Interfaith in Action
Insecurity and violent conflict have increased in the Sahel region over the past decade, affecting relations between Muslims, Christians and Traditional communities. The year 2022 was particularly difficult in Nigeria. Polarization between Muslims and Christians had escalated to the point of deadly inter religious violence. The election period in February 2023 was also marked by a high risk of inter religious violence. The past year was also critical in Burkina Faso. The continued spread of violent extremism is the main concern weakening the deep social cohesion of this pluralistic society.
In this context the “Interfaith in Action” project funded by the Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) has been timely and relevant to reduce and prevent inter-religious tensions in Burkina Faso and Nigeria. Activities during the reporting period have been very successful, and project implementation met its objectives. CPI has used its experience and knowledge in conflict transformation and that of its local partners, Development Solidaire/ Wallam Walle (DSWW) for Burkina Faso and Dar Al Andalus Center (DAAC) for Nigeria, to set up two interfaith platforms (Burkina Faso and Nigeria) each bringing together 15 participants from faith-based organizations, to build their capacity in conflict transformation and support them in developing joint local micro projects addressing interreligious tensions.
The project has had a significant impact on several levels. First, by bringing together influential religious actors from different backgrounds and resource persons with expertise in conflict transformation and interreligious relations, participants were provided with a safe space to address these issues. This allowed them to actively engage with members of other religious communities, most of whom were already mobilized on these issues. They were able to exchange freely and quickly find points of convergence for the implementation of joint actions. Throughout the project, there was a great deal of enthusiasm on the part of the participants.
In the final report of the Burkina Faso platform, participants mentioned the following « The human atmosphere that prevailed during the beginning of the Interreligious in Action project at the endline workshop is a clear proof that a significant advance in the collaboration between the actors in the implementation of peace building activities, despite their cultural and religious affiliations, their differences or religious differences.”
Secondly, the positive impact of the project is the symbol of the joint action of these participants from different faiths. In fact, the plurality of the groups carries messages beyond the content of the different events undertaken. This is transformative and helps to deconstruct certain stereotypes for students, young people and various members of communities who are very often not exposed to religious diversity, especially in Nigeria.
In addition, the joint actions, which were set up at the request of the participants themselves, focused strongly on awareness-raising, the transfer of knowledge acquired during the conflict transformation workshops and the promotion of interfaith relations in both contexts. These are sensitive issues on which it has been relevant to intervene. Nearly 240 people have benefited directly from the joint actions without counting the ongoing awareness-raising campaigns, which have been disseminated more widely (radio, TV, social networks).
Finally, the successes achieved in the project’s initial phase demonstrate the potential for long-term impact and transformation in these regions. Nonetheless, there is still much work ahead, and we are confident that renewing our partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust would enable us to build further on these successes.
