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This reflection paper was written submitted to the European University Centre for Peace Studies between November and December 2006

Although Zimbabwe’s political crises are largely and/or entirely political, leaders speaking from both sides of the political divide are appealing to civil society to help build bridges in the strife torn Zimbabwe. An estimated 3,5 million Zimbabweans are said to have fled the country to become either economic or political refugees in the region or beyond whilst the remaining population is unstable due to the deepening socio-economic challenges confronting the country. Inflation in the country has hit a world record of above 1200% as the International Monetary Fund predicts that Zimbabwe’s inflation will reach 4 200% in 2007. Meanwhile the government-controlled newspaper, The Herald, reported that Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate had reached 80% as of October 2006.

Usually such political problems are left to politicians to solve, but with the emergence of a vibrant civil society since the late 1990s, civic organizations have now taken center stage in building peace in the badly divided Southern African nation. This paper takes a critical examination of the role that the church can play in building peace in Zimbabwe. The paper also looks at the challenges and opportunities that exist and offer some recommendations that can help church leaders in their peace building initiatives in Zimbabwe. First we define civil society and its role and then discuss the church initiative as a civic response to the national crisis.

Defining Civil Society
Civic society is defined from different angles by different authors and institutions. According to the London School of Economics Center for Civil Society,¹ the term civil society

....refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values. In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and market, though in practice, the boundary between state, civil society, family and market and are often complex, blurred and negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated by organisations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organisations, community groups, women’s organisations, faith-based organisations, professional associations, trade unions, self help groups, social movements, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups

The British Scholar, Gordon White defines civil society as ‘an intermediate associational realm between state and family, populated by organizations which are separate from the state, enjoy autonomy in relation to and are formed voluntarily by members of the society to protect or extend their interests and values’.² Carathers also posited that ‘there is a fair amount of consensus around a view of civil society that excludes private business and the formal political sector (what some call political society) but is otherwise fairly inclusive’³

Carathers definition is more precise because not only does it define civil society, but it also mentions what civil society is not. The definition excludes the state and political parties from civil society.

The Labor Law Talk Dictionary defines civil society or civil institutions as ‘the total of civic and social organizations or institutions that form the bedrock of a functioning democracy’, adding that, ‘civil society groups advocate and take action primarily for social action and public interest’.⁴

In this paper civil society shall refer to the totality of social organizations or institutions that exist between the state and the family. Political parties shall fall outside the arena of civil society. Civil society shall be viewed as organizations that share common interests and values and work for the promotion of better living standards for all people. Civil institutions are both local and international, transcending national boundaries and geographic zones.

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* Farai Maguwu is National Coordinator for Civic Alliance for Democracy and Governance (CADEGO) based in Mutare, Zimbabwe

1 London School of Economics and Political Science, 2004, Centre for Civil Society, What is Civil Society, p1
2.White, G., 1994, Civil Society, Democratisation and Development (1): Clearing the Analytical Ground, Democratisation 1, no. 3, p54
3 Carathers, T., 1999, Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, p65
4.www.dictionary.laborlawtalk.com

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