wfn.org | AACC: Africa Churches Warned of Terrorism and Militarism

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

May 5, 2003

PRESS RELEASE

NEPAD HIT BY NEW WAVE OF TERRORISM AND MILITARISM SAYS FRANK CHIKANE

The world has been plunged into an international crisis marked by terrorism
and militarism. As a result, the momentum towards the realization of the
NEPAD
(New Partnership for Development) dream has been interrupted.

This observation was made in Nairobi by Rev Dr Frank Chikane, the Director
General in the Office of the President, South Africa. Dr Chikane was a guest
speaker at the fundraising dinner and celebrations of the 40th anniversary of
the All Africa Conference of Churches on Saturday evening (May 3).

Dr Chikane who is also Secretary to the South African Cabinet recalled that
"the newly born baby called NEPAD was tempered by the new dark cloud of the
tragic event of September 11."

He went on, "for about a year, many of us who were in the engine room of this
noble African project hoped against hope that the response to the September
11
and the possible consequences would not put this noble African project on the
back burner and thus set us back many years. We hoped that September 11 would
not reverse all the gains many generations of activists fought for, suffered
for or even died for."

Dr Chikane noted that the last six months "suggest that what we feared would
happen is about to engulf us.  New forms of terrorism and war as a means of
resolving human problems have returned." In war and terrorism, he added,
"moral standards become recalibrated to lower levels. Here the noble ideas of
human rights are bound to be the first casualty."

He wondered "how does one explain the many innocent Kenyans, Tanzanians and
other nationals who died in recent terror attacks in this region?  How does
one explain the tragic deaths of ordinary US citizens and other nationals
during the September 11 attacks in the USA.  How are we going to explain to
the twelve-year old Iraqi boy that he had to loose his limbs and go through
excruciating and unimaginable pain for us to deal with the threats of our
time?  How do we deal with the fear that all of us now have to even raise the
questions I am raising", he went on.

He asked, "what happened to our freedom of speech, freedom of thought and the
cherished right to express one's opinion?  What about the United Nations
system that was supposed to maintain international peace and security?	What
about the rights and the sovereignty of smaller and weaker States the UN
system was expected to guarantee".

Dr Chikane expressed the fear that "our little light of hope could be
smothered by the weight of this new international crisis.  The reality is
that
this is no ordinary crisis.  It is a kairos, a moment of truth, which calls
on
all of us to make choices and act decisively".

He called for a new way of theologising, which speaks to the African
situation.  "It calls for an enhanced African spirituality, which can enable
Africa to be self-confident and strong.  It calls on us to seek God's wisdom
and guidance to intervene in a way that will bring back to the course of
justice, peace and righteousness".

Referring to Africa Renaissance, he said, we need to put all we can into
believing that the Lord will make a way for it to survive.  Statements made
by
the major players in the crisis of our time suggests that our course is so
morally correct, that even in the midst of all this, none can find fault in
it.  No one with some sense of morality can, in good conscience gainsay that
moral right of the African people, who have suffered so much in the last 500
years or so to develop themselves, grow their economies and better the lives
of their people".

He went on, let me reiterate that our course is a just one.  It is a moral
one.  It is people oriented.  It represents the basic thrust of the message
of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Accordingly, we are called upon to pursue
it with all that which the Lord gives us.

This, he said, was the challenge for the All Africa Conference of Churches
(AACC).  It is a challenge for the churches on the continent.  It is a
challenge for all those who take their faith and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ seriously.

AACC was launched in 1963 at its first General Assembly in Kampala.  The
Nairobi based pan-African ecumenical organisation is a fellowship of 168
national churches in 39 African countries.

During the 40th Anniversary Celebration, the Secretary to Kenya's
Constitutional Review Commission, Mr. Patrick Lumumba launched AACC
Foundation
Fund as an endowment fund.

Church leaders from all over Africa and the local diplomatic and business
community were among guests at the celebrations.

He expressed appreciation that the vision of the African Renaissance and
African renewal has taken root on the continent.  The development of NEPAD
and
African Union testify to the vision.

He expressed appreciation to AACC and the World Council of Churches (WCC) for
hosting the Pan-African Ecumenical Consultation on NEPAD in South Africa in
March this year.

Recalling the period AACC has served, Rev. Chikane noted that the environment
within which the new African continent was born was not a leveled playing
field both within the continent and internationally.  Internationally, the
Cold-War was intensifying at the time, forcing African countries to take
sides
between the East and West, between socialism and capitalism etc.  This
resulted in proxy wars and conflicts whose theater was in other lands other
than of the main protagonists.	Those who tried to be neutral in this
East/West conflict were crushed in between or suffered like grass when
elephants fight.  In this world order regime change (to use modern language)
and assassination of leaders of other countries was accepted, except that it
was done covertly.

He observed that other external strategic interests like oil, diamonds and
other minerals became part of the curse of the African continent.  Where
Africa was endowed with such precious mineral deposits or oil it never had
peace.

Within the continent, Africa had to contend with leaders who were good
students of their colonial masters.  They established

   a.. Military, dictatorial, oppressive and exploitative regimes;
   b.. Client states with an elite which served their own self-interests and
those of their former colonial masters or other external forces rather than
its people;
   c.. Sectarian regimes which excluded other sections of the society on
various grounds like ethnicity, etc;
   d.. Oligarchies;
   e.. Corrupt regimes which served themselves rather than the people etc.

Many African countries allowed their own fault lines to be exploited by
external forces to advance their own interests at the expense of the people.
At the end, many Africans were subjected to enormous pain and suffering, many
died, millions were displaced and others turned into refugees, he noted.

All this led many parts of Africa on a path of further regressions and
degradation rather than development and growth.  Fortunately, prophetic and
progressive voices within and outside the church and African societies were
always there to keep the vision for a free, united, just and prosperous
Africa.  They kept the faith, maintained their calling, as witnesses to the
course of justice and righteousness, and like a thorn in the flesh
remained the conscience of their societies.  Prophetic voices within member
churches of the AACC; National Councils of Churches affiliated to the AACC
and
those of the leadership of the AACC are counted amongst this crowd of
witnesses.

Currently, he said, Africa was mopping up remaining pockets of conflicts.
What is required is a culture of good governance, respect for human rights,
good corporate governance in the private sector among others.

For further information contact:

Mr. Mitch Odero
AACC Information and Communication Desk

Tel: 254-2-4441483/4441338/9
Fax: 254-2-4443241/44455835
E-mail: infodesk@aacc-ceta.org
Website: http://ww.aacc-ceta.org