African Approaches To African Conflict And Peace Studies

This book asserts that traditional African societies depend on their tribunals to resolve their dispute. These tribunals include elders, chiefs, priest, priestesses, secret cult etc. In this book, respect is given to the position of such traditional structures as means through which virtually all-African conflicts can be transformed. This is so because African society is built on the principles of heterogeneity and close kinship, which a Hausa adage confirms as, it states "Hannunka bazai rube ba ka yasar dashi" "no matter the injury in your body you cannot cut off your hand and throw it away". Fundamentally this proverb bedrocks African approach to conflict resolution and peace building which is centered around mediation, reconciliation, adjudication, negotiation, so that at the end of the conflict, no matter how distasteful the outcome of the verdict is to any actor among the conflicting parties, they are expected to forgive each other and come back to the society and live a normal and harmonious life. This book suggests that engaging these principles can help transform African conflicts from its destructive tendencies to a constructive one.