@article{CRSIJ26000179,
                  author = {Jolasun Benjamin Olabode},
                  title = {Tiv Traditional Justice System and Sankofa: A Comparative Study of Historical Consciousness and Communal Harmony in African Conflict Resolution},
                  journal = {Cosmo Research and Science International Journal},
                  year = {2025},
                  volume = {1},
                  number = {6},
                  pages = {295-311},
                  issn = {3108-1584},
                  url = {https://cosmorsij.com/published/CRSIJ26000179.pdf},
                  abstract = {Conflicts, disputes, and social frictions are inevitable in every human society, yet the mechanisms adopted for resolving them differ across cultures and civilizations. While Western approaches to conflict resolution often emphasize adversarial litigation, adjudication, and punitive justice, African indigenous systems prioritize reconciliation, communal harmony, and restorative justice. This study examines the Tiv Traditional Justice System and the Akan philosophy of Sankofa as complementary African frameworks for conflict resolution grounded in historical consciousness and communal harmony. Using a qualitative comparative design anchored in an African-centred epistemological methodology, the study draws on documentary sources to analyse Tiv indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms alongside the philosophical foundations of Sankofa. The study is further situated within the theoretical frameworks of Constructivism and Structural Functionalism to explain how shared values, social memory, and communal institutions sustain peace and social cohesion in African societies. Findings reveal that the Tiv Traditional Justice System employs kinship institutions, elders’ councils, age-grade systems, and sacred oaths such as Swem to mediate disputes, enforce accountability, and restore social balance, while Sankofa emphasizes the retrieval of ancestral wisdom and historical consciousness as essential tools for healing and reconciliation. The study argues that both frameworks provide culturally grounded and restorative alternatives to Western adversarial systems by prioritizing dialogue, truth-telling, reconciliation, and communal wellbeing. It concludes that indigenous African justice systems remain relevant for contemporary peace building and should be integrated into broader conflict resolution and justice reform initiatives in Africa.},
                  keywords = {Tiv Traditional Justice System, Sankofa, restorative justice, indigenous jurisprudence, African cosmology, conflict resolution.},
                  month = {May}
        }