Inter-Communal Relationship and Skills used in resolving Inter-Communal Conflicts

First, Communal relationship is the in which two people, groups or countries behave towards each other or deal with one another.

Then Intercommunal Relationship is the interaction which exists between individuals, groups, organizations, etc. that share social interests, goals, aspirations and feelings in a given area or place. There are various levels of inter-communal relationship and they are; rural, urban, national and international levels.

1) Rural Level- at the rural level, there are socio-cultural, economic and political interactions within and outside rural communities in some of the following ways;

(a) inter-communal trading activities.

(b) Marriage.

(c) Disputes over farmlands.

(d) Clashes which may result in death of many people.

(e) Cultural festivals.

(f) Co-operation in the provision of social amenities.

(g) Struggle for power and community leadership.

2) Urban Level-

(a) Supply of agricultural products such as yam, cocoyam, cassava, rice, beans, vegetable, plantain, palm oil, etc. to urban areas.

(b) Supply of cheap labour from rural areas to urban areas.

(c) Urban areas develop modern building plans which are copied by the rural people.

(d) Urban areas return finished products like beverages, electronics, automobiles, textiles, etc. to the rural area.

3) National Level- at the national level, inter-communal relationships exist among various subdivisions of the country. E.g.

(a) Trading activities across the state boundaries take place in products like; palm oil, groundnut, vegetable, rice, beans, yam, etc.

(b) Marriage Relationship take place across different ethnic groups, this promotes understanding, national integration and unity in diversity.

(c) National Sports Festivals and carnivals bring different ethnic groups and states to a common environment devoid of politics. Participation cuts across ethnic groups based on relevant skills.

4) Inter-relationship Between Nations and International Communities- Different nations make up the world community, so as rural and urban communities need one another for survival so do countries of the world need one another.

Independent nations of the world are all in a relationship known as interdependence of nations which was borne out of the fact that no nation is self-sufficient.

Nations have what another nation do not have and need what the nation has while the other nation needs what the nation in question has. This brought about the need for exchange of human and material resources among countries of the world.

Some examples of International relationships are as follows;

(a) the United Nations Organization (U.N.O)

(b) Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

(c) African Union (AU)

(d) the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

SKILLS FOR RESOLVING INTER-COMMUNAL CONFLICTS

In order to bring the society to normalcy, the following skills are applied: Dialogue, Mediation, Conciliation, Grassroots community based activities, Good Governance and Communication.

1) Dialogue: dialogue is a formal discussion between two groups or countries, especially when they are trying to solve a problem and a dispute. Dialogue can be in the form of Negotiation and Collaboration. Negotiation is a structured process of dialogue between conflicting parties about issues in which their opinions differ. While Collaboration is a process in which parties to a conflict work together on their own to resolve to resolve problems through constructive dialogue, projects like sharing of community schools and health centers, bridges, markets, etc. collaboration helps to build trust, confidence and mutual respect and it can take Inter-personal, Group, Community National, Regional and International levels.

2) Mediation: mediation refers to any process for resolving disputes, quarrels, problems or misunderstanding in which another person helps them negotiate a settlement.

Types of Mediators

(a) Social Network Mediators- social network mediators are individuals or groups who share common values or interests in relationship with the disputing persons.

(b) Authoritative Mediators- these are persons who control resources or means which the parties in conflict value so much. They occupy positions of relative importance and power with disputing parties within the organization.

(c) Independent Mediators- these are neutral individuals, groups or organizations that have no vested interest on any of the issues in conflict. They are experts and professionals in conflict resolution.

3) Conciliation: conciliation is a third party activity which covers intermediary efforts aimed at persuading the parties to a conflict to work towards a peaceful solution. It involves persuasion.

4) Good Governance: this implies running of the affairs of government in a positive and progressive manner that the citizens will benefit from. Inter- communal relationship is best maintained when there is even development and widespread of infrastructural needs of the masses.

5) Grassroots Community Based Activities: festivals like the new yam festival among the Igbos, argungu fishing festival among the hausa/fulanis all of Nigeria, etc. helps to strengthen peace and unity among the people,# thereby promoting positive inter-communal relationship.

6) Communication: mutual exchange and sharing of information can help to remove doubt or suspicion and contribute to the process of confidence building. Poor or absence of communication can lead to misinterpretation of the needs and feelings of one another and provoke negative feelings and ill will.

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As you all writers can see even to my sight this is a Nigerian-based article. The "argungu fishing festival" and "Hausa/fulani" are all Nigerian terms.

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