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 groups in a village community by the main road. It led to the killing of members of different groups and this affected the community very badly.

The three groups were farmers, traders and taxi drivers. The fight started between the traders and the taxi drivers, and spread from there.

The traders said that the taxi drivers were charging them too much money for transporting goods, and the taxi drivers said that the traders were charging them too much for fuel to run their vehicles.

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

After this, the taxi drivers and the traders 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 homes for safety.

At first, the farmers were not as badly affected because they were in their home area 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 taxi drivers and the traders about the troubles in the area. The home people descended on the farmers in their own communities, destroying their crops. In some places, the farmers were killed too.

For days, there was no peace. Vegetables were not available in the home areas of the taxi drivers and the traders because the farmers had left. No taxicabs were on the streets. The market was empty because stalls were destroyed and no other foodstuffs could be brought in.

The leaders of the different communities called for meetings and addressed all the 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 groups 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.