By Tina Amanda
Communities in Bayelsa and Delta States are turning to arts and culture as tools for peacebuilding, following a weeklong series of inter-communal solidarity events organized by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) from August 18 to 23, 2025.
The initiative provided inclusive spaces for dialogue and cultural exchange, helping communities address common challenges such as oil bunkering, artisanal refining, and cult-related violence longstanding issues that threaten peace and security in the region.
Speaking in Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, PIND’s Peacebuilding Manager, Dr. David Udofia, who represented the Executive Director, Sam Ogbemi Daibo, said the program seeks to use arts and culture as unifying tools.
“The central objective is to utilise art and culture as peacebuilding instruments to address violence and criminality in Bayelsa and Delta communities,” Udofia said.
He explained that the project also tackles root causes of conflict including social exclusion, unemployment, and environmental degradation.
Over 2,200 people participated in events across 10 communities. In Delta, participants came from Ohoro and Agbarha (Ughelli North), and Ovwian and Otor-Udu (Udu LGA). In Bayelsa, communities included Etieama, Agbakabiriyai, Igbeta Ewoama, and Akakukama (Nembe LGA), Igbomotoro and Opuama (Southern Ijaw LGA), and Kotikiri, Kongho, and Odioma (Brass LGA).
The week featured music, dance, drama, and symbolic unity ceremonies aimed at fostering reconciliation and promoting alternatives to violence. Communities were also encouraged to embrace dialogue and joint problem-solving as mechanisms for preventing conflict.
Dr. Udofia stressed that the arts-based approach has been effective in building trust and inclusion.
“These approaches have proven effective in building trust, especially for women, youth, and other groups that are often excluded,” he said, adding that this year’s program built on the impact of earlier activities.
The initiative is part of the Community-Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence project, funded by the European Union and implemented with Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN).
Local leaders described the program as both timely and transformative. Sunday Oto Ikpoki, Chairman of Odioma Kingdom Council of Chiefs, praised the effort for strengthening communal responsibility for peace.
“Using our cultural heritage to preach peace is a very thoughtful initiative.We are now more conscious of what happens in our communities and are working with security agents to stop anything that could lead to conflict.”
By celebrating heritage while promoting collective problem-solving, PIND’s Arts and Culture Initiative is emerging as a model for grassroots peacebuilding in the Niger Delta. It continues to unite diverse voices youth, women, traditional leaders, and security actors while laying a foundation for lasting stability across the region.
