OGELE started one bright spring day in Stadtschalining, Austria. Stadtschlaining, a sleepy town of 800 in Austria's Burgenland, unites peace enthusiasts from all walks of life and from all over the globe to further their knowledge and understanding of peace studies and conflict resolution at the European University Centre for Peace Studies (EPU). It was there that The OGELE Team first met and saw the opportunity to globally link people for peace through the EPU's international alumni and the Internet.

Then EPU students, now alumni, we gathered around the idea of creating a space for people to use their various backgrounds, experience and expertise for furthering the common goal of peace in our localities, regions and world. In this space, people working for peace in any capacity would be given a forum to share their own experiences, enthusiasm, visions and concerns about peace and conflict. There is a great deal of strength and potential in The OGELE Team, the EPU alumni and YOU. At present, the OGELE Team consists of 8 people, spanning 8 countries in five continents. Imagine the scope of 100s of EPU alumni!

The breadth and depth of grass-root peace related news and knowledge available through the EPU alumni network is somewhat mind-boggling and becomes ever more so as more EPU students complete their studies in Stadtschlaining. We see the EPU alumni network as our primary resource for gathering and disseminating peace related news, ideas and initiatives, but remain eager for all contributions to the site. It is the motivation from which the contributions come and not the location that is critical! So be active! Be involved!

We are looking forward to working with you!

Yours in Peace,

The OGELE Team
OgeleFeatures@yahoo.com

Web Administrator: Kathryn Furlong
Internal Operations Co-ordinator: Juanita Arango
Public Relations: Lazarina Topuzova
Contents Team: Akpobibibo Onduku, Dominic Hipkins, Samuela Michilini, Tinatin Gogueliani, and Oleg Klimchuk

The OGELE is a proactive peaceful dance celebrated by the Ijaws amongst all age groups, men and women, boys and girls and the old and the young. The OGELE peaceful procession is performed as a connotation of joy, happiness and an expression of sympathy for justice and concern. The OGELE has its roots in the Ijaw nationality, the fourth largest ethnic group in the Nigerian nation state and also the most populous group in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of that African nation which lies South of the Sahara.

The word OGELE came to international limelight in the aftermath of the "Kaiama Declaration" of 11th December, 1998 and the "Operation Climate Change", when both were championed by the Ijaw Youths Congress (IYC). During this event the Ijaw Youths marched and danced the OGELE through the streets of the communities, villages, and a few cities. Through OGELE the youths peacefully expressed their collective resolve, through a traditional call , for an agenda to end the environmental devastation, economic strangulation and political marginalization that the Ijaws of the Niger Delta had been subjected to by the alliance of the Nigerian State and locally operating trans-national oil companies.

OGELE is about peace, but not tranquillity. It is about peace with action - a peace that you pursue and take ownership of. There is, therefore, a great deal of symbolism in our choice of OGELE for our name. We want our efforts to be directed to something more than just providing information on topics related to peace. We feel it is important not only to know and understand what is happening around us, but also to act on it, and through our actions, to bring about positive changes and healing in society. We have set our goals high and we are inviting you to be a part of this project.

It may be obvious from the above sections that "OGELE Voices for Peace" would not have been conceived without the forum provided by the EPU in Stadtschlaining. A forum where people working on peace from around the world are brought together in a stimulating, academic and living environment. This site, however, has been further made possible, by the generous financial support of the EPU. We, The OGELE Team would like to take this opportunity to extend our most gracious thanks to the EPU administration, especially Nicole Lieger, for their support and commitment to both The OGELE Team's endeavours and its spirit.

Thank-you.

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