The Role of Traditional Rituals in Conflict Management

For over two decades, northern Uganda has been at the epicentre of the most violent conflict waged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels against the Government of Uganda. The LRA has been using some traditional and Christian rituals in its war. The LRA conflict has evolved and has had regional security implications to the Great Lakes of Africa. In this book, the author examines whether integrating context specific indigenous ritual elements into contemporary conflict management approaches would address the characteristically ritualistic LRA conflict. Using the case of the Acholi of northern Uganda, the author critically examines the efficacy of indigenous rituals in conflict transformation. The major findings revealed that some Acholi indigenous rituals have been used for generations in the management of small-scale conflicts and are perceived to be effective. Whether the indigenous rituals that are perceived as effective in the management of small-scale conflicts have the potentials of being adapted in the management of the LRA conflict remains controversial. It is through this unique lens that the book contributes to the contemporary debate on ending the LRA conflict.

Autorentext

Job is the Executive Director of Advocates for Research in Development (ARiD),a Uganda based research NGO. He is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK. Job has been working as a Research Assistant at the JEF Centre for African Studies at Bradford in research and Higher Education Partnerships projects.