries): more than 100 associations and trade unions; about fifty intellectuals and artists (including Achille Mbembe, Edgar Morin, Valentin-Yves Mudimbe, eva Joly, Bertrand Badie, Olivier de Schutter, Pierre Rosanvallon, Abderrahmane Sissako, Monique Chemillier-Gendreau, Smockey, Noam Chomsky...).
In a more concrete way, you can support :
- Web-TVs in Niger and Gabon
- Fight against corruption in Congo and Guinea
- Formation to numeric security in Tchad or Togo
- Election monitoring mobile applications
- Emergency funds to help arrested members
- The house of the citizen and democracy (place of life and training of citizens and NGOs)
We need your support.
Support us by donating to : Tournons La Page (via helloasso.com)
The International Secretariat remains available to answer your questions : contact@tournonslapage.org
