Re-Imagining Education as a Pathway to Peace in Africa

Overview & Synopsis

Now more than ever, it is important to recognize the immensely important role that mental health and peace education play in learning and educational outcomes. Too much time and resources are wasted on peacebuilding processes that do not last and so many lives have been lost in conflicts that could have been prevented if education was used to foster positive mindsets with children. Since its founding in 2018, the Afrogiveness Movement (coined from "Africa" and "forgiveness") has striven to stem the tide of conflicts in Africa by optimizing Cameroon's education systems such that it produces peace agents and not war mongers. Afrogiveness has improved learning and educational outcomes for 2,000 mentally traumatized students from conflict-affected communities, who otherwise may have fallen prey to the dragnets of violent extremism and juvenile delinquency. It is the authors hope that, by reading this article, education stakeholders across Africa will become intentional about using education for peace.