28.06.2004
LWF General Secretary Affirms Role of Africa’s Religious Diversity in Resolving Conflict
Noko Applauds West Africa’s Inter-Faith Peace InitiativesHO, Ghana/GENEVA, 28 June 2004 (LWI) – Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has affirmed religious diversity in West Africa as a rallying point for co-operation and joint action in resolving conflicts, as opposed to being a basis for fueling division.
The general secretary made these comments when he addressed religious leaders attending the June 23-24 West African Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Ho, northeast of the Ghanaian capital, Accra. Under the theme “Co-existence: The Key to Peace and Development in Africa,” the conference was organized by the Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), a body that encourages inter-religious networks in Africa to create and promote conflict resolution mechanisms. Noko was convenor of the first continental inter-faith peace summit, October 2002, in Johannesburg, South Africa, that led to the establishment of IFAPA.
The general secretary noted that although peace was a common value to many of Africa’s cultural and faith traditions, the respective communities’ perception of these values has often been manipulated to the detriment of Africans. “But…today we meet to re-embrace the gift of peace, and to discern its implications for inter-faith action for peace in West Africa,” he said.
Noko stressed the need to draw on the rich resources of African culture and history in the process of inter-faith co-operation for peace. Before the advent of Christianity and Islam in Africa, cultural capacities for peace and traditional mechanism for conflict resolution were strong, he noted.
“Commitment and action, not structures and slogans, are what we must strive for. Our fundamental faith values, our various inter-faith initiatives and expertise, and our African cultures and traditions for peace are the resources in our hands. Let us find ways of using them for peace, not for competition and conflict,” he stressed.
The general secretary acknowledged that some of the traditions and mechanisms have been lost, but much could be recovered and applied to Africa’s religiously-diverse and conflict-afflicted present. “This unique resource for peace is often neglected. Its recovery is necessary for durable peace in Africa and for the world,” Noko said. IFAPA, he noted, intended to encourage co-operation across religious, national, regional and institutional boundaries.
Noko drew the attention of the religious leaders to the political developments in Ivory Coast and Guinea (Conakry), saying the current tensions in those countries should be looked at as a major threat to the stability of the whole region, and should be addressed urgently by political and religious leaders alike.
The LWF general secretary regretted that West Africa had been the scene of many brutal conflicts. But, he noted, the region had also witnessed many leading examples of practical inter-faith action for peace, including an affirmation of the prominent role of women in conflict resolution. “In Liberia, Sierra Leone and the whole of the Mano River region, inter-faith networks have been active and effective participants in the search for peace, and for an end to intractable conflicts,” he said. He especially applauded Ghana for hosting negotiations between the parties to the conflict in Liberia that led to the August 2003 peace agreement.
Noko also paid tribute to and condoled the family of His Excellency Daagbo Hounon of the Vodoun Hwendo tradition of Benin, a key participant in the summit that launched IFAPA. Hounon died in March this year.
The LWF general secretary announced that in search for greater inclusiveness, there were plans to hold a second continent-wide inter-faith summit under the theme “Working Together for Peace in Africa” later this year. “We hope by this means to open an even wider forum for co-operation among African religious leaders.”
The West African summit was attended by around 100 religious leaders representing diverse faiths from Benin, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. There were also participants from Finland and Switzerland. (654 words)
(By Kenyan-based correspondent Noel Okoth, reporting on the West African summit on behalf of LWI.)
If you want to edit this article yourself and adapt it to a given format, follow our editing information
