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UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY
By Dr. Albert Isaac *

Diversity is a condition or instance of being different or having differences. It connotes heterogeneity or dissimilarity. When related to humanity, the word "diversity" refers to differences in sex, cultural practice, ethnic origin, religious affiliation, ideological stance, political leaning, place of habitation, and so on. In other words, diversity becomes a compelling issue in a community where everybody does not have equal social, economic, or political life.

Reasons for diversity in human nature can be divided into two classes: the natural and the situational. Man is a natural being. We were not created to have similar attributes or features. This explains why some are male and others female. Some are ugly and others beautiful. We have the short and tall, the white and black. Each of these two sets is supposed to have respect for one another. A man or woman belongs to a particular place of origin or ethnic group. This is often accidental and not by any design of ours. We did not choose to be what or where we are. Just as we are thankful for being what we pride ourselves to be, we must learn to respect the right of others to be what they are.

There are situational contexts of diversity. A man could acquire the identity of an "alien" by moving from his own cultural world into another. This automatically makes him become a cultural (or even social, economic, and political) minority. This is because he has some characteristics that make him different from members of his host community. He, therefore, becomes a member of the "Yoruba community" in Kano, the "Igbo community" in Ibadan, or the "Hausa community" in Enugu. It is necessary to point out, as well, that a man could become a minority in his community of origin by the political ideology, religious values, or social life he subscribes to. This is why, for example, the Christians and Muslims still isolate the "fundamentalists" in their midst, and the moderate politicians differentiate themselves from the "radicals" or "leftists."

As shown above, diversity promotes a plurality of interests and needs. This is a major asset to the practice of democracy. It enables the society to identify a multiplicity of issues that the democratic process should address. Where such interests and needs are met, the people are happy with each other and, therefore, would easily support the development of the community they share with one another. Diversity could, however, become a liability to the political process. This happens when the contending issues of diversity in the society are not properly mediated. It happens when issues of diversity in the society are politicized or manipulated to satisfy the selfish interest of a group in the society. This kind of situation leads to conflict. The society is thus thrown into a state of confusion. Political order is threatened.

1] Competition for resources: When members of the community want the same resources (especially financial assets and political power and privileges) and there are not enough of these to go round, or when what is available is not judiciously distributed between the contending groups in the community.

2] Psychological needs: Some conflicts occur, not as a result of competition for resources, but because one or all of the parties just feel like making trouble. This trouble starts when one or all parties exhibit certain ³arrogant² behavior that could ignite the anger or repulsion of the other party. The drive here is towards showing that one of the parties has more power, influence, or clout than the other. In the process of this kind of "ego trip," society is thrown into a state of conflict. Conflicts based on psychological needs are often difficult to understand as the issues said to be behind the conflict are seen by members of the public to be too trivial.

3] Values: Values shape human personality and belief systems and are, therefore, difficult to change. One's values determine the community (or world) to which one belongs. Such values could include religious beliefs, transparency, honesty, fairness, and equality. Parties involved in conflict over values often find it difficult to understand the standpoint of others. This type of conflict is more likely to be resolved when the parties understand and respect each other's values.

*Dr. Albert Isaac is a member of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.