Abstract:
Africa appears to have improved women‟s representation in political processes
in the continent in the wake of feminization of public decision-making in the
1990s. However, women‟s representation in formal peacebuilding structures
and processes remains low essentially because most of them are more involved
in informal peacebuilding activities in their various communities which often do
not get recognized. Although continental governance bodies such as the African
Union (AU) have made some policy efforts to address this, the disconnect
between formal and informal peacebuilding work remains both in policy and
practice. This paper explores women‟s informal peacebuilding activities in
Africa using the specific example of Sierra Leone. It concludes by suggesting
how women‟s informal peace activities can be mainstreamed into formal
peacebuilding processes within the continent by the African Union.
