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41 
CHAPTER NINE
NON-VIOLENCE AS AN INDIGENOUS PRINCIPLE ENTRENCHED IN AFRICAN 
PEACE BUILDING PROCESSES. 
INTRODUCTION 
Non-violence philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi was rooted in the Hindu culture of India and 
that of Martin Luther King, Jr. was inspired by his deep Christian faith and African-American 
culture of the United States. The actions of these two men and their followers were not identical 
because each grew out of, and was validated by the culture and religion in which it was rooted. 
This fact gives nonviolence a creative powerful expression appropriate for the challenges of a 
specific time and place (Ayindo, Doe and Jenner, 2001). The key question this book wishes to 
respond to is whether nonviolence is an invented, imported principle or a principle that is heritage 
in the African Peacebuilding processes. 
Non-violence is not a foreign concept borrowed into the African Peace building processes. 
It is an old principle that is entrenched in the African religions, values, traditions and the people's 
experiences from time immemorial. Africa over a long period of time has evolved its own 
mechanism and institutions for managing and resolving conflicts in ways that preserved its 
societies and encourage peaceful coexistence (Best, 2006). As rightly asserted by Wanjohi J. 
(1997) in his book the wisdom and philosophy of Gikuyu
 
proverbs, the idea of nonviolence is 
valued so much in African societies that it has become integral part of the people's languages and 
their ways of life. It is entrenched in the people's culture and believes and peculiar to their different 
societies and experiences. The only thing that is new about this concept is the refinement, 
repackaging and reintroduction of what was originally African to keep up with changing times. 
In contemporary times, the traditional role of African elders in mediating conflicts and 
local skirmishes has now been elevated and borrowed into modern Peace building processes as 
Reconciliation Commissions in post conflict, the Plea Bargain and concepts of restorative justice 
in criminal justice administration and so on. Africa has been known for its strong peace traditions 
even when protesting injustice. 
Two concepts are important in our attempt to fully explore the issues raised above. These 
concepts are the subject matter of this paper. They are nonviolence and peacebuilding. A detailed 
but concise definition of the two concepts has become imperative to the understanding of the book.