First Pan African Conference on Interreligious Freedoms ended in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroun, as participants pledged to work together for the service of peace in the name of God, CEOAFRICA.com gathered.
The conference which had participants from 80 countries across Africa and beyond in attendance focused on cause of various religious crises. Participants says development across Africa has been greatly slowed by interreligious conflicts, sighting Nigeria as one of the worst, with tens of thousands of lives lost in fighting between Muslim and Christian communities, and thousands more killed by the Islamist militant-sect Boko Haram.
In his address, South African-based Malawian cleric Hopeson Bonye says nothing good has come out of Boko Haram, saying it is just fighting everyone, and is extending its tentacles to neighboring countries.
"It is wrong, and it is not the right thing at all. One thing I want to mention is that not everything that is Western is bad, because we live in a global village and we interact with one another. So we cannot choose to live as Africans and just be Africans. We still need to borrow from other people. Those things that are bad we can let them go, but we cannot fight and kill, and cause violence in the name of hating Western philosophers whatsoever," Bonye said.
He also added that Nigeria is not the only place where religious violence occurs, saying the same thing is happening in Malawi.
"Property was damaged, people have no place to worship. Like the mosque had to rebuild, and the churches had to rebuild again, and people were destabilized, families hating one another. They belong to one family, some are Muslims, some are Christians, so it splits families all the time and people are displaced also," he said.
Meanwhile, apart from condemning the violence and asking governments to name, shame and prosecute perpetrators, the conference also agreed to preach and practice tolerance.
While making his own contribution, Ghanaian-born pastor, Emmanuel Menu, who serves as West and Central African overseer of the Seventh day Adventist Church, said he will be an advocate for peace and tranquility, especially in Ivory Coast, where he is based.
Pastor Emmanuel said, "We should be able to live together as Africans. We should not leave any room for intolerance, we should respect all human beings. Africa has suffered a lot and because of this we are among the poorest African nations.”
Also at the conference, Nigerian delegation leader Oloyeke Alaoye Labi said the outcome of the conference may be slow and difficult to be felt, but highly expected by true believers in his country.
"I have got to know that Africans are African, Cameroonians, Nigerians ... and we should not allow any religion to separate our brotherhood," said Labi.
As for Liberian-born pastor James Gole, he says tolerance should be the watch word among Christians, Muslims and even animists if Africa has to develop.
"We are promoting religious liberties and tolerance. God created us the same way. So we do not need each other because of religious differences," said Gole.
A communiqué issued at the end of the conference disclosed that during the past 20 years, an estimated eight million people around the world have lost their lives because of religious extremism and fanaticism.
