Transforming Cultur ansforming Cultural Narr al Narratives: The Role of F es: The Role of Faith-Based aith-Based Organizations in Cultural transformation for Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

The present article explores the role of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in the Eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo in transforming cultural conflict within local communities.
It draws on qualitative research conducted in Goma and its environs, which included key
informant interviews and focus group discussions. It employs conflict transformation theory to
explain the findings and illustrate how ritual reintegration, gender advocacy, theatre for
conflict resolution, and interfaith dialogue influence actor recognition, moral dialogue, and
local dialogue while embedded within power hierarchies and interdenominational conflicts.
The article builds on the literature by adding ritual and theological ethics to conflict
transformation theory while highlighting the negotiated and conditional character of culturally
embedded conflict resolution efforts. While the literature on faith-based engagement focuses
on its emancipatory character, this analysis reveals the transformative and constraining
character of faith-based conflict resolution efforts. Despite the growing recognition of FaithBased Organizations (FBOs) as important actors in peace-building and conflict
transformation, limited scholarly attention has been devoted to understanding how they
operationalize cultural transformation in conflict-affected societies and how their religiously
informed approaches contribute to the development of peace-building theory and practice,
which this article endeavours to unravel.