Journal of Social Development in Africa (1998), 13,1, 29-35 
The Positive Management of Conflicts in 
West Africa 
ENDA GRAF SAHEL & RENAPOP * 
Introduction - Context 
In 1994 and 1995, two workshops were held in Dakar and N'djamena, with 
representatives from different organisations from several West African countries. 
It was here that the first steps were taken in an initiative to help those involved in 
conflicts to turn situations of tensions into educational, empowering situations, for 
themselves and others. The result of this workshop was a programme for positive 
conflict management. 
This programme is now underway in various French-speaking African countries: 
Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Chad. The programme 
structure is based on two phases: first, the formulation of an action-research phase 
within the framework of workshops (1996-97); second, the development of actionresearch 
in the process of change (1997-99). This paper outlines what has happened 
since the first phase workshop in Senegal in October 1996. 
Presentation 
Confl ict is as much a key component of change in rural and urban societies as it is 
at the heart of large organisations. Conflicts are like cross-roads where the 
contradictions which divide social groups meet. Village associations and local 
committees from all over Senegal met at Thies to discuss the possibility of utilising 
conflicts as a means of promoting change. From now on we will call these 
organisations "Popular Organisations" (PO), without specifying whether we are 
referring to urban or rural organisations. Around 20 men and women representing 
these organisations attended the workshop. Four members oiEnda GrafSahel took 
part under the same umbrella title as the other groups. 
The Senegal workshop was largely organised and led by RENAPOP (The 
National Network for the Progress of Popular Organisations). For both practical 
(infrastructure) and symbolic reasons, the workshop took place between the 30th 
September and the 4th October in the National Institute for Rural Development 
(which some years before became the Ecolc National Superieure d'Agriculture - 
a prestigious centre of higher learning in agricultural studies) in Thies. 
• Enda Graf Sahel is the Forum of Acting-Research Groups. Contact address: BP 
13069 Grand Yoff, Dakar, Senegal.. RENAPOP is The National Network for 
the Progress of Popular Organisations.
30 Enda GrafSahel & RENAPOP 
The workshop was preceded by several preparatory meetings. Some were 
purely technical or logistic (choosing location, division of labour, research 
materials, establishing budgets), whilst others were more philosophical in their 
outlook. After these meetings, the organisers identified several objectives, some of 
which were of a more general character (medium- to long-term) and others which 
were more specific to the workshop (short-term). The key objectives were: 
• Discovering ways of dealing with conflict within popular organisations: 
- how to raise the issue and discuss it? 
- how to analyse il constructively? 
- how to use the conflict as a path towards creative change? 
• Reinforcement of the possibility of directing conflicts towards innovation and 
change. 
• Identifying ways in which conflicts could be used to reinforce RENAPOP 
through: 
- consolidation of member organisations 
- consolidation of links between organisations 
- consolidation of network dynamics. 
• Overcoming the rifts which are currently dividing urban and rural POs. 
• Creating a programme and launch a research process in RENAPOP. 
• Fostering a collective research drive. 
Methods and Basic Principles 
Each participant talked about the conflicts in which he or she had been involved. 
Participants refrained from discussing general conflicts such as disputes over land 
ownershipor inter-ethnic conflict and it was also stipulated that participants should 
not talk about 'other people's' conflicts or about situations in which they had no 
direct involvement. The tone of the discussion was, "/ will tell you about my 
conflict so that you can help me to understand it better and to progress. Then, tell 
me aboutyour conflict." Thus, the participants were sourcesof information forone 
another ("Others help me to see and to see myself in a new way"). Going around 
the table one by one gave everyone the chance to explain their situation in 20-30 
minutes. The plenary group then split into two groups of 10-12 people to discuss 
two cases of conflict in depth. In this way, the participants sought to formulate an 
approach to dealing with conflicts. Those who did not have an opportunity to
The Positive Management of Conflicts in West Africa 31 
submit their case to group examination will have acquired the skills to tackle the 
problem when they return home. 
The number of participants was voluntarily limited and we also expected a 
tailing off or reduction of numbers. A greater number of participants would have 
made the expression and examination of personal situations more difficult. 
Participants voted in favour of choosing a few cases on which the groups could 
concentrate. In the end three situations were decided on: 
• conflicts linked to health insurance in Fandcne; 
• conflicts which cause rifts in RENAPOP; 
• conflicts between Enda Graf Sahel and Popular Organisations and between 
other organisations. 
The work groups had two objectives; on the one hand, to help those involved in 
conflicts to turn a situation of tension into a situation of growth and education, and 
on the other hand, to explore the 'ins and outs' of such a process so as to achieve 
a similarly positive result. Two groups formed automatically, one to work for 24 
hours on issues facing RENAPOP, and other to work on the insurance question. 
Later in the workshop, both groups looked at conflicts between Enda Graf Sahel 
and the POs and conflicts amongst POs. 
Conceptualising Work on Conflict 
We can now see three fundamental axes for an alternative approach to social and 
political thinking, (see Table 1 over). These three axes also constitute valid fields 
of research. In the box below we have transcribed the Ouolof version (1). 
The negative phrasing of the objectives (dismantle, strip away, etc) was chosen 
because we don't want our research to be rigid and restricted. We want to smash 
the mechanisms which instrumentalise our domination, but we do not want to 
suggest in a dogmatic manner with what they should be replaced. RENAPOP 
should develop and mobilise itself around this field of research. Once one has 
eliminated the mechanisms of domination, with what does one replace them? How 
can these innovations be made into a reality? That is where individual responsibility 
comes into the picture. This research may well promote the autonony of 
individual organisations, but having no precedent with which to compare our 
situation, we fear that by replacing one mechanism with another we will, in effect, 
slip from one 'political religion' to another. 
(J) The Ouolof text in the box was debated at length by the participants. It is important to 
us that the concepts are reproduced just as they were expressed by the participants. The 
participants' translation [into French], attempts to convey their ideas as faithfully as 
possibly, although not word for word. The Ouolof script is incorrect, mainly because we 
cannot type many of the characters. Instead we made do with this phonetic translation. 
Please excuse us for any inaccuracy in the translation.
32 Enda GrafSahel & RENAPOP
Table 1: 
THREE ROUTES TOWARDS A SOCIO-POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE 
1. (i) Dismantle all mechanisms which turn differences into inequalities; 
(ii) Dismantle all mechanisms which legitimise inequalities or present them as 
"natural"; 
(iii)Dismantle all mechanisms which produce privileges on the basis of these 
inequalities. 
Toj bepp doxaliin buy tax wute yiy gu te lewwol xeebeel aid mberma 
2. (i) Strip away all mechanisms which produce exclusion; 
(ii)Develop mechanisms which promote integration. 
Toj bepp doxaliin buy indi beddi 
3. (i) Change the structure of decision-making; which implies taking control of the 
places where decisions are made about our resources and about all our lives. 
Am baat ci bepp berep bi nuy dogale sunuy mbir 
If these three research axes lead to significant innovations, many conflicts could lake on a 
constructive perspective. 
This task of dismantling mechanisms should extend to all areas of life: from the 
couple to the family, from spirituality to the church or the mosque, from the 
workshop or the field to the marketplace, to the school or to the public or private 
institutions and, of course, within our popular organisations. All of our workplaces 
and living spaces play host to the production of inequality, exclusion and poverty. 
It is in these places that research into alternatives should be carried out. Some of 
the goals for action arc discussed below: 
Breaking the mechanisms which turn difference into inequality 
We are all competent but not in the same ways and not at the same things. Each of 
us has knowledge and know-how which is of use to the rest of society. We must 
not accept mechanisms which recognise certain people as superior to others and 
which allow these people privileges as a reward. Being competent in a particular 
field docs not make one 'better' than others. An elephant may have an advantage 
over a bird, in toppling a tree, but it would be a great disadvantage when reaching 
the summit of a mountain. Natural abilities only have a social value when put into 
a social context. We must remove these mechanisms which emphasis the "inferiority/
superiority" of individuals, and replace them with a value system which
The Positive Management of Conflicts in West Africa 33 
recognises the importance and usefulness of all members of society. We are all 
equal but different. 
Destroy the mechanisms which lead to exclusion 
No one is born poor, it is the environment into which one is born which makes one 
poor. Poverty is primarily bom of the way others perceive one and the way one 
perceives oneself, and consequently, in various situations which cross one's path. 
It take many forms - material or economic poverty, cultural poverty, emotional 
poverty, symbolic poverty, spiritual poverty. What are the mechanisms which 
create ourpoverty and the poverty of those around us? Which mechanisms exclude 
some people to the benefit of others? How can we beat these mechanisms? How 
can we dismantle them, starting right here in our own organisations? 
A question of particular importance in the discussion of poverty is, "how to give 
meaning to people's lives and help them to make sense of the world around them?" 
So, existential poverty is at the heart of the problem at hand. What are the 
mechanisms which empty our lives of meaning and force us to respect and live by 
values which are alien to us, not just in our organisations, but also in other areas of 
our lives? In the course of the workshop discussion, we identified mechanisms for 
the redistribution of wealth, away from some privileged groups, which is one of the 
potentially most active and pernicious factors in the creation of inequality and 
marginalisation. 
Reinventing the role of leader, and changing the 'how' and the 
'where* of decision-making 
The function of leadership is indispensable: leaders are necessary to implement 
decisions. Not everyone is capable of performing leadership duties - who leads 
depends on the situation, the stakes, the context, the person, the circumstances. We 
are not against leaders in all their guises, nor are we against the very concept of 
leadership. For us, leadership is a social function, which should be carried out 
communally. However, we do not accept that leaders should be allowed certain 
privileges simply due to the fact that they are leaders. We do not see the role of 
leader as different to any other social function. We do not accept leaders who use 
their leadership as a shield, who monopolise decision-making, who marginalise the 
groups which they are meant to serve, or who sabotage those who may inspire 
popular creativity. We will not accept a cult of leadership. 
Our evaluation of the practices of our leaders and those in power in our 
organisations, should be seen as the first step in a global investigation into this field, 
with the aim of promoting radical change. Leaders should no longer be seen as 
'bosses,' but rather as people who carry out tasks and responsibilities and who 
execute the decisions of the group.
34 Enda GrafSahet & RENAPOP 
The wind of democracy is currently sweeping the African continent. Senegal is 
no exception. Unfortunately, it generally takes the form of a parody of an alien 
system which was developed elsewhere, in another era, which brought glory to 
other people but which is completely foreign to us. We do not reject the idea of 
democracy itself, but we do question models which have been imported from 
abroad. Democracy has no foundation or legitimacy unless it is the brain-child of 
those who practice it. Otherwise, we believe it to be a dangerous form of 
domination. Our investigation into leadership has led us to denounce pyramid 
models and the mechanisms of delegation which allow it. Leaders are not chosen 
to tell others what do do, they are chosen to execute decisions taken by others. We 
prefer horizontal models, which emphasise equality, freedom and individual 
responsibility. 
In the provinces, the dismantling of political processes was identified as an 
important step forward. In general, these processes consist of manoeuvring oneself 
into positions of power by displacing others. These days, such activities are 
characteristic of political parties whose actions end up depoliticising society. In 
reality, when everything is geared to taking over positions of power, there remains 
little in the way of time and resources for examining questions of real importance. 
As the proverb says, "The route to the throne rouses the fist, but deadens the 
heart." Political processes should question these mechanisms and they should 
develop an alternative vision of peaceful and harmonious community life. 
Enda Graf Sahel as a vehicle for socio-political alternatives. 
Aid, as a concept, embraces several contradictions and ambiguities. What gives 
some people the right to decide it necessary to intervene and offer their aid to 
others? The question underlies any criticism of aid. What motive is there to help 
others? What is the unequal basis of any aid relationship? How can this be 
avoided? 
In order to bypass these difficult questions Enda Graf Sahel chose to adopt a 
different position. Those involved in the organisation now see themselves more 
as part of a process of research and experimentation with an aim radically to change 
our society, in the manner outlined above. The relationships and programmes, 
developed by Enda Graf Sahel with other organisations, are no longer relationships 
based on aid or support, butrather alliances with a view of creating change together. 
By distancing itself form the roleof an 'aid organisation,'Enda Graf Sahel believes 
that many dead-end conflicts can be avoided. 
The conference in Thies is just one point on a continuing journey. Below is a list 
of the steps to be taken by each participant, in the months following the workshop:
The Positive Management of Conflicts in West Africa 35 
• Return home and settle back into work. 
• The identification, within the organisation, with the help of the participant, 
of a research programme based on the axes of research outline above. 
• The development of a programme of experimentation. 
• Each organisation will produce an activity report and a research report. 
Another conference date was set for later in 1997. The objectives of the workshop 
were: evaluation of each organisation's research programme; and flnalisation of 
programmes and checks to ensure that they are in accordance with the 3 axes of 
research (noted in Table 1). A few thoughts to conclude are noted in Table 2: 
Table 2: A few thoughts to conclude 
Here are a few important ideas which emerged from the workshops: 
"It's not the house which is too small, it's the occupant who has a small 
heart." 
"If there is no conflict, you do not know who you are or where you're going. 
Conflict is the gateway to true communication." 
"I'm looking for aid or education, but not for money. Money helps but 
intelligence is a real investment." 
"At present, we have an idea of what we want but we still don't know how 
to put our body and soul into the movement." 
"Our spirits recognise the novelty of what we have learnt together, but our 
hearts and bodies are lagging behind. So, the first thing we must do is adapt 
our bodies and hearts." 
"A II this research into conflicts boils down to an in vesligation into our ways 
of life and our practices, for it is these which cause conflicts." 
"What unites us is research aimed at change (gestu ngir sop i). The only 
thing which can bring about that change is logic (sop i doxalin)." 
"We have been to school and some of us have even been to college, but our 
heads were filled with rubbish. Because of this rubbish we are now unable 
to think or reason freely. Our problem is removing all of this rubbish from 
our brains, which is one of the results of this research with which we have 
become involved." 
"Change does not come about by itself, it is often born out of pain. This 
research should help us to find ways of changing without leaving ourselves 
hungry."