African virtues in the pursuit of conviviality : exploring local solutions in light of global prescriptions / edited by Yntiso Gebre, Itaru Ohta and Motoji Matsuda.

"In collaboration with the Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Japan"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part one. Conceptual and Contextual Issues -- 1. Introduction : achieving peace and coexistence through African potentials / Yntiso Gebre, Itaru Ohta and Motoji Matsuda -- 2. The potentials of African customary law : reflections on concepts, values, and knowledge generation / Yntiso Gebre -- 3. New challenges for African potentials in mediating conflicts : the case of Turkana, northwestern Kenya / Kennedy Mkutu and Augustine E. Lokwang -- 4. Negotiating statehood : handling the crises of South Sudan / Samson S. Wassara and Eisei Kurimoto -- part two. Lived experiences of overcoming challenges -- 5. The Fambul Tok ('Family Talk') Project : a hybrid attempt for local transitional justice in Sierra Leone / Kyoko Cross -- 6. National integration, political violence, and people's livelihoods : conflicts and coexistence in rural Kenya / Motoki Takahashi and Masashi Hasegawa -- 7. Human-environment relations in Gedeo Area, Ethiopia : links between world views, environmental values, and livelihood strategies /Senishaw Getachew -- 8. African chiefs in the global era : chieftaincy titles and Igbo migrants from Nigeria / Hisashi Matsumoto -- 9. The power to speak, listen, and negotiate in the local meetings of Africa : the palaver of the Bakongo, clan gathering of the Borana, and Bridewealth negotiation of the Turkana / Itaru Ohta -- 10. Everyday Knowledge and practices to prevent conflict : how community policing is domesticated in contemporary Kenya / Motoji Matsuda -- part three. Perspectives for the future -- 11. ZAIRAICHI (Local Knowledge) as the manners of co-existence : encounters between the Aari Farmers in southwestern Ethiopia and the 'other' / Masayoshi Shigeta and Morie Kaneko -- 12. Incompleteness and conviviality : a reflection on international research collaboration from an African perspective / Francis B. Nyamnjoh -- 13. Revisiting indigeneity : African potentials as a discourse for sustainable development in Africa / Edward K. Kirumira -- 14. The universality of humanity as an African potential / Michael Neocosmos.

African societies have rich histories, cultural heritages, knowledge systems, philosophies, and institutions that they have shaped and reshaped through history. However, the continent has been repeatedly portrayed negatively as plagued by multitudinous troubles: famine, conflict, coup, massacres, corruption, disease, illiteracy, refugees, failed state, etc. Even worse, Africans are often viewed as incapable of addressing their problems on their own. Based on such erroneous perspectives and paternalism, exogenous solutions are prescribed, out of context, for African problems. This book sheds light on the positive aspects of African reality under the key concept of 'African potentials'. It is the product of sustained consultation over a five-year period between seasoned African and Japanese anthropologists, sociologists and scholars in other areas of African studies.

Print version record.

Master record variable field(s) change: 072, 082, 650 - OCLC control number change