PEACE EDUCATION AS FOUNDATION FOR PEACE BUILDING IN NIGERIA

Being text of a paper presented at the 1^st National Annual Conference of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) holding at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, June, 15-18, 2008 with the theme: “Consolidating Democracy through Peace Building and Collective Security.”

Introduction

Peace is often considered as the fundamental basis of stability, progress and development in human societies. Peace connotes tranquility, psychological consonance, physical and environmental stability and the sustenance of enabling circumstances that guarantee freedom from all sources of all individual and societal instability.

Peace is an ideal that individuals and societies continue to pursue with different degrees of attainment. Societies develop in peace, cultures promote peace, religions uphold and cherish peace and individuals prosper in peace. That notwithstanding, we know that there could hardly be a society where total and absolute individual and societal peace exist.

The alternative to peace is chaos, instability, upheavals, violence and in extreme cases, war. But, this is not to suggest that peace simply means the absence of war. Peace can be viewed from different perspectives. Scholars and activists have defined the concept and practice of peace with variations. For instance, the concept could be looked at from the philosophical, sociological, political, religious and even commonsense perspectives.

But from whatever perspective, peace is an important element that receives attention from every sector in the society. Thus, in this paper, our concern is on the role of peace education in the building and sustenance of peace in Nigeria. Without doubt, Nigerians and Nigeria need to strengthen the existing basis of peace in the country to reduce drastically any form of “peacelessness” which tend to defeat, and in some cases, reverse our progress in the land.

Understanding Peace

There are variations in the understanding and definition of peace. For example, to the philosopher, peace is a natural, God-given state of human existence without the corruptive tendencies of man. For the sociologists, “peace refers to a condition of social harmony in which there are no social antagonisms. In the case of the political science student, peace is “a political condition that makes justice possible.”

Operationally, Ibeanu (2004) has described peace as a “process involving activities that are directly or indirectly linked to increasing development and reducing conflict, both within specific societies and in the wider international community”. The scholar further submits that to understand peace, we need to note that it:

• relates to existing conditions, rather than an ideal state or condition;
• is a dynamic process and it is possible to identify the factors that drive it;
• is not a finished condition, or said differently, it is never finished;
• increases and decreases depending on objective socio-economic and political conditions;
• can be measured as it increases or decreases; and
• is not a linear, unidirectional process, instead it is complex and multifaceted.

Another scholar defines peace “as the absence of war, fear, conflict, anxiety, suffering and violence and about peaceful coexistence” (Francis, 2004). To him, peace connotes: the absence of war, presence of justice and development; existence of respect and tolerance among and between people; maintaining a balance with the ecosphere and quite importantly, having inner peace and wholeness.

Thus, from the discussion so far, it is clear that peace is a necessary requirement for individual and societal existence. The absence of it at any level is not desired, even though several reasons may be adduced to explain the current level of ‘peacelessness’ being experienced in the country.

Daily, we are bombarded with messages from the mass media on aspects of violence and ‘peacelessness’ that pervade the society at different levels. Additionally, we are confronted with several forms of ‘peacelessness’ in interpersonal and intra/inter group relationships. Why do we experience such negative tendencies? Perhaps, that should be seen as a justification for the argument that peace is boundless, timeless and never finished. Here in Nigeria, we can easily categorise some of the major causes of “unpeaceful” situations at the individual, community and national levels.

The widely respected Norwegian Scholar, Johan Galtung (2004 ) had categorised types of violence relevant to the cause of ‘unpeaceful’ situations in settings like Nigeria. He said there could be direct violence referring to physical, emotional and psychological violence; structural violence, i.e. deliberate policies and structures that cause human suffering; and cultural violence that manifests in cultural norms and practices that create discrimination, injustice and human suffering.

He had also categorised peace into positive and negative peace. Negative peace can be equated to the absence of direct violence, war, fear and conflict at the individual, national, regional and international levels. On the other hand, there is positive peace which can be described as the absence of unjust structures, unequal relationships, justice and inner peace.

Here in Nigeria, while one can say that the country is living generally in peace, it may not however be equally valid to say that the citizens are experiencing positive peace, particularly if we consider the occasional violent outbursts in our communities and cities, deprivations, violations of human rights, violent exchanges in interpersonal relations, high rate of family squabbles, exponential rise in crime rates, etc.

Generally, we can summarise some of the major causes of “peacelessness” in the country to include:

• poor understanding of individual and collective self identities by the citizens;
• degeneration of individual and group values;
• poor/inadequate understanding and low respect for the human rights of citizens by individuals and the government;
• prevalence and persistence of poverty, deprivations and other unfulfilled needs; and
• bad governance as manifested in corruption, injustice, failure to deliver services, insecurity, etc.

Peace Education

One of the effective methods for the mainstreaming of peace in the society and indeed promoting the process of peace building is through the instrumentality of formal and informal education. After all, it is said that education is a life long learning process for the individual and the community. Currently, there are various socialisation avenues that have been widely known to engage in peace education and peace building. In so doing, individuals and communities learn about respecting alternative opinions, living in diverse settings, upholding justice and non-violence, and tolerating, understanding, accommodating and feeling for each other.

Peace education has different interpretations depending on the background and context of those making them. For instance, Raviv et al (1999) explained peace education as an issue of changing mindsets; with the hope of promoting understanding, respect, and tolerance for those considered as enemies. According to Fasokun (2004), peace education in its best form, “attempts to change the individual’s perception of the other’s collective narrative as seen from the latter’s point of view and consequently about one’s own social self, as well as come to practically relate less hatefully and more trustingly towards that collective ‘other’. From her perspective, Gumut (2004) said peace education is “the deliberate attempt to educate children and adults in the dynamics of conflict and the promotion of peacemaking skills in homes, schools and communities throughout the world, using all the channels and instruments of socialisation”. She observed that peace education concerns itself with human and social dimensions of peace. It is about the creation, sustenance and management of positive attitudes to peace among and between different levels and segments in the society.

Based on the foregoing, it is clear that, peace education, whether taught formally or mainstreamed informally is about the building and sustenance of positive attitudes and instilling of values and skills coupled with emphasis on elements of peace among the different individuals and segments in the society. Such actions may need to be done in a global perspective with total contextual relevance to the understanding of the individual. In essence, peace education is expected to yield four interrelated dispositional outcomes: accepting as legitimate the other person’s position and its implications; a willingness to critically examine one’s own groups’ actions toward the other group; willingness to experience and show empathy and trust toward the ‘other’; and a disposition to engage in non violent activities (Fasokun, 2004).

As indicated earlier, the focus of this paper is on peace education and peace building in Nigeria. It is essential, therefore, at this point to expand our understanding on the issues at stake by examining the concept of peace building. The United Nations has described peace building as a “complex and lengthy process requiring the establishment of a climate of tolerance and respect for the truth. It encompasses a wide range of political, development, humanitarian and human rights programmes and mechanisms.” Indeed, these are all elements that constitute the basis of unity and progress in the country. Therefore, it is necessary for us to strengthen the foundations for our peace building process through the inculcation of relevant skills, attitudes and knowledge for us to transform stereotypes, expand spaces of understanding, live peacefully with one another and by extension, have a peaceful nation.

Promoting Peace Education in Nigeria

Peace education could be formal or informal. But at whatever level or in whatever context, I believe that peace education in Nigeria should be strategically designed for maximum impact among the different people’s and communities. Without doubt, Nigeria needs that in her effort to develop. Thus, the strategic promotion of peace education will require the targeting of segments of the society in specific ways. For instance, we may have to identify the following segments for effective targeting based on their characteristics, contexts, relevance and possible impact. For each segment, there may be some unique gaps that may be addressed, which over time may yield positive behavioural orientations and collective peace for all. A rough segmentation may include:

• the individual
• the family
• the community
• socialisation institutions – schools, religious bodies, the media, etc
• the government and its institutions
• the country at large

The Individual

The individual Nigerian is the first and the most important target for any peace education. It is often said that the perception of the individual determines his/her state of mind and direct him/her on possible actions to take. Therefore, it is reasonable to start early enough to inculcate the values of peace in the individual within the context of his immediate and distant environments. In doing so, it is important to focus on the individual’s sense of worth, his identity, his relationships with other identities, and the nature of his/her diverse environment, gender sensitivity, empathy and a general culture of respect for the other fellow.

Identity understanding by the individual reduces the level of disquiet and anxiety and “point illuminatingly to the positive and constructive importance people tend to attach to a shared sense of history and a sense of affiliation based on this history (Sen, 2006). Unfortunately, today, many people, especially the younger elements appear to be inadequately informed about the histories of our peoples, talk less of appreciating the dynamics of relationships between the various groups in the country. In fact, the increased individualization among our citizens comes with it newer challenges of upholding positive interpersonal relationships. Thus, the foundation of peace building must start at the level of the individual, be it formally, or informally.

The Family

The family is the “primary vital cell of society”. It is the primordial school where human beings learn the ‘civilisation of love’ (Gottschalk, 1997). A critical examination of the institution of the family in the country would reveal that the family system is experiencing considerable stress characterised by squabbles, disputes, deprivations, poverty, divorces, domestic violence, abandonment and other elements of’ ‘peacelessness’ caused by human and environmental factors.

Ideally, the family is the number one informal school for educating the citizens on the virtues of peace. If parents live in peace, teach their children to learn to tolerate, respect diversity, develop interpersonal skills of negotiation, appreciate positive values, uphold the rights of their neighbours, schoolmates, etc, respect superior arguments and be responsible for the consequences of their decisions, coupled with inculcation of the sense of fairness, then we can say that the foundations of peace building are being laid in the country. But the question is: to what extent is the family institution undertaking its responsibilities in the present day Nigeria? How hospitable is the environment of the family and the larger society toward peace building in the country?

Community Level

The community provides an enlarged setting for the mainstreaming of peace education as the solid foundation for societal peace building in the country. Communities, be them physical or psychological are bound to be diverse on the basis of ideology, ethnicity, religion, economic status, political affiliations, social standing, etc. In such a complex setting, quite often with multicultural characteristics, there are bound to be frictions, caused by misunderstandings, incompatibility of values, competitive access to resources and other such discriminate elements. Therefore, in such a scenario, as we commonly have in Nigeria, it is possible that such disagreements lead to occasional breakdown of peace among individuals and in some cases, the whole community. While it may be foolhardy to assume that there can be no disagreements and conflicts in our communities, it may however be useful to know that there exist community structures that manage such occurrences and facilitate the existence of culture and climate of peace. A culture of peace interacts with other determinants of social perception and action to promote peace building in the community.

The major instruments for this type of action are generally informal. In engaging in societal peace education, the focus should be on ethics, respect for the rights of others, rejection for violent behaviours, promotion of a sense of debate and desire for the truth. Equally, communities should be encouraged to reject corruption, domesticate processes of negotiation and the downplaying of cultural ethnocentrism and relativism in diverse settings.

Socialisation Institutions

Apart from the school system and possibly the family setting, there are other institutions that play critical roles in the informal education of the individual in Nigeria. Few among these are peer groups, religious institutions, mass media, civil society, work places and similar platforms that provide effective and relaxed avenues for the inculcation of peace education in the society. Such platforms have the latitude to engage in different dimensions of peace education for peace building depending on their areas of focus. Such settings are indeed appropriate for the inculcation of positive attitudes and building of skills on issues of ethics, negotiation, respect for human rights and freedoms, fight against hunger, deprivations and poverty to create a ‘peaceful’ environment and reduce the sources of “peacelessness.”

Religious institutions, for instance, are exceptionally known for the promotion of peace and peace building. The two major religions in Nigeria (Christianity and Islam) are categorical in their promotion of peace even though there have been cases when differences in understanding and interpretation by adherents had led to violent disruption of peace in the country. But a careful understanding of the teachings of the two religions would show that they mean peace, promote peace and seek to build peace in the heart of man and society.

And, considering the attachment of Nigerians to their religions, there is a high chance that faith-based approach, if objectively handled can facilitate the process of bridge building, fence mending, heart warming and eventually peace building at all levels. Of course, this should be on a continuous process to achieve the desired change in the behaviour of people and sustain the culture of peace.

Equally, the mass media institution is an important pillar in the promotion of peace in the country. One can easily recount instances of peacelessness caused by the actions of the media. However, generally the media have been actively engaged in informal peace education. To this end, it can be suggested that the media be encouraged to reorient their approaches to imbibe the spirit of “peace journalism”, a concept that connotes the constructive engagement of “issues of diversity and conflict” as a continuous challenge to humanity (Albert, 2002). Advocates of peace journalism enjoin the media to reflect the dimensions of peace objectives in the content of their outputs through “balanced news coverage, positive education of people about what is going on in the divided society, controlling dangerous rumours and providing a trusted source of information for all…”( Albert, 2002).

Other platforms like the civil society and work places are reliable avenues for continuous mainstreaming of peace education for peace building in the country. What may be desired is for them to have a clear understanding of their expected roles in the enthronement of the culture of peace and rejection of all actions and inactions that undermine peace in the behaviour of individuals and society.

Government

Government is the general custodian of the society that creates the enabling environment for peace to flourish. Equally, government through its policies can undermine peace of individuals and the society at large.

Government policies can promote peace, achieve inner contentment for the citizens and in the obverse, government policies and practices can lead to deprivations, disappointments, frustrations and general despondency among the citizens with the general tendency of making them unnecessarily aggressive and peaceless. The government at all levels have significant roles in peace education as promoter of the concept, sponsor of the efforts and creator of the enabling environment where rights of citizens are respected, sources of poverty, deprivations and other unfulfilled needs addressed for the inner contentment of the citizens and the building of societal peace.

Characteristics of Peace Education

From any angle one looks at it, peace education is geared towards peace building with the following characteristics. According to Fasokun (2004), these characteristics are:

• speaking for a purpose;
• listening attentively and reflectively;
• promoting self esteem, dignity for oneself and respect for the feelings and rights of others;
• speaking about oneself instead of the other person; and
• understanding possible barriers for effective communication and how to diffuse them.

Imparting Peace Education

Peace education is an on-going and life-long learning process. It could be disseminated formally as in the school system or informally at the family or community levels .In the school system, elements of peace education are incorporated and taught as part of existing curriculum of subjects at the different levels. Generally, the objectives of peace education in the school focus on increasing the knowledge of the recipients, helping them to develop positive attitudes and acquire the skills to become peace builders in life (Gumut, 2004). It must also be emphasized that school children at whatever levels should be exposed to histories in the country to further strengthen their sense of appreciation of the dynamics of existence within the Nigerian landscape. At the informal levels, which offer wider platforms for peace education, the process is multifaceted, less organized but quite effective in the gradual building of peace in the society.

Conclusion

Peace is a necessary ingredient in the survival and development of societies. It is never finished or ended. As such, conscious or deliberate efforts may be required to inculcate the attitude, spirit and skills of peace and peaceful coexistence for the enthronement and sustenance of the culture of peace in a diverse and conflict prone society like Nigeria. Therefore, it is recommended that the country adopts and strengthens existing strategies of peace education, both formally and informally, to expand the opportunities of peace building and reduce the threats of “peacelessness” in the Nigerian nation. All of these can only occur in an enabled environment that is sensitive to the identities of individuals, address their unfulfilled needs and promote their human rights in a just environment. To paraphrase the late Shehu Usman Danfodio, a country can survive in irreligiousity but it cannot survive in prolonged injustice.

References

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Fasokun, T. O. (2004). “Cultural Values, Peace Education and Adult Education: Issues and Perspectives.” Paper delivered at the 1st Annual NNCAE Conference.

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Galtung, Johan (1996) Quoted in Francis, J. D. (2004). “Peace and Conflict Studies: An African Overview of Basic Concepts.” In Best, S. D. (ed.) Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies in West Africa. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd.

Gottschalk, M. (ed) (1997). The Family Revolution. Princeton: Scepter Publications.

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Raviv, M. et al. (1999) Quoted in Fasokun, T. O. (2004). “Cultural Values, Peace Education and Adult Education: Issues and Perspectives.” Paper delivered at the NNCAE Conference.

Sen, Amartya (1999). Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.

Sen, Amartya (2006). Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. New York: W. W. Norton.