UNESCO International Congress on Culture and Sustainable Development

Transcription

1 UNESCO International Congress on Culture and Sustainable Development THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN PEACE AND RECONCILIATION Emmanuel H. Bombande Executive Director- WANEP

2 The Role of Culture in Peace and Culture is the system of meanings, beliefs, values and behaviors shared by communities which guide how the world is perceived This understanding of culture underpins the role of culture in Peace and This understanding also addresses key cultural assumptions that inform peace and reconciliation efforts

3 The Role of Culture in Peace and Two key assumptions from an African cultural context: 1. There is always a connection with the past(ancestors), the present and the future 2. Interpretations that are subjective are significant and in many cases have more credence than what is objective

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5 The Role of Culture in Peace and Culture is not static but dynamic. Cultural differences should not be obstacles but starting points for creativity in the search for peace and reconciliation However, individual and collective narratives influence the context, worldviews and therefore the cultures of different communities.

6 The role of culture in peace and reconciliation The role of culture in peace and reconciliation recognizes the significance of creating safe and enabling spaces for the different narratives of different cultures to engage in processes of genuine and meaningful dialogue. The West African context for example has been shaped by some of these narratives of the past

7 The Role of Culture in Peace and Empires and conquests Slave trade: victims and benefactors History of colonialism and attendant consequences Diverse history of independence struggle History of coup d'états and unconstitutional change of governments Structural adjustments & retarded economic growth (West Africa in the Human Development Index; Global Peace Index) Fratricidal civil wars; State failure

8 Regional integration and free movement of citizens; protocols that address issues, etc. Geography, culture and economic interdependence (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) Common sources of life (River Niger; River Volta, etc.) First ever regional early warning system in Africa for conflict prevention, mitigation and transformation.

9 Threats the highest volatility in W.A. Drug menace Youth bulge, unemployment, and Militarization Violent extremism, Armed groups, Sen egal Th e Gambi a Guinea B issau Flawed Elections Sierra Le one Guine a Libe ria Côte d Iv oire Ma li Burk ina Fa s o Ghana Togo Be nin Nige r Nige ria Ca meroon Chad Small Arms Proliferation Dysfunctional state institutions Endemic corruption

10 The Role of Culture in Peace and Any peacebuilding and reconciliation effort that is not anchored on the cultural context of the communities afflicted by conflict is bound to be unsustainable Whereas external support to peace and reconciliation efforts is critical, such support must be undergirded by an intuitive cultural knowledge of the communities requiring such support.

11 The Role of Culture in Peace and The application of alien conceptual frameworks developed in academic institutions that have not be acculturated in specific conflict contexts often exacerbates protracted inter and intra communal conflicts Local ownership of peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts is therefore critical. No external support can replace this.

12 The role of culture in peace and While the threats to peace can be overwhelming, regional leadership in West Africa through ECOWAS is confronting and responding to these threats The complimentary role and support of the larger international community is very important. Such support however must recognize the role, the collective decisions of the regional leaders

13 Established 28 May Member States Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Cote d Ivoire The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Liberia Mali Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo Mauritania* 13

14 Responding to a New Generation of Internal Conflicts 1. Prolonged civil wars in the West African sub region ü Liberia ( , 2003) ü Sierra Leone ( ) ü Guinea Bissau (1998,2003, ) ü Cote d Ivoire ( , ) ü Mali (2012- ) 2. ECOMOG deployed in all conflicts above. 3. The West African sub region hosted three separate UN Peace Keeping missions

15 The Role of Culture in Peace and At community levels within different nation states, similar responses are evident In Nigeria on the Plateau State, the ethnic groups of Fulanis and Beroms on 5 th May resolved to work together through reconciliation efforts for peaceful co- existence This followed a series of dialogue efforts in which leaders shared their narratives and grievances

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17 The Role of Culture in Peace and In one of the most protracted conflicts in the Northern Region of Ghana, the Abudu and Andani Royal gates in the Dagbon Traditional Area resolved to reconcile and amicably settle all conflicts amongst themselves This example underscores the role of culture in peace and reconciliation. It is a conflict about chieftaincy within the same ethnic group.

18 The role of culture in Peace and The process of the search for peace and reconciliation is mediated through traditional approaches and led by the Ashanti King from the Akan ethnic group. Though traditional in character in a particular region, the threat to national peace is real because a fault line of the conflict is also political between the two main groups and two main political parties.

19 The role of Culture in Peace and Culture in peace and reconciliation is even better appreciated when the design of dialogue processes nurture new narratives in communities afflicted by violence and conflict Rather than emphasize on solutions, the role of culture in peace and reconciliation understands transformation over time that sustains peace and reconciles divided communities

20 The role of Culture in Peace and The UNESCO viewpoint of imagining peace now requires an inter- agency cooperation of the UN, Governments with active Civil Society engagement to establishment National to Regional Infrastructures for peace The Infrastructures will built and sustain national capacities for peace which is urgently needed today

21 The role culture in peace Creating an Infrastructure for Peace means developing mechanisms for cooperation among all relevant stakeholders in peacebuilding by promoting cooperative problem solving to conflicts and institutionalizing the response mechanisms to conflicts in order to transform those conflicts. National-, District- and Local Peace Councils are part of such an infrastructure.