IFAPA – Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa

President Ishmael Noko thanked in his speech the Parliament of Religions. The other representantatives of IFAPA on the right.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (30 November, 2009) – “Interfaith Action for Peace in
Africa,” an organization formed in 2002 that brings together representatives from African
Traditional Religions, Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Jews, has
been named the recipient of the Paul Carus Award for Outstanding Contributions to the
Interreligious Movement by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.

The award ceremony will be held at the 2009 Parliament of Religions on International Night,5 December at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center. The historic fifth
Parliament event in Melbourne, Australia runs December 3 – 9, 2009.

“IFAPA,” the acronym by which the award-winning group is best known, “models in a
creative way, the peace-making potential of the growing interreligious movement,” said
Rev. Dr. William E. Lesher, Chair of the Council’s Board of Trustees. “The organization
is comprehensive, representing the major religions of Africa and also geographically
significant with a continent-wide reach and concern,” he said.

IFAPA’s most public activity has been in the area of conflict resolution, having sent interfaith delegations to Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, North and South Sudan and Togo over the last decade. Other IFAPA activities include a women’s project called, “A Mother’s Cry for a Healthy Africa,” and a water project in rural Rwanda.

“I received the news of the Carus Award to IFAPA with humility and gratitude”, commented President of IFAPA, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko the decision of the Council’s Board of Trustees.

“IFAPA`s commitment to the search for Peace in Africa is certainly strengthened and upheld by means of this recognition. Let it be known that IFAPA envisions an Africa where the religious beliefs and traditions of every community are fully respected; where children and youth must be formed through positive information about each other`s religion; where current educational textbooks ought to be revised to ensure that they do not contribute to religious intolerance and conflict” Noko stated.

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by Chippa Legodimo

In the launcing Summit participants raised up challenges that women face in Africa

One of the main themes of IFAPA third Summit was women’s wellbeing and challenges they face in situations of poverty, poor living conditions and violence. The Summit launched the campaign Mothers Cry for a Healthy Afica in SADAC region.

One of the major challenges facing the continent of Africa is the problems faced by women most of which have far reaching effects on the economic and social stability of the continent. Certain traditions and customs are only compounding to the problem and action needs to be taken to address such issues and perhaps examine if some people are not only using certain  traditional practices to disadvantage women.

There is no way for a healthy Africa if our mothers and sisters’ health and wellbeing is neglected. This is one of the key issues the Inter- Faith Action for Peace in Africa third Summit in Gaborone Botswana is trying to address as religious and political leaders try to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Women across this continent have over the years considered to be inferior to their male counterparts. The girl child always considered second best to their brothers an this has passed from generation to generation.

Women at this summit  believe that time is now for change if that dream of a healthy Africa is to be realized. The mothers at this gathering showed the gathering how serious this Mothers’ cry for a Healthy Africa was to them.

When it was time for the topic on the agenda, all women in the conference room moved out to prepare themselves for a parade. Joining hands, all of them came back to the room with serious faces , in somber mood, all of them covering their shoulders with scarves displaying the words “A Mother’s cry for a Healthy Africa”.

Some were caring African pots on their heads, the ones that are normally used for fetching water while others displayed placards with messages such as Double Standards for Girls, Prostitution, Sexual Abuse and Stop Early Marriages,  all the issues that have contributed to poor health women in the continent and at times death.

It would appear like a drama sketch but such are the painful realities that they face on almost a daily basis. It is unfortunate that some societies have taken this unfair and at times inhumane treatment of women as normal.

But IFAPA is determined to create awareness and mobilize amongst women in Africa and giving them the skills to address the challenges that are facing them.

Although various countries have legislation in place to address the problem of gender based violence, it still continues to rise and IFAPA has come to add to the other interventions by other organizations in order to make the women’s voices heard.

Although men have also fallen victims to violence in Africa, clearly women are mostly affected. But Women can provide a solution to the problem as they have proven in family set ups where they normally act as mediator in cases of conflict and more often than not succeed with their careful approach of negotiation instead of “trying to bring peace by force”.

Women acting from an inter-faith organization could be more successful in bring peace as that provides a platform for women with different believes to merge ideas and come out with one solution.

Our Mothers are the most affected by HIV AIDS and other diseases such as TB and  malaria the reason being that the backbone of society and family set up women often find themselves as the only care givers to the sick and having to compromise or completely sacrifice their economic activities.

Water as Reason of Conflicts IFAPA Summit by Chippa Legodimo

Water for all -speakers' presentations raised an active sharing of experiences and opinions among the the Summit participants.

Relegious leaders converging in Gaborone- Botswana for the Third Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa(IFAPA). Summit have heard how selfish usage of water resources throughout the continent are threatening its peace.

Speakers at the summit whose theme is ‘Envisioning a Peaceful Africa : Water for All’ have narrated stories of how countries have come close to waging war on each other as they try to take control of the water resources.

The Nile river, perhaps Africa’s most famous river and biggest is among the most contended water sources in Africa according to the deleberations at this summit. Former Tanzania Prime Minister Fredrick Sumaye has told delegates at the summit how tensions regarding the rights of the Nile river continue to threaten peace in East and Northern Africa states.

The creating of the Nile River basin in 1999 was meant to address the problem but it is clear the proclamations signed before it have rendered it less effective as countries like Egypt and Sudan still continue to hold better rights to the nile waters than other countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Ethopia, Kenya and Uganda where the river runs through to the north.

Mr. Sumaye noted that although an agreement was reached throught the Nile River Basin, it has not effectively dealt with the problem who has more rights to the water and urged relegious leaders to help in finding a permanent solution to the problem.

He said although the agreement was meant to ensure that all the nine countries share the waters equally, it was still not fair that both Egypt andSudan still hold more than 46 percent of the rights.

Sumaye added that the situation could be worsened by the fact that the water level at lake Victoria in East Africa had gone down by two metres. ‘That is a big drop for such an enormous water source and the because it is one of the sources feeding into the Nile River automatically there is a poor flow on the Nile. The main source of the Nile River water is the Blue Nile which originates in Ethiopia, It accounts for 75 percent of the Water and you can understand why these other countries are not happy with two countries having more rights’ he said.

He said that in the past Egypt had threatened to go to war if any of the countries involved tried to block the river of ecceeded its qouta. According to him there was fear that conflict could erupt if not enough water was flowing into the river.

Sheik Hamid Byamugenzi from Uganda who is Youth Desk Officer for IFAPA also told delegates of the existing conflict between Kenya and Uganda Mjingo Island situated within Lake Victoria. He said because Mjingo was rich in natural resources both countries claimed it fell within their borders.

He also said that there was contention between DRC and Uganda over oil rich Lake Albert shared by DRC and Uganda with each country claiming ownership of the water source. According to him soldiers from both countries have been deployed to guard the lake and that unless the situation was addressed it could turn chaotic.

IFAPA commissioner and former Prime Minister of Tansania H.E.Fredrick Sumaye greeted President Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko after his address to the Summit.

African Leaders Warned of Climate Change Impact

By Daisy Dube

Africa’s growing water crisis demands leadership and common action among faith groups, says Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, President of the Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA), Dr. Ishmael Noko in his keynote address to religious leaders and other participants attending the third Summit of IFAPA (17 -21 Nov. 2009 in Gaborone Botswana). He emphasized that clean water was available to few Africans.

“Envisioning a Peaceful Africa: Water for All,” is the theme of the 17-21 November summit in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone. The first of its kind to include participation from government and business leaders, the conference is expected to harness future collaboration among stakeholders on peace and development in Africa and address climate change.

“There is an urgent need for the public sector to play an active role in the creation of awareness and education on the correct use of water. Water is a paramount issue. Conflict and peace both hang on this issue. None of the three categories of stakeholders convened in this summit  -  religious communities, governments and the private sector  - can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity,” said Noko, who is IFAPA’s president.

Established in October 2002, the pan-African body focuses on active engagement of religious leaders in conflict resolution and peace building on the continent.

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Third Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa (IFAPA) Summit 17 – 21 November 2009 in Gaborone Botswana is focusing on a vital issue – Water for all – and looking for a wide collaboration to take resposibility on the future of the continent. The Summit is a strong effort to empower Africans to find determination to formulate a concept of the New Africa – to stand on its own feet – as the President of IFAPA, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko writes in his message to the summit.

IFAPA believes that the time is now for Africa to stand on its own feet and renew itself; that the roadmap to a peaceful Africa requires that all stakeholders engage in action oriented dialogue;  that religious communities, governments, private sector and civil society create a partnership based on shared values, ”

Let a  peaceful Africa be a New Africa, where the beliefs and traditions of others are mutually respected; where nations and peoples live in peace not in conflict; where wasteful competition is reduced; where the principle of good neighborliness is upheld; where gender equality and the right to live a decent life are promoted. Yes, a peaceful Africa is possible but lets not forget that peace cannot be imported from outside. We need indigenous soil and indigenous seeds for a New Africa”, emphsizes President Noko.

No time to waste or wait for others to work

The Summit preparations paper, Aide Memoire, is consesting of a collection of facts and concerns on the African continent. Africa suffers from chronically overburdened water systems under increasing stress from fast-growing urban areas. Weak governments, corruption, mismanagement of resources, poor long-term investment, and a lack of environmental research and urban infrastructure only exacerbate the problem. In some cases, the disruption or contamination of water supply in urban infrastructures and rural area has incited domestic and cross-border violence.

Water is a vital strategic resource for national security. As populations increase and water resources deplete, many analysts anticipate increasing inter- and intra-national tensions and risks of conflict over access to water resources. Local conflicts over riparian grazing rights and access to water resources at ‘cattle-posts’ can easily escalate into ethnic/tribal or even national conflicts.

Regional and global frameworks will have to be found to manage these access issues, to reduce tensions related to water resources, and to mediate conflicts concerning the same. Local community leadership, including in particular religious leadership, will need to be involved in the creation and implementation of strategies for reducing tensions and mediating conflicts over access to water resources, and in promoting non-sectarian models of water resource ownership.

Where water crosses boundaries – be they economic, legal, political or cultural – the stage is set for disputes between different users trying to safeguard access to a vital resource, while protecting the natural environment. Without strategies to anticipate, address, and mediate between competing users, intractable water conflicts are likely to become more frequent, more intense, and more disruptive around the world.

Experts warn that the main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years could be over that most precious of commodities – water, as countries fight for access to scarce resources.

New Chapter in the Search for Peace and Development

In the history of African communities, water is a paramount issue on which conflict and peace both hang. Under the auspices of IFAPA, and in collaboration with relevant Government ministries and private sector actors – a multi-stakeholder Summit on community-based water resource management in Africa which will yield a multi-year action plan will be organized in Botswana. The Third Summit will be marked by an attempt to forge and promote as much as possible a partnership between IFAPA on the one hand and governments and the business community on the other. The upcomingSummit is intended to be a unique forum of encounter between these important stakeholders as none of the stakeholders convened in this Summit – religious communities, governments and the private sector – can undertake their responsibilities without this essential commodity. Together all three constituencies will envision a peaceful Africa and its development. In so doing, this Summit can be seen as opening a new chapter in the search for peace and development in a troubled continent.

by Rev. Ilukpitiye Pannasekara Nayaka Thero, the chief monk for the African continent.

Water is the very source of all life on this planet. Its quality and integrity are vitally important to all forms of life. Our body is very much like a sponge and is composed of trillions of chambers called cells that hold liquid. The quality of our life is directly connected to the quality of our water.

Without water there is no peace, and there is an increase in conflicts. A lack of water means poor health, less work, and reduced income.  Without work, like is unsuccessful, and the economy will not growth well. A proper supply of water brings many benefits to the world’s people, and should be considered a human right.

There was a dry zone area in a northern province of Sri Lanka, the country of my birth. A special initiative named the “MAHAWELI  DEVELOPMENT  PROJECT” turned the dry zone into a wonderful development area without any threat of drought. Now that part of the country is very beautiful.  The Mahaweli River carried water from the hill country to the ocean without utilizing its potential. This project made a few dams and blocked the water to supply it through cannels to the dry areas, and transferred people from town to those lands. It also started to generate electricity through water turbines. Now many parts of the country use this electricity. We are very happy about this water project, as water made our Sri Lankan life more successful.

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Prabhu Pattni, Secretary General, Hindu Council of Africa

In Sanskrit, there are 52 words for water.  Water is held in considered such an important part of human existence that in almost all ancient cultures, it was deified.  We have Varuna as the Vedic God of water and Neptune in ancient Greece.  Water is considered sacred in all the religious traditions of the world.  No religious ceremony can be completed without water in one form or other.  If everyone holds the water so dear, why are we having problems of clean drinkable water?  To my mind, water is understood as an entity on its own rather than the part of the whole natural cycle.  We cannot think about water without thinking of trees, environment, usage, human activities and pollution; and of course human greed!

Kenya is an agricultural country heavily dependant on rainfall.  Yet the forest cover necessary for the rainfall has been decimated to a small fraction of the original.  Rivers are polluted by industries and human activities and now the country is in the throes of one of the worst drought that it has ever seen.  Three consecutive rainy seasons have failed to bring adequate rains.  People and animals are dying.  It is only now that people have woken up to the fact that they have created their own problems.  In grabbing forest land and clearing it, they have removed the very part of nature that fed them through adequate rains.  If steps are not taken in time, there will be more desert in Kenya than now.  All of this due to the failure of humans to live harmoniously with nature.

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Lally Lucretia M Warren

by Mrs. Lally Lucretia M Warren,  Bahá’í community of Botswana

No country in Africa has the importance of water at the centre of its national psyche as does Botswana. A  visitor to Botswana will soon hear the word “pula” which means “rain”. When a chief or person of importance addresses a meeting he or she will open with a cry of “Pula!” and the audience response will be a shout of “Pula!” And the meeting will usually end with the same exchange. To bless a person’s departure we might say “Tsamaya ka pula”, meaning “Go with rain”. Even our currency is called “Pula” and the dominant light blue colour of our flag represents water. In a country that is semi-arid and mostly consists of the Kalahari Desert – a name that means “Thirst Land” –  nothing is more important than access to water.

It is something of a surprise, then, to learn that Botswana has one of the largest swamps in Africa as the Okavango river, fed by rains in Angola, meets the Kalahari sands and disappears in a huge delta teeming with wildlife. The very existence of this famous tourist attraction depends upon the fair use of the river by the other two  countries through which it flows before reaching Botswana. When faced with disagreement with other countries over the ownership of water resources Botswana has submitted the issue to the International Court of Justice. This is a reflection of the value our culture places on the practice of consultation. A wise chief consults with his tribe before making a decision and at a consultation meeting everyone is free to speak their mind. These cultural practices provide a model for resolving international disputes over ownership of water resources.

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Mr. Robert Hounan, Secretary of Vodun Hwendo Tradition, Benin.

Les religions, qu’elles soient endogènes ou révélées, prolifèrent d’une localité à l’autre, d’une région à une autre, voire d’un continent à l’autre. Le substratum de toutes les religions n’est autre que l’amour du prochain, la tolérance, la paix. Cette paix si tant recherchée et prônée est-elle retrouvée enfin depuis le temps qu’on soupire après elle ? A moins qu’elle continue d’être l’objet d’une quête permanente.

Si cette quête demeure permanente, qu’elle est la partition de la religion   Vodun pour que l’Afrique toute entière à partir d’une de ses composantes retrouve cette dernière qui fait l’objet de tapage tous les jours ?

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by Rev. Ilukpitiye Pannasekara Nayaka Thero, the chief monk for the African continent

Buddhism came to other countries few years ago by different Buddhist teachers from different countries. They have established it properly and continue up to now.
But, very recently it came to Africa not more than 100 years history of Buddhism. It is very new, but, many countries like as Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Congo and South Africa have lots of Buddhist temples, organizations, centers and academic studies. Therefore after looking way back we can have some happy progress in future.
Among those countries Tanzania, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Congo and Malawi have one Buddhist temple in each country.
But, South Africa is having more Buddhist centers, temples and organizations which teach different kinds of Buddhist practices.
Especially University of South Africa (UNISA) ( www.unisa.ac.za) is having some Buddhist studies up to Doctorate Degree studies under the religious studies. And also at University of Botswana (www.ub.bw) teach distance and internal Buddhist studies. Therefore it is better to open our Buddhist view about Buddhism in Africa.

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