Drumming up Dialogue

Book excerpt: If, as they say, we all come out of Africa, then somewhere in Kenyas Rift Valley we first learned to live as human beings and we quickly learned to quarrel, too. Migration patterns within Kenya are as complicated as any in the U.S. or Europe and its multi-ethnic history is much, much longer. Fr. Baraza, knows both the brightness of human progress in a peaceful countryside as well as the shadows left by war and fighting. He writes about how to resolve conflicts and difficulties by people who have had long life experience. Drumming Up Dialogue applies the thinking of three leading writers in the field of conflict management to the Bukusu community of Kenya: philosopher Martin Buber, political scientist Fred Charles Ikl, and cultural anthropologist William Ury. These three theorists address the creating of peace between individuals, between opposing factions, and between countries and cultures. Drumming is a traditional Bukusu way of communication. Fr. Baraza uses the drum as a metaphor for the different ways dialogue can be used and interpreted. Baraza presents one of the very few studies of culture of the Bukusu people and the only one to address dialogue through their religions. Based upon the personal experiences and Barazas ongoing contact with his Bukusu people, Drumming Up Dialogue seeks to awaken us to the cultural values of the Bukusu and offer an alternative way to conflict resolution. Hilary Martin, PhD, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA