The Challenges of Instrumentalist Approach to the Involvement of African Women in Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
Funmilayo Idowu Agbaje, Ph.D

Abstract
In recent times, most arguments put forward in support of a gendered approach to peacemaking and peacebuilding from diverse set of scholars from a variety of disciplines, are instrumental in their approaches. African peace scholars and actors tend to perceive and portray women as instrumental in bringing about sustainable peace, and focusing narrowly on what women can do for peace neglecting the issue of what peace can do for women. The range of peace activities within the overall gendered approach, even a purported genuine approach as understood by the United Nations and other national and International peace community actors often fail to build a sustainable peace as it does not adequately address the fundamental socio-political and economic inequalities created by the global neoliberal structure which also perpetuate violence and conflict. Oftentimes, African women are defined through the lens of their motherly and caregivers’ roles while providing the link between these roles and their peace attributes. Despite the fact that these notions are true, the challenge remains in the ways those positive attributes are used as tools to undermine the multi-farious involvement of women in peace process. This paper will examine some of the long-standing instrumentalist approaches to African women’s involvement in Peacemaking and Peacebuilding processes by discussing extant literatures and also focus on some case studies within African continent. The ways some of these approaches have essentialised women’s roles in the society and the challenges arisen therefrom will also be discussed.

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