Conflict and Culture:
The Role of Cultural Initiatives
in Peace-building

Akiko Fukushima PhD
Senior Fellow, Japan Foundation
Research Fellow, Aoyamagakuin University
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Relationship between culture, conflictand peace
Share thoughts on the role of cultural
initiatives in building peace, and some of
the good practices
Suggestions for a possible EU-Japan
cooperation2

What Is Peace?
In the 21st century, peace is more thanno war.
Johan Gaultung’s definition: negative
peace (no violence or war) + structural
peace + positive peace.
My definition: well-being of people freefrom violence.

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Inter-state wars vs intra-state conflicts;
around 25 intra-state conflicts a year
according to SIPRIHigh recurrence of conflicts; 44 %Moreover, violence less than war, suchas demonstrations, terrorism etc.

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WHAT IS CULTURE?

Confidencebuilding

Education(+ vocational)

TheatreIntegration

MusicDance
Reconciliation
Literature

Goals

CULTURE

Tools

Peace,
well-being

ArtSport
Identity

CinemaWay ofThinking

CinemaWay of Life

Religion

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Does Culture Trigger Conflict?
‘The Clash of Civilizations’ by SamuelHuntington.
Post-9/11 debate: cultural differences
trigger conflict.
Cultural differences don’t cause
conflict, but with political/economic
motives may do so.
6Culture for Peace or for Conflict?
Culture for conflict; Nazis used music toinduce war, Music is used in Africa andAsia to prepare children for fighting.
Culture alone does not cause conflict.
Cultural differences combined withpolitical/economic motives can cause andescalate conflict.
On the other hand, culture can be usefulfor peace-building.
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Research Hypothesis
Culture alone cannot prevent, end or resolve
conflict.
Political, security, economic means arenecessary for peace, but not sufficient toensure lasting peace—thus many recurringconflicts.
When culture is included, it can help preventand solve conflicts, reconstruct post-conflictsocieties for sustainable peace, and reduce thenumber of recurring wars.
8PEACETIME
Objectives: Make individuals
and ommunities able toPOSTresist adverse effects
DURINGCONFLICT PEACE of conflict.
CONFRONTATIONCONSOLIDATION
Functions: Buildconfidence, capacity Objective: Coexistence
Objective: Mutual
Activities:
Functions: Confidence building
Cultural exchanges,empowerment
to ease confrontation; neutralise
Functions: Reconciliation amongconcerts, etc. and resolve confrontation (encourageconflict parties, multi-cultural
mutual understanding, build tolerance
coexistenceand trust); seek to integrate communities
Activities: Promote self-expression,
Activity: Publish picture books, support
cultural exchanges, education aimed atlibraries
ethnic reconciliation and coexistence; CULTURAL
DURING CONFLICT
network, etc.
INITIATIVES
Objective: Cushion shock of conflict
POST-CONFLICTIN PEACEsurvivors
RECONSTRUCTION
BUILDING

Functions: Tackle feelings of loneliness,
Objective: Encourage cooperation
hopelessness; express concern of international
among conflict survivors
community; give hope; try to reduce stress
Functions: Build trust; integrate conflict
POST-CONFLICTof those experiencing conflict; show theparticipants;have therapy for those affected by
PEACEKEEPING world the inhumanity of conflict
conflict; build confidence; support
areas
Objective: Peacefuldemocratisation; build hope; rebuild
Activities: Theatre,
coexistence
identities
exhibits, film making
Functions: Use culture as
Activities: Multi-ethnicand othercatalyst for accepting aid teams;
orchestras, art workshops,pursuits
heal trauma; reintegrate into local
support resuming
traditional
community those isolated by conflicthandicrafts,(ex-soldiers, gang members)
etc.
Activities: Sport, cultural pursuits,animation, vocational training,etc.

9Good Practices: During Confrontation
Peace Picture Books—The ICLCThe International Centre for
Literacy and Culture (funded bythe Japan Foundation andsupported by UNICEF) artists
and child education experts from
India, Pakistan, Nepal andJapan to Katmandu to create
picture books. Seven books werejointly produced in Urdu, Hindi
and other languages.
The stories relate the benefits ofceasing to fight and working on
a common goal.
The collaboration helped
promote mutual understanding.
10Good Practices: During Conflicts
Art for Peace—Peace Winds Japan
Objectives: Support Kurdish
artists, promote peace andexchange, boost understandingof peace by easing fear of themilitary border.
Ten artists painted pictures
expressing their ideas about
peace on rock faces, createdpeace symbols in a plaza, andpainted a former checkpoint,
making it a symbol of peace.
Checkpoint soldiers joined in
the painting.
Provided stimulation andnetworks; the area is now apeople’s park.
Artists and visitors sense an
aura of peace.
11Good Practices: During PostConflict Peace-keeping
Manga Stickers & Water Tanks—JSDF
When hostilities end, troops aresent to keep peace, help inreconstruction and distributehumanitarian aid. The troops
are often feared, but culture canhelp heal local distrust.
Japan Self-Defense Force troops,
deployed to Iraq to distributewater, placed anime character
Captain Tsubasa (CaptainMasjid there) stickers on theirwater tanks.
The children’s reduced fear had
an impact on the community.
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Good Practices: During Post-Conflict
Peace-keeping
Drama Workshop in Aceh
The JF drama workshop catered for 30
children with no contact with peers inother areas.
The aim: care of traumatized children.
The program encouraged cooperation
so the children could open their minds
and begin to think of the future. The
process of mutual understanding wasborn through activities: writing scripts,music, lyrics; making the sets. The
groups gradually understood that ‘theenemy’ had also suffered and been
victimized.
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PEACETIMEObjectives: Make individuals
and ommunities able toPOSTresist adverse effects
DURINGCONFLICT PEACE of conflict.
CONFRONTATIONCONSOLIDATION
Functions: Buildconfidence, capacity Objective: Coexistence
Objective: MutualActivities:
Functions: Confidence building
Cultural exchanges,
empowerment
to ease confrontation; neutralise
Functions: Reconciliation amongconcerts, etc. and resolve confrontation (encourage

conflict parties, multi-cultural
mutual understanding, build tolerance
coexistence
and trust); seek to integrate communities
Activities: Promote self-expression,
Activity: Publish picture books, support
cultural exchanges, education aimed atlibraries
ethnic reconciliation and coexistence; CULTURAL
DURING CONFLICT
network, etc.
INITIATIVES
Objective: Cushion shock of conflict
POST-CONFLICTIN PEACE
survivors
RECONSTRUCTION
BUILDING

Functions: Tackle feelings of loneliness,
Objective: Encourage cooperation
hopelessness; express concern of international
among conflict survivors
community; give hope; try to reduce stress
Functions: Build trust; integrate conflict
POST-CONFLICTof those experiencing conflict; show theparticipants;have therapy for those affected byPEACEKEEPING world the inhumanity of conflict
conflict; build confidence; support
areas
Objective: Peacefuldemocratisation; build hope; rebuild
Activities: Theatre,
coexistence
identities
exhibits, film making
Functions: Use culture as
Activities: Multi-ethnic
and othercatalyst for accepting aid teams;
orchestras, art workshops,pursuits
heal trauma; reintegrate into local
support resuming
traditional
community those isolated by conflicthandicrafts,(ex-soldiers, gang members)
etc.
Activities: Sport, cultural pursuits,

animation, vocational training,etc.

14Good Practices: During PostConflict ReconstructionA Multi-ethnic Orchestra
Before the war, Pristina had
an integrated orchestra ofSerbs, Albanians, and Croats.
Since the war, it comprises
only Albanians.
Mr. Toshio Yanagisawa,
conductor of the Kosovo
Philharmonic, formed themulti-ethnic Balkan Chamber
Orchestra with musicians fromconflict regions.
The Japan Foundation
supports the project that aims
to integrate ethnic groups
from the former Yugoslavia.
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Good Practices: During Post-Conflict
Reconstruction
Traditional handicrafts（Japan Foundation)

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A team was sent to Istalif, avillage in Afghanistan known for
its ceramics, The kilns had been
destroyed by the Taliban.
Potters from Istalif were invited
to Japan for training.
As they worked at their wheels,
the Afghan potters recalled theIstalif ceramic tradition andregained confidence.
After returning home, they again
made pottery and created newdesigns. They reopened shopswith a view to earning an income.
A network developed between theJapanese and Afghan potters, aswell as potters who visit Japan
from other counties.

Good Practices: During Post-Conflict
Reconstruction
Roadside Theater (Save the Children Japan)
Roadside theatre in Bamiyan,
Afghanistan, highlighted theimportance of education.
Goal: increase the number ofchildren going to school.
Youths put together their owngroups, write and performtheir own scenarios.
Performances are staged atschools and open village areas.
The topics are related to thedaily lives of the people:
appeals for school attendance,
the importance of reading andwriting.
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Good Practices: During Post-Conflict
Consolidation of Peace
Integrated Education through IT （JICA)
JICA is promoting IT education
to help consolidate peace andethnic reconciliation in BosniaHerzegovina.
It is helping integrate theseparate Muslim, Serb andCroatian education by writing
textbooks, installing computers.
IT education has no points ofhistorical ethnic contention andis popular with youths. The
extracurricular course makes it
available to many students.
Three ethnic/religious groups
have been set up; the textbook
is used throughout Bosnia at
the request of the local
government.
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Nexus between Peace and Culture(1)
Cultural activities by international actors canbe effective in peace-building if integrated
with other measures.
The activities enable:—people in conflict areas to build new
identities that tolerate, respect other cultures;—people to experience multicultural
coexistence, different cultural groups to work
together and to create a future together.
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(2)Functions of culture for peace:—Culture can be a catalyst andfacilitator for social capital formation.
(Robert Putnam, Making DemocracyWork, 1993)—Culture can transform violence intopeace.
Cultural factors are important for peacebuilding.
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Suggestions
Peace-building/conflict resolution is anarea promising for EU and Japan tocollaborate.
In addition to cooperation in SSR,
economic development etc, there is aroom on cultural initiatives, sharing
good practices, theories and challenges.
Possible EUNIC+Japan cooperation.
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Thank you for your attention.
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