Committed Literature as Instrument for Youth Mobilization and Peacebuilding in Tivland, Nigeria

Abstract

Committed literature was popularized in the immediate post-World War II era when JP Sartre revived the idea that the artist has a serious responsibility to society. It is any form of literature (written, visual or oral) intended to awaken social sensitivity towards a social menace. It demystifies societal myth and helps promote social consciousness towards what was ignored or made unknown. It unveils a menace intentionally covered from the sight of the community by politicians or the elite or tradition. Lack of peace in our society, especially in Benue state, has become a social menace hindering development and threatening food insecurity in the state. This menace has to be addressed and one of the ways to build peace in the state is to mobilize the youth through the propagation of the importance of peace. In this paper, we have discussed the lack of peace and its triggers, disadvantages of lack of peace and how building peace through mobilization of the youth can be achieved with committed literature as an instrument. Using Sartre’s notion of literature of engagement we came to the conclusion that literature used in all its forms and encouraging youth to also write their stories in fiction or non-fiction forms to present to their communities will indeed curb disputes and encourage sustainable peacebuilding in Benue state.