csrreporters The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has stepped up its peacebuilding efforts in Bayelsa and Delta States through a weeklong series of arts and culture solidarity events, held from August 18 to 23, 2025.
The initiative created platforms for dialogue and cultural exchange to address pressing challenges such as oil bunkering, artisanal refining, and cult-related violence, which continue to threaten peace and stability in the region.
PIND’s Peacebuilding Manager, Dr. David Udofia, who represented the Executive Director, Sam Daibo, explained that the project sought to transform art and culture into tools for reconciliation and unity.
“The central objective is to utilise art and culture as unifiers and peacebuilding tools to address violence and criminality in Bayelsa and Delta communities,” Udofia said, adding that the programme also targeted root causes of conflict such as unemployment, social exclusion, and environmental degradation.
More than 2,200 participants from 10 communities took part in the events. In Delta State, communities included Ohoro and Agbarha in Ughelli North LGA, and Ovwian and Otor-Udu in Udu LGA. In Bayelsa, participants came from Etieama, Agbakabiriyai, Igbeta Ewoama, Akakukama (Nembe LGA), Igbomotoro and Opuama (Southern Ijaw LGA), as well as Kotikiri, Kongho, and Odioma (Brass LGA).
The week featured music, drama, dance, and symbolic unity ceremonies aimed at fostering reconciliation and discouraging violence. Communities were encouraged to embrace dialogue and collective problem-solving as alternatives to conflict.
Udofia stressed that the approach has proven effective in building trust among women, youths, and other excluded groups. “This year’s edition was designed to deepen the impact of earlier interventions,” he said.
The project, known as the Community-Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence, is funded by the European Union and implemented in partnership with Search for Common Ground and Stakeholder Democracy Network.
Traditional leaders described the programme as timely and impactful. Chairman of the Odioma Kingdom Council of Chiefs, Sunday Ikpoki, noted: “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 blending heritage celebration with dialogue and collective action, PIND’s arts and culture initiative is steadily emerging as a sustainable model for peacebuilding in the fragile Niger Delta region.
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