9. Dream Time: Developing a Road Map and Assessing the Needs
In indigenous Australian mythology, ‘Dreamtime’, or the ‘Dreaming’, refers to the time of creation.
‘Dreaming’ also refers to a persons or group’s set of beliefs or spirituality. In the indigenous Australian
world view, the ‘dreaming’ provides people with their origin and their past. It is the body of
knowledge that guides Australian aboriginal societies.
For the purpose of the meeting, use of the term ‘Dream Time’ has the dual connotation of the
meaning of ‘dreamtime’ of the indigenous Australian world-view and of ‘blue sky thinking’ which
induces thinking without any restriction.
This session was therefore titled ‘Dream Time’ to create an atmosphere where ideas are put forward
without limits and restriction to help determining a common programme of work that participants will
aspire to. With this in mind, participants were encouraged to visualise what would be the course of
action and thoroughly identify what would be their needs if they were to develop a BCP. For those,
who had already developed a BCP or were in the process of developing one, they were asked to
focus on the next steps in their process and what they would need to achieve them.
Dream Time: BCP Initiative Draft Roadmaps
The participants were divided in three
groups to develop a ‘Dream Time BCP
Project’, discuss the kind of support
needed and plan the various activities
to be implemented over the next
months to achieve this. Participants
were also invited to indicate areas
where they could provide any relevant
learning
support,
knowledge
or
expertise in others within the BCP
Initiative Network. Each group used
different methodologies to elaborate
their ‘Dream Time BCP Project’ and
selected a speaker to present their
work. Detailed project plans can be
found in Annex 2 of this report.
Group n°1: Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso and Congo
The first group developed a ‘Dream Time BCP Project’ related to the conservation of the Shea Tree
and the sustainable well-being of the communities that are dependent on this resource in Ghana,
Benin, Burkina Faso and Congo. The objectives of the project were stated as follows:
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Engage and empower communities so that they realise they have the capacity to manage
and protect the Shea Tree
Raise awareness about the role of communities in the conservation and the sustainable use
of the Shea Tree
Get the private sector and local governments to recognise the rights of the communities to
protect the Shea Tree
Inform national policy and political framework to regulate Shea activities in the different
countries affected by the project for a fairer share of the benefits
Increase communities’ income generated from the Shea industry
The BCP development process will use an endogenous approach and occur in different stages and
at the pace of the community. Particular attention will be placed on (i) the fair and equitable share
of the benefits generated from the Shea to the communities and (ii) land related issues; as land
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