In support of peace, from presidents to foot soldiers
The Story of ACCORD, an animated film on its history, work and impact, made for its 20th anniversary.
The need
Who they needed to reach
Governments, funders, partners and civil society organisations across Africa and around the world, and the public
What stood in the way
ACCORD's work is wide and hard to sum up. It engages presidents and foot soldiers, has changed how peacekeeping and civilian policing are done, and works closely with civil society across Africa and beyond. The UN has recognised it as a model for supporting peace. But most of that work happens quietly, in negotiations, training rooms and policy, and twenty years of it is a lot to explain to someone meeting ACCORD for the first time.
What success looked like
Anyone, from a head of state to a student, able to understand in a few minutes who ACCORD is, what it does and why it matters.
How we met the need
We told ACCORD's story as an animated journey through time. Archive photographs, hand-cut paper textures and illustrated hands piece together a map of Africa, a timeline and the many sides of ACCORD's work, from research and mediation to peacekeeping, peacebuilding and empowerment. The warm, crafted look reflects an organisation built by people, not systems.
The process
The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) began in Durban in 1992, supporting South Africa’s political transition. Twenty years later it was working across the continent and beyond: mediating between leaders, training peacekeepers and police, supporting civil society, and working with the African Union and the United Nations.
For its 20th anniversary, ACCORD wanted one film that could explain all of that to anyone. It had to work for heads of state and funders, but also for people who had never heard of ACCORD, and it had to be short.
We made it an animated journey. The film moves from ACCORD’s beginnings through a timeline of archive photographs, then opens out across the continent to show the scale of its work: the people it has trained, the countries it works in, and the many ways it supports peace, from research to peacekeeping.
The look is crafted rather than corporate. Paper textures, torn photographs and illustrated hands give the film warmth, and reflect what ACCORD’s work really is: people bringing other people together.
What the client got
20 years of peace work, explained in a few minutes
ACCORD has a short film that introduces the organisation to any audience, at its anniversary and beyond. It turns twenty years of quiet, often unseen work into a clear story of what ACCORD does and the difference it makes.
