Ref: 153 AUS 26, Frank Gadiwele Lekaba, 24th ICSD 26, Australia.

Women Organisations in the reconciliation process of Madagascar, pushing against the limits of Fihavanana. Frank Gadiwele Lekaba University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Corresponding authour: Frank.Lekaba2@wits.ac.za | FLekaba@gmail.com Abstract The Southern African Development Community in its mediation process following the 2009 coup in Madagascar, recommended in its roadmap, the establishment of Malagasy Reconciliation Council. It recommended that the reconciliation process should be managed through a Malagasy endogenous concept of peacebuilding, fihavanana. Fihavanana denotes a “state of peace or harmony that people can achieve with others within their communities, it is modeled on peace, harmony, solidarity, love, and closeness that is often seen in family ties”. The proposal by SADC opened a space for the participation of civil society organisations in the formal post-conflict peacebuilding process of Madagascar. This article provides and analysis of Fihavanana as a tool of reconciliation, revealing its limitations in terms of inclusivity and its influence of liberal peacebuilding process. Central to the analysis, is the role of women organisations in the country’s reconciliation advancing women agenda and determining whether the use of fihavanana opens the space for participation. The argument advanced in this article, is that the concept holds value but it’s meaning is embellished by the effects of modernity on Malagasy’s nation-building and state-building since independence in 1960. Madagascar, particularly the Merina Kingdom has a rich history of being led by Queens. How has this historical reality found resonance in the modern Malagasy politics? The key questions are, how has colonisation impacted the modern politics of Madagascar in terms of women representation? What is the place and role of women in national politics in line with fihavanana? how useful is Fihavanana in reconciliation and nation building process? What are the lessons on the use of endogenous concepts in nation-building in African societies? The research method employed in this article strands document analysis, literature review and semi-structured interviews. The article concludes that the African Union and its sub-regional organisations should pay due regard to the complexities of some endogenous concepts of peacebuilding before recommending their application and usefulness in peace processes. This intervention by SADC, particularly its firm recommendation on the use of fihavanana in Malagasy’s reconciliation, despite its shortcomings, demonstrates a philosophical and practice turn from liberal peacebuilding to the philosophy of “African solutions to African problems”. The article makes two contributions to the body of knowledge; firstly, the understanding of how endogenous concepts of peacebuilding may limit or advance participation of civil society organisations, and secondly, how coloniality and modernity influence the usefulness and understanding of Africa’s endogenous concepts of peacebuilding and nation-building. Keywords: Fihavanana, Mediation, Reconciliation, SADC, Women Organisations