wfn.org | South African Minister Urges African Religious Leaders to

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

South African Minister Urges Religious Leaders to Focus on Strategies
that Prevent Conflict
LWF General Secretary Challenges Women to Speak about Africa's Hope

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/GENEVA, 18 April 2005 (LWI) * South Africa's
Minister of Minerals and Energy Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has urged
representatives of Africa's diverse faith traditions to focus on
conflict prevention by pursuing progressive and effective strategies
that promote peace. 

Mlambo-Ngcuka called for the adoption of pragmatic policies for peace
and development, saying there was "more talk about conflict resolution
than about conflict prevention." 

The minister was opening a three-day meeting on the role of women in
peacemaking, ahead of the Second Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa
(IFAPA) Summit, coordinated by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and
hosted by the National Religious' Leaders Forum of South Africa
(NRLFSA).

She challenged the over 100 participants attending the "Mothers and
Daughters Pre-Summit," April 18-20, to be more actively involved in
deliberations at crucial levels, as their influence would improve the
quality of life in their societies. Good policies, she noted, must work
for the ordinary person. "Our policies can sometimes be very fancy, but
if a policy doesn't work for a woman then it can't work at all. If it
works for a woman it works for everybody."

Mlambo-Ngcuka lauded women in Africa for their leading role in promoting
peace in different parts of the continent. She remarked women were "not
necessarily angels" but key contributors to the socialization of the
mind and therefore crucial players in peace building. The quest for
peace, she emphasized, cuts across all religious faith. 

In his welcoming address, IFAPA convenor, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr
Ishmael Noko, said the pre-summit was a forum to encourage women to
relate and network in order to overcome challenges facing their
respective communities. "Do not only speak about the dilemmas for Africa
but also about the hope for Africa," he said. 

He described the religious diversity of Africa as a blessing, adding
that the IFAPA Summit provided a unique opportunity for the continent's
faith traditions to pursue common problems. Subjects to be discussed in
the next three days of the pre-summit include strategies for
mainstreaming gender into peace building and inter-faith programs.
Participants will also share their experiences about women's empowerment
in peacemaking; and the role of women and mothers in nurturing
peacemakers.

At the main summit, April 21-25, the women will present their meeting's
outcome in "A Mother's Cry for a Healthy Africa." Seven faith traditions
are represented in both meetings, taking place in Benoni, near
Johannesburg.

Participants in the Second IFAPA Summit are convening to review their
plan of action adopted over two years ago, calling for the active
engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace
building initiatives on the continent. The theme of the summit, is
"Working Together for Peace in Africa." 

Media representatives from Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western
Africa, and Europe and North America are scheduled to take part in a
panel discussion on the role of media in the context of inter-faith
action for peace. (506 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
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