February 14, 2025
Maps are not just tools for navigation. They shape our understanding of the world, influence power dynamics, and impact peace and conflict. Throughout history, maps have been used to both divide and unite. Borders drawn on paper have led to real-world conflicts, while collaborative mapping has fostered reconciliation.
At Kahanee, we believe storytelling is at the heart of peacebuilding. Maps tell stories too. They hold histories of displacement, migration, and resilience. But they also offer opportunities to visualize solutions and create shared understandings. Have you ever looked at a map and wondered who decided where the borders should be?
Maps in Conflict
Colonial-era borders were often drawn without considering cultural, ethnic, or geographic realities. These artificial divisions continue to fuel tensions today. One stark example is the Sykes-Picot Agreement, where Britain and France divided the Middle East, disregarding the local populations. The consequences of these decisions persist, contributing to ongoing instability.
Maps as Tools for Peace
While maps have been used to divide, they can also bring people together. Mapping shared resources such as water, forests, and grazing land helps communities collaborate rather than compete. Cross-border conservation efforts in Africa have eased tensions between neighboring countries by creating shared environmental goals.
Geopolitical Influence
Governments and political leaders use maps to assert territorial claims, sometimes rewriting history in the process. Disputed maps influence negotiations, resource control, and even military strategies. International organizations play a crucial role in mediating land disputes, ensuring that borders and land agreements serve peace rather than conflict.
Story Maps and Interactive Mapping
Digital tools such as ArcGIS Story Maps allow communities to visualize histories, land rights, and migration patterns. These tools foster understanding by presenting data in a way that tells a story rather than just displaying information. Indigenous communities have used mapping technology to reclaim ancestral lands, demonstrating long-standing connections to specific regions.
Participatory Mapping in Conflict Zones
Participatory mapping involves local communities in the process, ensuring their voices are included in decision-making. The UN has used this approach in post-conflict reconstruction efforts, helping displaced populations document land ownership and access to resources.
Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Mapping
AI-powered mapping can predict potential conflicts by analyzing historical trends and resource distributions. These insights help peacebuilders take proactive steps to prevent violence.
Blockchain for Land Rights
Securing land ownership records with blockchain technology can reduce disputes by providing transparent and verifiable documentation. This is particularly important in areas where land grabs and fraudulent claims are common.
Mapping Climate Displacement
As climate change reshapes borders, maps will play a critical role in managing migration and resettlement. Rising sea levels and desertification will force millions to move, making it essential to plan for future displacement with accurate mapping tools.
Maps have long been used to define power, but they can also be tools for peace. Collaborative mapping efforts empower communities, ensuring that land and borders are viewed through a lens of justice rather than control.
The way we use maps in governance, education, and conflict resolution matters. Instead of seeing maps as static representations of division, we must reimagine them as dynamic tools for storytelling, engagement, and peacebuilding.
How can we rethink the way we use maps in our daily lives and global policies? The power of mapping is in our hands, and we have the opportunity to use it for a more just and peaceful world.
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Kahanee & Rometh Suriyarachchi
