Civic (re)education: the potential role of civil society organizations in sustainable national reconciliation initiatives

This paper advocates for the involvement civil society organizations in community initiatives for civic awareness and reconstructing ethnic harmony. It mainly explores the potential role of the civil society as a facilitator in closing the national-local gap in National reconciliation efforts. Much emphasis is placed on the civil societies’ ability – in conjunction with community leadership and institutions – to operationalize a community-interst approach to reconciliation, which is both location and situation specific. The issue is whether, a co-operation between the civil society and the local human and institutional capacities of the host community is an alternative to the wider national approach to ethnic reconciliation. This article also highlights possible successful initiatives at the local level while drawing comparative perspectives from around the world.