By Morgen Makombo Sikwila
The use of sports for peace-building has gained unprecedented attention since the first decade of the twentieth century.
Identifying in sports a set of arguably unique characteristics that facilitate the advancement of development and peace work, a wide array of peace-promoting institutions, sports, federations, civil society, transnational organizations and governmental agencies have enthusiastically (and sometimes) uncritically advocated the benefits of sports as a vehicle for social transformation.
In the developing world, a growing number of social interventions are aimed at fulfilling specific goals via sports.
Identifying in popular cultural expressions such as music, arts, poetry and sports a unifying factor and a point of commonality between peoples and cultures, peace work is being enhanced by the incorporation of these expressions into formalized political and informal grassroots processes of peace-building.
Peace theorists point out that building peace should not be an exclusive concern of political elites and military institutions, but rather, it must incorporate the voices of those at the margins of society and integrate innovative ways to understand, perceive and tackle conflict.
Along these lines, cultural expressions such as the arts and sports have emerged as tools to engage community members to “liberate their minds” and encourage their “imaginative power” in order to fruitfully deal with with situations of conflict and foster peace.
Sports are not just physical activities regulated by norms and values, but rather, they are understood as a wider cultural expression that may bring people by a serving as a denominator between communities who can, in the best case, actively mobilize in the name of peace.
Sports-based interventions can support rehabilitation and healing through psychosocial support and treatment. This has been the case in communities experiencing armed conflict- such as Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone-where sports have been incorporated into social programs as well as refugee camps as a method to treat the physical and psychosocial wounds of victims of war.
In rebuilding, construction and upgrading of physical structures damaged during conflict provides citizens with a sense of normality and security. In Afghanistan, for instance, the national stadium, a former site of executions during the Taliban’s rule, was rapidly repaired and reopened to the public after the American intervention in the country.
In restructuration, sports interventions can facilitate the building of relationships; fostering social inclusion and strengthening inter- and intra community ties. Sports programs can aid the process of reculturation through the establishment of sports tournaments and leagues based on accepted cultural regulations.
The process of reconciliation aims at (re) building positive relations between enemies who have formerly between both victims and perpetrators. Sports tournaments and festivals that integrate groups that have been in conflict can contribute to building more positive environments by helping community members regain a sense of Ubuntu, normalcy and security.
By using sports as a pedagogical tool to promote healing and intercultural understanding and by involving participants in talks, discussions and trainings on peace education during and after games, as well as fostering, via sports competitions, formal and informal relationships between antagonistic groups builds relationships.
Sports training and competitions can benefit resolution as they provide a controlled environment where participants can be taught about resolving conflict.
Rituals as a way to transform relations among communities that may have been disrupted due to violent conflict. A ritual can take the form of a dance, a ceremony, a meal or other communal activity, including games and sports.
The extent of which sports can contribute to peace-building encompasses assisting people to rehumanize each other through its ritual ceremonies and ethics of fair play and sportsmanship; rebuild relations in the organization and conduct of events and build web and relations at the sub-system level.
Sports-based interventions can contribute to peace at the individual level by empowering participants as they acquire specific knowledge and develop crucial skills, which may boost their self-esteem and confidence- in a way, supporting that idea that one cannot make peace with others if you are not at peace with yourself.
At community level, sports may support processes of peace-building by bridging relationships across economic and cultural divides within society, as well as building a sense of shared identity among groups and communities that may otherwise have the propensity to treat each other with hostility and distrust.
Sports and sports events can often be used as a channel to promote extreme nationalistic ideologies (and even violence).
Didier Drogba, an international soccer player from Ivory Coast, exemplifies one prominent and well- documented case of sports celebrity having an impact on a peace- building process in a war torn country.
Once acclaimed as a model of political stability and prosperity, his Western African homeland had since 1999 faced an intense social crisis with political instability that resulted in the splitting of the country into factions in 2002. Keen to contribute to a peaceful resolution of hostilities, Drogba made a public appearance pleading with combatants from both sides to lay down their arms following Ivory Coast’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
In 2007, with the occasion of a qualifying game for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations against Madagascar, Drogba supported the arrangement of a game in the then-rebel stronghold of Bouake.
The game ended with a score line of 5.0 in favour of Ivory Coast and proved to be a stepping -stone to further peace and reconciliation initiatives between opposing sides. Drogba’s efforts to consolidate a more peaceful Ivory Coast via soccer was at a time highlighted as a visible sign of hope and a momentous achievement in consolidating peace in the country.
The use of sports brings social change and peace. Sports diplomacy, which refers to the use of sports with the intervention of affecting political and diplomatic relations, is an additional area of knowledge generation on the interplay between sports and peace at the international level.
Sports events have allowed a unique space for countries experiencing political tension to explore informal channels of communication as a possible stepping-stone to normalize relations.
Sports may help those who have been involved in military conflicts by drawing them out of the routines of violence and towards more rule-governed and socially acceptable patterns of behaviour.
Sports participation may assist in bringing warring parties out of a social existence in which violence and terror are part of day-to-day experience, and into patterns of social relationship in which personal initiative and collective endeavours are rewarded in peaceful and socially accepted way.
Sports are founded upon specific laws that regulate play, thereby ensuring that participants must behave in a rule-governed way.
We must acknowledge that sports can be a tool for peace – building, but also for extreme competition and violence. The potential of sports as a tool for peace exists. Tolerance, cooperation and respect for others are also fostered through the positive interaction with others.
Sports can empower individuals and help foster self-esteem. In addition to the advantage to peace-building efforts, sports also have positive implications for health.
Through sports, values such as respect for cultures and boundaries are emphasized while also instilling other values such as discipline, hard work, teamwork and fairness. All these values can be used to promote social cohesion and prevention of conflicts amongst individuals in communities.
Morgen Makombo Sikwila
MSc Peace and Governance
BSc Counselling
Diploma in Environmental Health
Certificate in Marketing Management
email morgensikwilam@gmail.com
Phone: 0772823282
