Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series

Peacebuilding Practitioners Interview Series

We know very little about the role of religion in conflict situations and peacebuilding efforts. Religion intersects with other economic, social, political, and other factors in complex ways. And faith communities are often arrayed on different sides of the same issue. In order to learn more about realities on the ground, during 2009 and 2010 the Berkley Center carried out a series of interviews with practitioners in Africa. During summer 2009, research assistants Ilan Cooper and Jason Klocek conducted a series of interviews with key figures in South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sudan. During summer 2010, research assistants Consuelo Amat and Christopher O'Connor conducted a series of interviews with key figures in Nigeria and Kenya.

The first set of interviews focuses on the role or religious actors in transitioning societies in four case study examples: Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, and Sudan. The initial interviews would not have been possible without the assistance of local partners: the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa and Propaz in Mozambique. The second set of interviews focuses on peacebuilding in the quest for good governance, particularly across religious and ethnic boundaries. This project was funded and sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, the Georgetown University Conflict Resolution Program, and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa.