African political leaders have been urged to do more to ensure transparency, equity and fairness in the distribution of the national wealth.
Professor Mike Van Graan, Executive Director of the African Arts Institute in South Africa, said this was necessary to remove the dangers of civil strife and conflicts.
Instability in parts of the continent had been due largely to the fact that some sections of the population tended to feel discriminated against and denied of their share of their countries� resources, on the basis of either ethnicity, politics or religion.
He was addressing an international conference on culture and conflict resolution at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. More than 100 delegates from the United States (US), Ghana, Germany, Italy, and South Africa among other countries, gathered to brainstorm on how traditional and cultural values could be employed to promote and sustain peace in conflict situations.
The three-day meeting was organized by the KNUST�s Centre for Cultural and African Studies, under the theme �Inter-cultural Dialogue: Harnessing Cultural Values for Social Stability and Democracy.� Prof Graan said there was the need to overcome cronyism and political patronage, and said these were a threat to the growth of democracy.
There should be inclusiveness, there should be space for all to participate in the political process and that no group should be left out. He said it was also important to make sure that the political governance system was underpinned by the culture and traditional values of the people.
He urged religious and traditional leaders to get actively involved in efforts at stopping conflicts, to help Africa to focus on fighting poverty.
Prof William Otoo Ellis, the Vice Chancellor, called for aggressive promotion of inter-cultural dialogue to avoid needless suspicion, distrust and the fear of dominance by one group or the other.
It was the way to prevent misunderstanding among groups over trivial issues - the recipe for conflicts.
The Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church and Chairman of the National Peace Council, said religious and cultural beliefs of all people must be respected.
The Provost of College of Arts and Social Sciences of the KNUST, Prof Samuel Afranie, said the devastating impact of conflicts on socio-economic development should not be lost on anybody, every effort should therefore be made to help resolve disagreements before they explode into violent clashes.
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