Perceptions about civil war in Central Africa : can war be justified or solve problems?

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Authors

Lumbu, Kitambala
Van Dyk, Peet
Van Dyk, Alta

Issue Date

2009

Type

Article

Language

en

Keywords

Tutsi (African people) , Hutu , DRC , Rwanda , Church

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Alternative Title

Abstract

Civil war and ethnic violence are major problems in Central Africa and have caused the death and displacement of millions of people over the years. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of religious leaders, lecturers and students in theology at various tertiary institutions in Central Africa with regard to civil war in the region. A structured questionnaire was used to investigate participants’ perceptions about and attitudes towards civil war. The questionnaire was completed by 1 364 participants who originated or lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The results of the study illustrated the severe effect that civil wars had on the participants or their families and further indicated that Rwandans, Tutsis and males were more inclined toward justifying wars and seeing them as solutions for problems. The role of the Church in countering these perceptions is discussed.

Description

Journal article

Citation

Lumbu, K, Van Dyk, P & Van Dyk, A 2009, ‘Perceptions about civil war in Central Africa : can war be justifed or solve problems?’, Verbum et Ecclesia, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 84-89.

Publisher

OpenJournals Publishing

License

Creative Commons Attributions License

Journal

Volume

Issue

PubMed ID

DOI

ISSN

2074-7705

EISSN