wfn.org | Women Launch Inter-Faith Campaign for a Healthy Africa

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

Women Launch Inter-Faith Campaign for a Healthy Africa
Call for Concerted Effort to End Wars on the Continent

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/GENEVA, 23 April 2005 (LWI) *Women participants
in an inter-faith summit near Johannesburg, sent a powerful message of
reconciliation and reconstruction in the launch of a symbolic "Mother's
Cry for a Healthy Africa."

The "mother's cry" presented in a dramatic display of poetry, recitation
of holy writings and dance on April 22 marked the beginning of an
inter-faith campaign that seeks to support programs targeted at healing
and counseling of post-war victims. The campaign was based on the outcome
of a "Mothers and Daughters Pre-summit," attended by over 100 women drawn
from all over Africa, April 18-20.

The launch in the context of the Second Inter-Faith Action for Peace in
Africa (IFAPA) Summit taking place April 21-25, began with a colorful
procession by the women. They carried placards expressing some of the
challenges that they face including "AIDS," "Conflict," "FGM [female
genital mutilation]," "Poverty" and "Violence."

"African women should unite against war*. Everybody has to be concerned
because peace is for the common good," an emotional Ms Dandi Lou Amanan
pleaded shortly after women and men participants sang, "We shall overcome." Amanan is a former social worker with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in conflicted-affected areas and founder of Vision and
Action of African Women Against Wars in Ivory Coast.

In their statement of solidarity, the women leaders acknowledged that men
and women alike have been perpetrators and victims of violent conflicts
and wars in Africa. Such conflicts, they regretted, had destroyed the
spiritual, economic, social and political well being of Africa.

Their statement included an affirmation that women are the cornerstone of
social harmonization and the integration of African societies, and thus
could not be excluded from issues that deal with peace and security. They
noted that the intervention of inter-faith women in peace building would
introduce a dimension that would help lead to comprehensive and sustainable peace in Africa.

They further undertook to launch an African women's inter-faith network,
appoint regional or country liaison persons between local communities and
IFAPA as well as establish an Internet-based forum through which they
could share their different experiences.

Joining the women in the "Mother's Cry for a Healthy Africa" inter-faith
campaign was Dr Brigalia Bam, chairperson of the Independent Electoral
Commission (IEC) of South Africa. Addressing the IFAPA summit earlier on,
Bam encouraged women to use women's movements to influence decision-making
about key issues that touch on their well being and that of the entire
society.

The Second IFAPA summit brings together over 240 participants from all
over Africa, as well as observers from Europe and North America. There are
eight faith communities represented at the summit namely, African
Traditional Religion, Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam,
Judaism and Rastafarian. The theme of the summit is "Working Together for
Peace in Africa." The event is coordinated by the Lutheran World Federation and hosted by the National Religious Leaders Forum of South Africa. (502
words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million Christians. 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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