The Source Of Major Crisis in Africa

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African peace institutions before the advent of slave trade and colonialism do not seek to pronounce judgment, it instead solves the problems that generated the conflict. Unlike courts which only pronounce judgment for or against, without solving the problems.

The source of the major crisis in Africa can be traced to court judgment which the people of Africa doesn't trust or respect. In fact, most crisis in Africa today can be traced to unsolved conflicts judged by the court of law whereby making the conflicting parties permanent enemies. In Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, they used to say, "A ki to ko tu de se ore", which means that, we don't return from court and remain friends. Since war begin in the heart of men, the court judgment which placed a permanent enmity in the heart of Africans not only begin the war, but constantly add more parties to escalate it. This is the result of crisis we are witnessing is a long and short term, rocking the continent.

To under stand me better, before the advent of slave trade and colonialism, Africa had well established mechanism for peace education, peace building, peace making, conflict monitoring, conflict preventing, conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict transformation which ensure that no conflict is left unsolved from its source to prevent further crisis, they give justice to whom it due which every party would accept not in good faith, but in accepting the blame if guilt and apologizing and embracing the offended party.

But African mechanism for peace and indigenous institution was destroyed and truncated. Slave trade on one hand not only encouraged intra tribal conflict, but also inter ethnic conflict, because every tribe are struggling to capture slaves to sell to the slave masters, whereby capturing each other for sell, and colonialism on the other hand portrayed everything African as barbaric and incapable of serving any good purpose in life, our peace institution which resolve issues amicable was destroyed and replaced with courts.

Till today, African don't trust court judgment, we don't respect it. Even if it was given and accepted, it was accepted not because we are ready to live with it and embrace each other, but because we are waiting for next option to pursue since we do not perceive it as fair. The African leaders must therefore look into this issue and reform various constitutions to suit the African life style where everyone is free to live and embrace each others for peace and unity.

- Abdul AOH

[Jobbers]