Voices of Disputants: Perspectives From Alavanyo on the Nkonya–Alavanyo Conflict in Ghana

Abstract

This article draws attention to the voices of disputants that remain overlooked and underappreciated in peace and conflict studies generally and in peacebuilding literature specifically. In doing so, I explore, from the perspective of the Alavanyos, the reasons for the intractability of the Nkonya–Alavanyo conflict. Drawing on fieldwork interviews, phenomenologically generated in Alavanyo in 2019 and analyzed thematically, the study suggests that, in the eyes of the Alavanyos, the conflict persists due to (a) the Alavanyo’s rejection of the court judgments, (b) the intransigence of the Nkonyas, (c) injustice suffered, (d) revenge, and (e) their desire to survive. Such an understanding helps in offering a holistic comprehension of this conflict in ways that enables us to effectively confront it. I argue that regardless of the direction of travel in confronting this conflict and related ones, we must actively listen to and pay all attention to the voices of disputants for whom and in whose interests these interventions are directed.