THE RELEVANCE OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS IN PEACEBUILDING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT (THE CASE OF THE CAMEROON ANGLOPHONE CRISIS): A PHILOSOPHICO-ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

All races are gifted with a unique nature and ways of knowing things (Anyanwu, K. C. & Ruch, E. A. 1981). Based on the above premise, it is clear that concepts like knowledge, language, religion, emotions, perceptions and some other ideas make African epistemology or indigenous knowledge distinct and unique. The idea of African indigenous knowledge or African Epistemology is thus based on the fact that to know, to speak the truth, to validate reality and indeed rationality can be understood and interpreted using African categories and concepts provided by the African cultural and traditional experiences without recourse to Western or any other conceptualization. K. C. Anyanwu and E. A Ruch put it simply that the idea of African Indigenous knowledge stems from the fact that Africans are able to interpret and apprehend reality within the African context (Anyanwu, et.al, 1981). To this effect, is the argument that there is a distinctive African way of perceiving and reacting to the world, which falsifies the purport and long held believe of the European supremacy of their knowledge over the Africans. This article: The Relevance of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Peace and Conflict Management (The case of the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis): A Philosophico-Anthropological Perspective, explores African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) as vital frameworks for peacebuilding and conflict management, with a central particular focus on the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis. Using philosophical and anthropological lenses, it interrogates the epistemological foundations of indigenous approaches to conflict resolution and or management, situating them within a broader African cultural heritage and lived realities. The central argument in this article is that, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems rooted in communal values, restorative justice and participatory dialogue, offer sustainable alternatives to Western centered conflict management models that often fail to resonate with African socio-political contexts. The article uses comparative analysis with particular reference to the South African model of reconciliation through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Rwandan model of Gacaca courts. Both approaches show how indigenous mechanisms grounded in Ubuntu Philosophy and community-based adjudication can foster healing, accountability and reintegration after violent conflict. These case studies provide a lens through which the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis can be re-examined, highlighting the potential of indigenous practices such as palaver sessions, council of elders, and traditional arbitration to mediate tensions between communities and the state.

Methodologically, adopted for this article is an interpretive approach, analyzing cultural and philosophical underpinnings of African conflict resolution systems. The articles argues that peace in Cameroon requires not only political negotiation but also cultural re-rooting in indigenous epistemologies that prioritize collective harmony over adversarial confrontation. By bridging philosophy and anthropology gaps, the article underscores the relevance of AIKS in contemporary African conflicts management and or resolution, advocating for their integration into national and regional peacebuilding strategies for the end of the Cameroon Anglophone crisis, whether today or in future. Ultimately, the paper concludes that the Cameroon Anglophone Crisis cannot be sustainably resolved through external or purely legalistic interventions. Instead, a hybrid model that incorporates indigenous African approaches drawing lessons from South Africa’s reconciliation ethos and Rwanda’s community justice offers a culturally resonant pathway toward peace, reconciliation and social cohesion.