The Sociocultural Role of Music in Conflict-Affected Communities in Plateau State: Healing and Reconciliation

This study investigates the sociocultural role of music in supporting healing and reconciliation processes within conflict-affected communities in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. Plateau State has experienced recurring cycles of ethnoreligious violence that have left deep psychological wounds, displaced thousands of residents, and fractured inter-communal relationships. This research examines how community music practices, including communal singing, public lament traditions, peacebuilding concerts, and shared musical celebrations, contribute to trauma healing, the restoration of social trust, and the building of inter-communal dialogue in selected Berom, Fulani, and Hausa communities affected by violence in Jos North and Barkin Ladi local government areas. A qualitative ethnographic design is employed, incorporating participant observation, life history interviews with 25 community members, focus group discussions with music community leaders, and analysis of reconciliation programme documentation from faith-based and civil society organisations. The study integrates music therapy theory, community music practice literature, and peace-building scholarship from both African and international contexts. Findings will identify the mechanisms through which music contributes to post-conflict recovery and will propose a community music model for conflict-affected settings in Nigeria's Middle Belt. Keywords: Music and conflict, community healing, reconciliation, Plateau State, peacebuilding.