PEACE AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE: DIALECTS OF PEACE IN A DIVIDED WORLD

War speaks fluently in many tongues, artillery fire, propaganda, domination, while peace often struggles to articulate itself in a shared, universal voice. This paper conceptualizes peace as a “global language”: a communicative system of norms, values, and practices that transcends national and cultural boundaries. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of positive peace (Galtung), communicative action (Habermas), and conflict transformation (Lederach), the paper argues that African indigenous dialogue traditions, including elders’ councils, barazas, and interfaith mediation, offer vital contributions to this grammar of peace. Using Kenya’s 2007/08 post-election reconciliation as a case study, it examines how local communicative systems enriched international frameworks dominated by Western liberal models. To avoid romanticizing tradition, the paper situates these practices alongside comparative global grammars, such as Ubuntu in South Africa, Wa in Japan, digital youth activism, and intercultural proverbs. Challenges of translation, manipulation, and exclusion are critically examined, before advancing recommendations for hybrid frameworks, peace literacy, and digital tools. The conclusion asserts that for peace to achieve the universality and fluency of war, it must embrace plural traditions, cultivate peace literacy, and function as humanity’s most urgent shared language.