Conflict Resolution and Management Education: Profiting from Historical Toold

Abstract

Conflicts, conflict resolution and management are as old as creation itself. Perhaps the first recorded conflict that required resolution was reported in the Bible and the Qurán. Both books reported the rebellion of Satan against the commandment of God, as well as the disobedience of Adam to God‘s instructions, ―And the Lord God commanded the man, ―You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...‖(Genesis 2: 16 & 17). An almost similar account was reported in the Qurán, ―We said: Ó ye Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the garden, and eat of the bountiful things; but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression‖ (Qurán 2: 35). This goes to show that conflicts in their true meaning are the product of disobedience, disagreement, disapproval and disillusionment to standards established to govern human relationships. The world has since creation moved from simple individual, family and community disagreements and disobedience (conflict) to more sophisticated, complex and multifaceted conflicts worldwide. The world is witnessing numerous occurrences of armed conflicts and wars of different dimensions. It has virtually become a daily event across the globe. There is hardly any part of the worldwhere there are no incidences of armed struggles, confrontations and conflagrations. The world has been turned into a theatre of war. Many parts of Africa for instance, are under siege. Hardly is there a nation in Africa that is not contending with one form of armed conflict or the other. The storms of conflicts are virtually everywhere and widespread in Africa (Olaoba, 2005).