Benin, 16th and 17th November 2013
Saturday, November 16th
By 5.30 pm, silent march in the streets of Cotonou, towards the Amitié Stadium (about 300 volunteers expected)
Near the stadium, a short awareness raising speech will be given, then the 300 volunteers will gather, each carrying a candle and form a “danger” traffic sign with the candles. Pictures will be taken from above for communication purposes.
At the center of the sign, musicians will start to sing the national anthem and then a French translation of Katie Makri’s song.
Sunday, November 17th
By 7.30 am, march to the Stadium (800 volunteers). This march will probably be accompanied by a fanfare, which is customary here for burials.
Then a wreath will be laid at the Stadium and Alinagnon’s Coordinator will give a speech.
Members of Alinagnon will then go to the National Hopital (CNHU) to present 10 victims (young men and women suffering from cranial trauma) with a grant to help them pay for necessary surgery, which they could otherwise not afford.
Mathieu Letellier letellier.m@gmail.com
WORLD DAY 2013 REPORT
On 17th November occurred both the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and the African Day for Road Safety.
ALINAGNON and its partners HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL and the National Centre for Road Safety (CNSR) created several events in COTONOU to celebrate this special Day.
On Saturday, 16th November, more than 300 ALIGNANON volunteers marched to the Amitié Stadium. Each one of them was carrying a “light of hope” in memory of road traffic victims. Then, they gathered and formed a gigantic illuminated”Danger” road sign to warn the general public about road safety issues.
On Sunday, 17th November, a procession of more than 800 people crossed the city. Accompanied by a fanfare, they demanded more safety on Beninese roads.
Authorities laid a wreath in memory of the victims and gave speeches about the need for improved road safety in Benin. Artists came and sung to make the event joyful, respecting African ways of mourning the departed.
Eventually, medical equipment was given to the National Hospital. Ten road victims also reseived grants to help them face financial difficulties due to medical fees resulting from road crashes.
All these events were covered by the national media.
PDF: benin-alinagnon-report-wdr-2013
