Resource 6: Conflict in the community

Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils

Once there was a big fight that took place among the three cultural groups in Sikakrom, a village community by the main road. It led to the killing of members of different cultural groups and this affected the community very badly.

The three groups were the Frafras, who were cattle rearers, the Kwahus, who were traders, and the Akyems, who drove the tro-tros. The fight started between the Kwahus and the Akyems, and spread from there.

The Kwahus said that the Akyems were charging them too much money for transporting goods, and the Akyems said that the Kwahus were charging them too much for fuel to run their tro-tros.

First, there was a strike by the tro-tro drivers and then the traders stopped selling them fuel and goods. One day, there was a fight between a tro-tro driver and a trader in the market. Then all the tro-tro drivers went to the market to break the stalls, and a big fight started.

After this, the Akyems and the Kwahus started attacking each other’s compounds. They were badly hit. People were killed and property was lost. The families of both groups ran to their homelands for safety.

At first, the Frafras were not as badly affected because they were in their homeland and they were in the majority. But the fight continued for another day, and they got involved.

The sad news soon reached the home areas of the Akyems and the Kwahus about the troubles in the Frafras areas. The home people descended on the Frafras in their own communities, killing their cattle. In some places, the cattle rearers were killed too.

For days, there was no peace. Meat was not available in the home areas of the Akyems and the Kwahus because the Frafras had left. At Sikakrom, no tro-tros were on the streets. The market was empty because stalls were destroyed and no other foodstuffs and meat could be brought in.

The leaders of the different communities in Sikakrom called for meetings and addressed all the cultural groups. They showed the people how they all needed one another for the community to operate well. They explained how they should learn to listen to the views of one another, and be tolerant of one another, because there is a lot to gain from one another.

Then they sat with the representatives of the different communities and discovered the root cause of all this trouble. They discussed the problems associated with the conflict, found a solution and made peace between the people.

Resource 5: Intercultural communities

Section 3: Ways of taking responsibility