Linking the Peace-loving Nature of Ghanaians to Traditional Peace Educational Practices: Myth or Reality?

Abstract

Purpose: The 2013 version of the International Day of Peace was dedicated to peace education, by way of drawing the attention of the international community to the pre-eminence of peace education as that channel of achieving the much sort for global culture of peace. Before then, many countries notably Ghana, had long been in the process of cultivating the culture of peace via the practices of peace education within the traditional setting, even if in its remotest form. In large part, Ghanaians are peace-loving people, attributable to the traditional peace education lessons that children receive from parents and the society at their formative stages. This study in examining this assertion, also seeks to determine to what extent peace educational practices in both the traditional and global senses, have shaped the Ghanaian peace-loving nature.
 Methodology: The study adopted the quantitative approach where semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 1450 randomly selected respondents across Ghana. The age range of respondents which are between 10 and 60 and above, comprise 1019 (70.3 %) males and 431 (29.7 %) females from all walks of life.
 Findings: The study while empirically evidencing that Ghanaians are peace-loving people, also established a link between this peace culture and the basic lessons children receive from parents and the society at their formative stages, about peace.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The paper calls on the government of Ghana in particular and other peace education actors in general, to work assiduously towards the effective blending of traditional (informal) and global (formal) peace educational practices within Ghana, as well as, enhance peace education in the country by building the capacity of communities and schools in financial, technical, and logistical terms. Indeed, this paper which is the first-ever study into traditional peace education in Ghana, uniquely adds to academic literature and serves as a useful guide for practitioners and policy makers in the study area.