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Abstract

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 Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) as important actors in peacebuilding 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 peacebuilding theory and practice, which this article endeavours to unravel. Keywords: Faith-Based Organizations; Cultural Transformation; Conflict Transformation; Peacebuilding; Eastern DRC

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