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| Speech by Mrs. V. Akakpo |
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Topic: Tolerance and Forgiveness – Stepping Stones for Peace Distinguished Guests, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the organizers of this conference for inviting my participation. I also wish to convey to you warm regards from the AACC General Secretary and our 173 member churches spread across 40 African countries. In setting the tone for this conference, it was rightly stated by the organizers that the human race is one family at the level of soul and consciousness despite involvement in social evils and killings. Accordingly, it was stated that there is hope through the spiritual link from man to man and nation to nation which should unite us and find solutions to the problems of the world. Indeed we have come to the realization that all of us, despite seeming racial and religious divide and despite geographical distances between us, we are creatively woven by our loving Creator. As such we should appreciate our common humanity and promote mutuality between our communities and our nations. We should allow our common faith in the power of conscience and the force of truth to promote a leap of our human spirit. Our General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Dandala comes from South Africa, nicknamed the Rainbow Country. That nickname is a constant reminder that the rainbow of life has a full spectrum of colours but South Africa must remain a united nation, keen to reach out to each other despite the colour of a human skin to appreciate the otherness of the other and our common humanity. This is crucial in view of their recent past history of apartheid. A great Russian poet, Tiutcheve exclaimed a century ago: O, if only the wings of our souls Could it be said a century later today that even our rebellion against vulgarity is sometimes also vulgar such that the human race gets engaged in blood letting and killing spree as a way to achieve peace and inspire democracy (I want to mention here Iraq)? In our developing countries we endure the tyranny of poverty in a world of plenty. When shall we as a human race learn that true happiness comes when we share with the poor including sharing the sufferings of the unhappy? It can be painful to others of course but it is much better to care for the screaming of another soul. Indeed it is said that a person’s degree of being civilized is defined by the sense of pain for others. In this way, I believe, we can overcome then prevailing indifference to the horror inflicted on peoples and countries in many parts of our world and equally appreciate that the misery of wars and armed conflicts in any guise is inhuman. No war can be justified. On the other hand most wars could have been avoided if a culture of tolerance and forgiveness was allowed to prevail. Wars not only take away lives and destroy property but also destroy people spiritually, teaching them how to hate and kill. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 was a case in point. We are continuing to witness acts of intolerance in Somalia today where clans cannot tolerate clans and sub-clans fight sub-clans. This is despite the fact that they all belong to one ethnic group, speak one language and share the same religion. This has gone on since 1991. As a result, intolerance led to state collapse as it did elsewhere. Intolerance is a major cause of conflicts. It blinds and can lead to political, economic, cultural and religious oppression. As a result war erupts. People are at times made to suffer because of others’ power struggles as a result of intolerance. The consequences are that survivors are left impoverished and maimed physically and spiritually. The spotlight of the world is today on Darfur in Sudan where some 300,000 people have been killed and 700,000 people have been displaced within three years. This is all because of intolerance between two major races, the Arabs and Africans. What is not being said is that below the surface Darfur is rich in mineral resources including oil and uranium which attract outside influence and in turn stimulate the war. Tolerance would have been an important stepping stone to peace from Darfur to Myanmar (Burma). A culture of tolerance and forgiveness promotes reconciliation and in turn provides the best hope to healing wounds of past injustices while at the same time fosters individual and societal transformation. All our hopes in this millennium could be lost if we fail to embrace tolerance to each other. Without a culture of tolerance and forgiveness we will be unable to solve our global problems of war, poverty, misrule and abuse of human rights. Several scholars in Africa like Prof. Ali Mazrui in Kenya have, however, noted that Africans in general have 'a culture of tolerance and a short memory of hate' that makes them 'people more sinned against than sinning', people keener to forgive and forget. Not even apartheid and its monstrous indignities could push Africans to go beyond 'truth and reconciliation'. That, I hope, illustrates the level of tolerance and forgiveness that can be found in Africa, and I am sure in the other parts of the world as well. Archbishop (Emeritus) Desmond Tutu, the post-apartheid Chairman of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission wrote, 'we have been humbled and deeply touched by the nobility and generosity of the spirit of those who despite so much pain and anguish have amazed the world by their willingness to forgive the perpetrators of all these dastardly deeds of darkness sponsored by apartheid.' The same can be said of Sierra Leoneans who endured untold atrocities during their ten year civil war. Those whose limbs were painfully amputated by the rebels are today chatting together with those who amputated their limbs, bound by forgiveness and tolerance. For over 20 years, the government of Uganda has been at war with northern Uganda rebel movement – the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). It is estimated that over 10,000 children were abducted by LRA some of who were turned into sex slaves and others were forced to be child soldiers. You can imagine the anguish of their parents. South Sudan, emerging from the ashes of destruction following a protracted war offered to host peace talks in Juba between LRA and Ugandan government. But there is hitch. Warrants of arrest have been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against five top leaders of LRA. However the surviving victims of LRA in northern Uganda and parents of child soldiers are opposed to the ICC move and would prefer that the LRA leaders and other combatants were returned home to them to go through the traditional practice of "cleansing" blood off their hands towards eventual re-integration into their communities in a spirit of tolerance. To them, child soldiers who were turned into killing machines are still their children. Accordingly reports of LRA soldiers being killed cannot be celebrated but break their hearts. How is this explained? While other societies focus on the individual at the expense of collective responsibilities and aspirations of a society, African communities seek ways of reconciling the individual with his/her community. It all starts when children are born. They become children of the entire clan not just the nuclear family. The whole clan has responsibility for the upbringing of the children. The child is no longer "my" child but "our" child. Perhaps the most unique illustration of traditional practices in a class of its own is found in Northwestern Kenya. There, are two tribes, the Pokots and Marakwets. They share the same traditional culture and some 90 per cent of words spoken in their respective languages are the same. They could be said to be cousins. However cattle rustling between the two communities can be fierce leading to massive deaths. Cattle raids have not from time immemorial been considered as criminal but a cultural practice to raise cattle for dowry. But the weapons have changed from bow and arrow to AK 47 rifles. To effect a ceasefire between them, the role of women in society comes to play. Women lay their belts across the path of warriors. Since belts are tied around the tummies, they are considered sacred, holding the "cage of the womb" for continuity of human life. Accordingly no warrior would dare jump over the belt even from a distance away if he hopes to raise a family some day. It is said that in the old days the two communities would go another step to ensure that ceasefire lasts as long as can be. Sons would be exchanged between families who have lost their sons and such sons would be given all the love including property inheritance. This action would in turn make it difficult for the communities to resume fighting as it could result in a worrier killing a biological father or uncle on the other side. Tolerance fosters formulation of appropriate development policies that put human beings at the very centre of development process which is both human and humane, a process that increases self-confidence and self-reliance and sustains needs of a society in an equitable and just manner. Such a society is bound to enjoy peace. Tolerance should be the backbone of our societies where we live with brothers and sisters from different religions. The respect of our differences be them religious lead to a peaceful coexistence and the acceptance of the other. It is becoming clearer that the world needs a reconstruction of values starting from the family to nations of the world. Such reconstruction of values should draw attention to tolerance, forgiveness, trust, human commonality, mutual responsibility to accountability for a peaceful unity of man. I came to Kirpal Sagar yesterday late in the night, but what I have seen so far shows that another world is possible. Let us all work for that! Thank you. Vivi Akakpo (Mrs) |
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