Creating Dialogue Platforms: Transforming Post-Conflict Relationships Among the Youth Through Peace Gardening

Abstract

Zimbabwe has been characterized by political violence since pre-colonial times and consequences of such a violent history have been strained relationships, polarization and a traumatized society. The Zimbabwean youth has not been spared from these post-conflict challenges. This chapter focuses on the use of peace gardens as an avenue for opening dialogue platforms and transforming post-conflict relationships among the youth in Zimbabwe. This chapter is drawn from part of a larger research project investigating whether victims of political violence could use peace gardens for transforming their post-conflict relationships. The motivational factor for writing this chapter arose from the realization that a growing number of youth were becoming a threat to peace and security in the country. The chapter is underpinned by Alport’s Contact Theory which promotes the concept of equal status, cooperation, and common goals in enhancing grassroots dialogue platforms. This is a qualitative study based on data generated through focus groups, interviews, and the available literature on youth empowerment and peacebuilding. The research findings from this study revealed that politics and elections are the main causes of conflict in Zimbabwe, with hate speech and partisan politics serving as tools by which the conflict is enforced. The findings further revealed the effectiveness of the peace gardening intervention strategy in promoting youth empowerment and promoting a culture of peace by dismantling barriers of division among the polarized youth. This chapter makes contribution to scholarship in a neglected area of youth empowerment through the use of peace gardens towards broader peacebuilding. Although the results of this intervention strategy demonstrate the embedded effects of community participation, the study concludes that peacebuilding initiatives do not work like magic, considering that participants in post-conflict situations do not change their attitudes over a short period of time. The chapter therefore recommends prolonged, home-grown intervention strategies and the use of readily available resources in promoting youth empowerment and durable peace.