Titre
Inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize: Spotlighting Faith-based Peacebuilders in Nigeria
Domaine
Other
Auteur.e.s
Mahamadi OUEDRAOGO
Djamal Dine DIASSO.
Résumé
This article examines the Commonwealth’s role in peacebuilding, using the inaugural
Commonwealth Peace Prize awarded to Nigerian grassroots actors as an example. It is anchored
in the theory of Conflict Transformation to demonstrate that while conflict cannot always be
avoided among adherents of different religions, it can be transformed and leveraged to
strengthen interfaith peace and social cohesion, as exemplified by Imam Dr. Muhammad
Nurayn Ashafa and Rev. Dr. James Movel Wuye, the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize
winners. These Nigerian religious leaders were awarded this prize for their longstanding
contribution to the promotion of interfaith dialogue and reconciliation. This article draws on
document analysis to argue that the Commonwealth’s symbolic recognition of these religious
actors reflects its growing commitment to peace initiatives and highlights a local initiative,
which can have a global impact. Through this case study, the article demonstrates how the
Commonwealth can act as a transnational facilitator of religious pluralism by identifying,
supporting, and spotlighting grassroots faith-based initiatives that promote religious harmony.
Numéro
1 (12 - 2025)
