The importance of social harmony is addressed in literature, particularly African literature, in
which it has a prominent place. In The Gods are not to Blame by Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi,
a Nigerian playwright better known as Ola Rotimi, we have a description of endogenous mechanisms and
practices that aim to create a harmonious living environment in the community and with its surroundings.
Through the study of the play, which presents life in Kutuje, a Yoruba community, the author celebrates
the efficiency of the mechanisms established by Africans, which are of various kinds in the management,
prevention and resolution of conflicts. Indeed, he highlights the traditional political, social and religious
mechanisms that promote social cohesion. These mechanisms can be of two kinds: coercive or noncoercive. In the context of this work, we will quote some key features of traditional Yoruba society in the
first section. Then, we will focus on mechanisms developed in that society ranging from the endogenous
coercive aspects to the non-coercive mechanisms depicted by the author. Through a literary and analytical
approach, we will show how the advocates for a return to endogenous mechanisms for social cohesion

conflict, mechanism, traditional