Lessons from Yorùbá Mythology

Abstract

Conflict management and resolution strategies often do not pay enough attention to traditional methods emanating from local cultural traditions. Many conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa are not responsive to contemporary approaches born in the West and implemented in conflict zones across the continent. In this article I specifically focus on the myths of the Yorùbá ethnic group in Nigeria as a way to demonstrate how myths from a given society can be helpful in crafting local solutions to local conflicts. After providing a brief overview of the relationship between myth and conflict, I will summarize and analyze five Yorùbá myths that provide cultural context to the Yorùbá experience, and then conclude with some lessons that can be applied to the conflict resolution process in general.