APCJ_1528_Win2010_00i_122_4 12/30/10 3:22 PM Page vi vi AFRICA PEACE AND CONFLICT JOURNAL needs of affected peoples. He attributes the failure in DR Congo to peacebuilding processes that focus on the top leadership and macro-level solutions to the exclusion of a micro-level, transformative model. He advocates a paradigm shift to transformationoriented approaches to peacebuilding and peace education. Karolina Werner examines the role of indigenous peacebuilding mechanisms in post-conflict situations with a focus on the potential for hybrid forms that integrate traditional approaches and western strategies. She argues that state-driven judicial mechanisms from developed countries often fail to fulfil the needs of people in divided, non-western societies due to the fragile nature of governance systems in the war-torn nations. Werner notes the assessment that although western models of peacebuilding are often effective in securing quantitative peace, they are less effective at managing the qualitative dimensions of peace. Thus, she asserts the need to highlight the importance of historical context, culture, and local ownership, relayed through trust and cooperation of affected populations, as the cornerstone for any responsive and sustainable peacebuilding initiative. She cites examples from Rwanda, Uganda, and Mozambique, where indigenous methods of conflict resolution have played significant roles in advancing peace. Edwin Barasa Mang’eni examines the role of youths in the 2007–2008 electoral violence in Kenya. He attributes what he views as reactionary violence to deprivation derived from structurally violent and alienating social and political environments that benefit only a few. He argues that Kenya’s youth violence and vigilantism are consequences of weak and fragile political, social, and economic structures of governance. Mang’eni notes the need for peacebuilding approaches that embrace inclusivity, equity, and reconciliation to address the problem of youth violence. Khalid Ali El Amin assesses the potential for the realisation of grass-root initiatives for peace and reconciliation in the Darfur conflict. He cites the genesis of the Darfur conflict as being anchored in claims of identity, contested as ‘Arab’ pastoralists versus African farmers, and highlights the distinction between earlier inter-tribal conflicts in Darfur and what he refers to as the post-2003 ‘grand conflict’, in which the two communities are both victims. El Amin argues for grass-root initiatives to achieve intercommunal reconciliation and restoration of peace, providing examples of efforts from the Arab and African communities that have alleviated tensions and improved or reestablished damaged relationships. Sarah Templer looks at how the Tree of Life, a therapeutic workshop process, is helping survivors and perpetrators of violence in Zimbabwe come to terms with the psychological consequences of their experiences and actions. She illustrates how the approach of the Tree to Life maintains what she calls ‘integrity of process’ by being sensitive to local issues and customs, providing clear communication to manage expectations, and enabling participants to carry this survivor-to-survivor process forward. She also notes that policy environments can sometimes constrain the activities and voices of vulnerable groups. Guy Martin reviews Mahmood Mamdani’s Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror, examining the conflictive interpretations and analyses given to the complex and much-debated Darfur conflict. Martin highlights that Mamdani begins with pointed criticism of the U.S.-based Save Darfur movement, which Mamdani characterises as ‘anti-peace’ because of its insistence on military intervention as a means of resolving the conflict. He analyses how Mamdani traces the genesis of the