CAPECS-Ghana Uses Culture, Food and Dialogue to Build Resilience Against Violent Extremism

 

Culture, food and dialogue have taken centre stage in a community-based initiative aimed at strengthening inter-ethnic cohesion and building resilience against violent extremism in the Upper West Region.

The Capacity Enhancement and Community Support, CAPECS-Ghana, in partnership with Northern Sector Action on Awareness Creation (Norsaac) and with funding from Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF)  has engaged residents of Jolunyiri in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District and Nanvili in the Nadowli-Kaleo District as part of efforts to promote peaceful coexistence among different ethnic groups.

The program, Resilience to Violent Extremism in Northern Ghana (STRIVE-GH) brought together members of the Dagaaba, Sisaala and Fulbe communities, creating a platform for participants to celebrate their cultural heritage, share traditional foods, showcase their dressing and dances, and recount aspects of their respective histories with aim of  building resilience to violent extremism.

According to CAPECS-Ghana, the initiative is designed to promote mutual understanding, tolerance and respect among communities, which are considered important in preventing conflicts and strengthening community resilience against violent extremism.

At Jolunyirir, the community chief, Naa Suleman Jebeliroli, welcomed the initiative and expressed appreciation to CAPECS-Ghana for selecting the community for the engagement. “We are pleased to have been considered by CAPECS-Ghana to be part of this exercise. It will impact positively on our peace as a people,” he said.

Women from the participating communities also used the occasion to showcase traditional dishes while highlighting the cultural and health significance of locally sourced ingredients.

Madam Latifa Rashidu, speaking on behalf of the women, encouraged community members to make greater use of traditional spices such as dawadawa in their cooking. She attributed some contemporary health concerns to changing dietary habits and called on women to preserve traditional food practices. “Diseases were not many in those days, and it was because our grandparents depended on natural food. Let us copy their legacy,” she said.

Beyond food and culture, the engagement placed strong emphasis on preventing minor disagreements from developing into conflicts. A CAPECS-Ghana team member, Tietaa Zuolo Joseph, urged residents to resolve disputes early, before they escalate into violence. He said everyday interactions could sometimes generate disagreements, but communities must develop the culture of dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution. “There may be little arguments that erupt from our daily engagements, but we must do well not to allow them to escalate into violence. That is why we need to have today’s exercise,” he noted.

At Nanvili, the message of peace was reinforced through another cultural engagement involving women from the Dagaaba and Fulbe communities. The women prepared and exhibited traditional dishes while explaining the cultural and health importance of the various foods.

The Nanvili Naa, Baga Cosmas, called for a return to traditional methods of resolving disputes, where elders intervened to bring feuding parties together and restore peace. He recalled that community elders in the past would summon people involved in disagreements, encourage them to apologise to one another and restore their relationships without taking sides. “In those days, if people fought, they were summoned and asked to apologise to each other without taking sides. It is high time we went back to that practice,” he stressed.

The Project Manager of CAPECS-Ghana, Miss Museidatu Alhassan, also underscored the need for communities to preserve their cultural heritage, describing culture as an important tool for strengthening social bonds.

She, however, expressed concern about the absence of traditional dance performances during the Nanvili engagement and called on traditional authorities to create opportunities for community members to participate in cultural activities regularly. “I want to task the chiefs to set aside some days where community members will come together and perform their cultural dances and engage in other cultural activities,” she pleaded.

Meanwhile, the Fulbe chief Mr. Yaro Ibrahim, encouraged members of the Dagaaba community not to be apprehensive about intermarriage between the two ethnic groups, describing it as one of the ways communities can strengthen their bonds. “Gone are the days when Dagaaba were afraid to marry Fulbe ladies. Today, we need not be afraid to marry Fulbe,” he revealed.

Before the end of the exercise at Nanvili, Tietaa Zuolo Joseph thanked residents for their participation and urged them to become ambassadors of peace by sharing the lessons from the engagement with their families and neighbours.

Source// Vision TV