ABSTRACT
Legacies of slavery and colonialism on the African continent have contributed to conflicts that persist into modern times. Forgiveness has been hypothesized to prevent new conflicts, promote reconciliation, and foster peace. We conducted a review of the research on forgiveness in Africa between 1996 and 2018 (N = 99 articles; 33,810 participants). The review focused mostly on empirical quantitative research, and accounted for the geographical region of the authors and the sample (in quantitative research), study conceptualization and methodology, major empirical findings, and prospects for future research. Our review reveals differences in the conceptualization and application of forgiveness between African and non-African nations as well as within the nations of Africa. The role of collectivism, the principle of Ubuntu, and enemyship are highlighted in understanding forgiveness within an African context. We suggest that an African forgiveness research campaign is needed. Such a campaign would help peacemakers understand culturally mediated definitions and expressions of forgiveness, culturally appropriate ways to promote forgiveness, and potential contributions of forgiveness to African peacemaking efforts.
