Paper short abstract:

This paper addresses the issue of Somali heritage and its role in conflict resolution and community building.

Paper long abstract:

The on-going Somali civil war has had a devastating effect on people as well as their cultural heritage., and continues to cause an immeasurable suffering . The Somali looting of the Somali museums which ensued after the start of the war over two decades ago has not only moved immediately on to looting archeological sites supplying warlords with further weapons but also general public have seen this heritage as a source to feed upon. However, parallel with this process is also a less visible approach that has used common heritage and values to bring people together., and build peace. Somaliland is a great example of this sustaining peace by encouraging local conflict mitigation based on indigenous conflict resolutions system (Bradbury 2008;Walls, 2009). Also in Somaliland recently cultural heritage is used to promote common shared values and build a future from the past. This paper gives examples of cultural heritage projects led by institutions and civil society organizations, which are contributing to the two decades of peace and community building in Somaliland.