Inter-Faith
Action for Peace in AfricaPress
Statement by Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko
General Secretary, The Lutheran World Federation
25 September 2002, Johannesburg
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I believe that all of you present here will agree with me that the continent of Africa is “enveloped” in a cycle of violence beyond description. History shows that never before has Africa sustained such prolonged periods of wars and violence as now. Like many sons and daughters of Africa I have travelled extensively in Africa and beyond I have drawn the firm conclusion that this violence is not “imported” from outside Africa; it is “made in Africa”. While the means to carry out these wars and violence may be imported violence itself is certainly conceived and carried out in Africa. The suffering and the pain these wars and other forms of violence have brought to so many parts of this continent cannot be described in words but in tears only.
In about over two weeks time, religious leaders and representatives of inter-faith councils and networks from across the African continent will meet in Johannesburg in order to:
· Renew and deepen their
commitment to inter-faith dialogue and co-operation for promoting peace in
Africa, and to
· Discuss the practical implementation of those commitments.
Amongst those who will be attend or who are expected are Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church; Chief Rabbi C.K. Harris of South Africa; the Grand Mufti of All Egypt; Prelate Sunday Mbang of the Methodist Church Nigeria; Bishop Lekganyane of the Zion Christian Church; the Sultan of Sokoto, Nigeria; Archbishop N.H. Ngada of the Federal Council of African Indigenous Churches; Imam Hamden Ould Tah of the League of Ulemas of Mauritania; Cardinal Napier of the Catholic Archdiocese of Durban; Pastor Ray McCauley, President of International Federation of Christian Churches; Bishop Daniel Deng of Sudan; Sheikh A. Gabier of the United Ulama Council of South Africa; Ntate Kgalushi Koka of the Kara Heritage Institute; Sheikh Abu Bakaar Conteh of Sierra Leone; Bishop L. Sibiya of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa; Sheikh Mohammed Hassen Yusuk of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council; and Bishop Mvume Dandala of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. These names are examples only of those attending, there are many more.
Ladies and gentlemen Africa is home to all major religious traditions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, African Traditional Religion and others. All these religious tradition claim that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion; that religious diversity should not necessarily lead to conflict, that such encounter provides also an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding. If this is true then Africa the home of these religions should be home for peace. Unfortunately religious diversity in Africa as elsewhere has too often been instrumentalized to give deeper motivation to ethinic, social or economic conflicts.
The goal in inter-faith dialogue is not unity, but a relationship in which substantive differences in beliefs and values can be shared, without feeling the need to reject or devalue the viewpoints of those of other faiths. Demonizing the 'other' creates conflict, not peace.
In addressing rising and recurrent violence in African countries, cities and rural communities, it is crucial that the religions and faith communities should work actively together to resist the misuse of religious differences for the purpose of creating enemy images and justifying conflict, and in order to promote dialogue and mutual understanding across all boundaries - national, religious, ethnic, and economic. Religious leaders have a special responsibility in this regard, given the key role they have, particularly in Africa, in forming the outlook and influencing the opinions of people throughout their communities.
There is therefore an urgent need for religious leaders to be given a voice on conflict issues, and for these issues not only to be left solely in the hands of politicians. The religions and faith communities of Africa can, I am convinced, if they are prepared to work together, do much to break the cycle of violent conflict in which our continent seems to be lost. We do not need more declarations, but more action.
There is the potential also for great complementarity between political efforts for peace and reconciliation and the efforts of religious leaders to promote inter-faith dialogue and co-operation for peace. The establishment of the African Union has created a new environment for the promotion of peace on this continent, and the NEPAD initiative has produced a new sense of commitment to development in Africa at the same time as it has underlined the unsustainability of economic or human development in a conflict-prone environment. Religious leaders and political leaders must stop shying away from each other, and find ways of working in a complementary manner to overcome divisions and to promote human and community well-being.
The Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Africa, which will be held in Johannesburg on 14-19 October 2002, is aimed at practical action. It will be the first time that such a continent-wide meeting of religious leaders has taken place on the issue of inter-faith dialogue and co-operation for peace. The Summit will be opened on the morning of 14 October by President Thabo Mbeki.
A large number of existing inter-faith councils or networks in Africa focussing on peace and conflict issues will be represented at the Summit, and will present short case studies describing their activities, methodologies, outcomes and insights. As a result of this exchange of experiences and 'lessons learned', I believe that all of the participants will be strengthened and better equipped for working for peace in an inter-faith context in their respective places. Participants will also hear expert presentations and panel discussions on a number of topics relevant to practical inter-faith peace work, and be given the opportunity to take part in a series of skills-based training workshops.
It is expected that the outcome and the success of the Summit will not be measured in the number and quality of documents it produces, but in the practical implementation of the commitments made and the application of the information and skills acquired. Follow-up is an essential component of this process. The Summit is merely the starting point of what I hope and pray will be a much greater emphasis on translating commitment to action and on strengthening and supporting the work of the many inter-faith councils and networks who are already doing the work for peace that their different faith traditions call them to do in the midst of conflict.
The Lutheran World Federation, of which I am General Secretary, has acted as facilitator of this process and as 'lead agency' for the organization of the Summit, which has been made possible with financial support from the Government of Finland.
Peace cannot be imported into Africa from other continents. It has to be made here out of local ingredients. Our faith traditions, our religious diversity and our varied cultural heritage are among the key ingredients. So are the insights of African women as well as those of African men. The African understanding of individual life in community - expressed in the Xhosa/Zulu term ubuntu or Sotho/Tswana term botho but a common notion many African cultures - is a distinctive ingredient that we can add. I believe that the deepest and truest sources of our faith traditions and cultural heritage provide us with the means to establish a culture of peace in Africa. African religious leaders must play their part.
Thank you.
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