TRADITIONAL SHRINE: A PLACE FOR ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN IGBO LAND

Abstract

Shrine is one of the most important aspects of every religion, a holy place used for the safe keeping of sacred objects, the abode of the deities and a place where humans commune with spirits. In African traditional religion, the relevance of shrine goes beyond a place of worship and sacrifice; it is also a place where peace, justice and equity can be obtained. Traditional shrine is the highest stool of authority in the pre-colonial era in Igbo land but in recent times, because of exposure to the Whiteman’s way of life most traditional shrines have been destroyed and their relevance in resolution of conflicts forgotten. This paper therefore showcased the place of traditional shrine in conflict resolution and in doing this, primary and secondary methods of data collection were adopted. For the primary method, interviews, and questionnaires were used. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed and two hundred and ninety were collected. Textbooks, journals, magazines, and internet materials were used for secondary method. From the findings it was deduced that there are chaos, anarchy and war between and within communities and even among siblings due to lack of an effective and lasting means of conflict resolution in Igbo land. Finally, the relevance of traditional shrines should be highlighted and brought to the limelight especially in the area of conflict resolution in Igbo land.