Pathways to Peace (original) (raw)

This review essay explores the complex subject of peace in Africa by reviewing six volumes. While the African Union and the United Nations identify peace as providing the foundation for development, the quest for sustainable peace in regions of postcolonial Africa has remained elusive. Several works have sought to examine the contemporary pathways to peace currently being explored on the continent. The works under review must be located in this search for sustainable peace in Africa. These works have fixed their gaze on the subject of peace, concentrating on several African countries affected by conflict, including Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Rwanda. Two of the six volumes (McNamee and Muyangwa's The State of Peacebuilding in Africa, and Nouwen, James, and Srinivasan's Making and Breaking Peace in Sudan and South Sudan) are edited volumes, with various contributors sharing their reflections. In order to critically review these six works, this review essay focuses on the cross-cutting themes in these volumes. This includes how they collectively and individually bring new insights to peacebuilding in Africa. Further, this review identifies unique qualities in each