wfn.org | LWF General Secretary Affirms Role of Africa's Religious

["Frank Imhoff" <frank_imhoff@elca.org>]

LWF General Secretary Affirms Role of Africa's Religious
Diversity in Resolving Conflict 
Noko Applauds West Africa's Inter-Faith Peace Initiatives 

HO, 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," he
said.

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.)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million
of the almost 66 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information
service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various
units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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