Etude socio-anthropologique sur les sources endogènes de dialogue et de paix contre le terrorisme au Burkina Faso
Project Leader:
- Dr. Désiré Boniface Somé
Project summary:
Socio-anthropological study on indigenous sources of dialogue and peace, as means in fighting terrorism in Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, terrorism has created a dangerous social situation. According to the UN, the number of persons who lost shelter due to the internal conflict reached 843,329 in April 2020. Today, nearly 1,000,000 inhabitants are dispatched throughout the country and the number of casualties amounts to more than 2,000. In the current context of terrorism, communities are being perceived as passive participants, sometimes even as perpetrators or accomplices of terrorism. Therefore, they often become objects of repressive measures which cause further incomprehension, frustration, and indignation. In fact, one of the obstacles, to this fight against terrorism effects, lies in the fact that institutions are having great difficulties in mobilizing community members and setting up active and effective collaboration.
The results of this research will help in understanding the way terrorism is perceived und depicted in population and, above all, to manage this crisis through revealing their socio-cultural heritage. The aim is to give the population a voice to identify their fears, the meaning of terrorism and the behaviours linked to it. The affected populations will have a chance to say what terrorism represents for them, what are its causes, its manifestations, and its consequences. The study will help in identifying all types of violence, the participants in it, and all the traumas suffered by the victims, particularly women, children, and the
elderly. The focus will be on the indigenous sources of resilience in the face of terrorism, as well as on griots as repositories for ancestral memories, tradition, customs, and habits. These griots live in communities where terrorism is rampant and continue to play an important role in them. A comparison will be made simultaneously with the situation in Nigeria. The study results can be used by several involved parties.