The ongoing socio-political unrest in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon has left many communities with extensive violence, injustice, marginalization and socio-economic inequality, with the Bafut people with no exemption. Over the years, while political, economic, and military actions have often dominated discussions towards peace, there seem to be a limited or insufficient communal involvement towards peace, justice and equality among the people. This study proposes a religio-cultural approach to contributing to peacebuilding, justice and social transformation. It seeks to draw from the rich indigenous and cultural values, traditional leadership structures, and religious beliefs (ATR and Christianity) that can contribute to reconciliation. Hinged in the broad fields of African theology, cultural anthropology, and peace studies, this work will employ the qualitative research methodology with semi structured interviews and focus group discussions as methods for gathering data.
The study seeks to integrate indigenous peace resources with contemporary peacebuilding strategies to develop a contextual response to the crisis affecting the Bafut people. Such an approach encourages collaboration between churches, traditional authorities, and civil society in building a culture of peace and equitable development.
Keywords: Religio-cultural approach, Bafut people, unrest, injustice, inequality, peacebuilding, Anglophone crisis, Cameroon.