| Email: Kirk
Harris
Greetings once again from Africa!
Nigeria
The first half of my month was dominated by a scramble to complete
my research project on the history of Christian–Muslim relations
in Nigeria. I did indeed finish the project on time; it’s
rewarding now to feel like I’ve made a contribution to PROCMURA’s
work that will hopefully help the organization broaden its knowledge
base. I can’t say that all of the research that I conducted
was pleasant, however. It’s deeply disheartening to read
about the violence and discord that pervades Christian-Muslim
relations in Nigeria. My research involved cataloguing over 200
events pertinent to this relationship. A quick scroll through
the data indicates a general trend of intense competition characterized
by an idealization of one’s own religion and a demonization
of the other. The result is bitter rhetoric revealing a climate
of mistrust and sporadic acts of violence bordering on barbarism.
I find that reading about rioting and destruction is a depressing
way to spend my day. Most of all, it deeply saddens me that my
fellow Christians could become embittered and angry to the point
of beating their neighbours and burning down their house of worship.
This fact disturbs me in another way. There is very little about
me as a human being that distinguishes me from those who perpetrate
acts of violence. What would I do in the same circumstances faced
by Christians and Muslims in situations where this violence has
broken out? If I’ve learned anything from my experience
in Kenya, it is that I can’t possibly know the answer.
Please pray for the nation of Nigeria as it prepares to hold
elections in May. The previous elections in 2003 were dogged by
allegations of vote-rigging and more outbursts of violence, but
were free from widespread fighting. The situation this time around
is equally or more difficult. The incumbent, a Christian, is constitutionally
prevented from running, although he attempted to get this document
changed to allow him to do so. He actively opposes the candidacy
of his vice president, a Muslim, who is tied up in court over
the legality of his campaign. In short, the situation is difficult
and the country’s instability makes electoral disputes and
violence likely.
Sierra Leone
Another country having a presidential election this year is Sierra
Leone, which should hold its elections in July. This is only the
second set of elections since the civil war ended. I had the privilege
to be able to travel both to Sierra Leone and its neighbor, Liberia,
in the second half of March. I went to the region with two of
my PROCMURA colleagues, the Rev. Angèle Wilson-Dogbe and
Mr. Okok Obuoga Bernard.
Rev. Angèle, the PROCMURA Women’s Programme Coordinator,
was in charge of workshops for Christian women on their coexistence
with their Muslim neighbors. Okok, who is the literature and communication
secretary and youth coordinator, and I helped facilitate two workshops
for Christian and Muslim youth on addressing HIV/AIDS from a faith
perspective. The workshops were quite successful, mostly thanks
to the enthusiasm and competence of the participants, who seemed
excited to be engaging this pressing social problem from a religious
perspective. These young people agreed that individuals of faith
have a large role to play in addressing the disease. Sierra Leone
and Liberia are both incredibly tolerant countries, despite having
only recently emerged from civil war.
In Sierra Leone especially, Christians and Muslims tend to regard
one another as equals; Muslims attend Christian schools as a matter
of routine and comfortably attend church on Sundays with their
Christian counterparts. All of this happens in a country where
Muslims compose the majority of the population. Even intermarriage
between the two faiths is not entirely uncommon. This attitude
of tolerance is particularly startling in light of the ferocious
conflict that has occurred recently. The alarming number of amputees
who wander through the streets of Freetown attests to the rampant
brutality of the fighting, which tore the country apart and filled
another chapter of African tragedy.
Liberia
Liberia was similarly devastated by civil war and has emerged
from the shadow of violence even more recently than its northwestern
counterpart. If Sierra Leone bears the scars of violence, Liberia
possesses fresh wounds not yet healed. Bullet holes still pockmark
the capital city of Monrovia, and the downtown skyline is dominated
by abandoned concrete shells which once served as perches for
warring factions to snipe at one another.
Although outsiders once came from around Africa to work in Liberia,
massive levels of unemployment now contribute to streets filled
with frustrated and jobless youths seeking employment of any kind.
The Liberian dollar, which once exchanged at a one-to-one ratio
with the U.S. dollar, now trades at fifty-five to one. In spite
of all this, Monrovians seem to share a tentative conviction that
the city is coming back. This conviction seems to derive more
from weariness and raw hope than any tangible improvement in their
daily lives, but at least, Liberians note, there is no more gunfire
in the streets.
The workshops in Liberia were almost as successful as those in
Sierra Leone, and I was impressed to hear Christian and Muslim
youth condemn violence and talk about peace and the need for reconciliation.
One young man I spoke with witnessed gruesome murders of his family
members during the civil war and hid his father in a church steeple
so that he would not be killed as well. Given the kinds of atrocities
that occurred during the conflict, his tale is not surprising.
What amazes me is his response; although he knows those who killed
his family members he chooses not to hate them. Instead he staunchly
advocates forgiveness as a principle in the application of justice.
I walked away from this conversation, and so many others, impressed
with a conviction that I have not suffered enough to hate. If
the people of Sierra Leone and Liberia can witness or experience
the kind of brutality that they’ve encountered and choose
not to hate, then I find it hard justifying space in my life for
those emotions to grow. Yet I know that as a human being, hate
comes naturally to me. Love and respect are much more difficult
to cultivate.
Home or something like it
My colleague Okok and I were scheduled to return from West Africa
on March 30, but due to the fact that flying in and out of Sierra
Leone and Liberia is still kind of tricky (I’m being purposefully
vague since this is a long story), we had to hang out in Freetown
for a few days more than we had planned before we could catch
a flight back to Nairobi, which incidentally was diverted through
Mombasa due to heavy fog. After only two days at work, I found
out that both Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays in Kenya,
even though Holy Week here is not as big a deal here as it is
in the American church.
Since I had the weekend off, however, I decided to catch up with
(new) old friends and making some (really) new ones. It appears
that the guys who I play basketball with at Parklands Baptist
are starting to have “official” practices in anticipation
of “official” games. One of the former coaches for
the Kenyan youth team is training us!
Thursday evening I attended my first Passover Seder. Since there
are very few Jewish people in Kenya, the event was almost entirely
attended by American missionaries. After attending St. Andrew’s
for Good Friday service the following morning, I visited my host
family for the first time in quite a while; it was great to talk
with Kamamia (my host brother) again, and Migwe (my nephew) is
getting really big! That night I went bowling and met some other
young folks who are here doing similar service work in Kenya.
On Saturday I saw Lauren and Kari (two of our volunteers) who
were in Nairobi for a soccer tournament with the girls’
team from the secondary school where they teach. For Easter I
went to St. Andrew’s again. After church I headed over to
Taryn’s (another volunteer in our program) and got the chance
to visit with some of the same people with whom I’d gone
bowling two nights before.
Monday I travelled up to Nyeri with Stephen (another volunteer
and a good friend of mine) and Edward Buri, the youth pastor at
St. Andrew’s. He showed us around the town and took us to
see two more of our volunteers, Paul and Stephanie, who are helping
at an orphanage in the area. After a long and eventful weekend
I’m now back at work putting together the report for our
trip to West Africa. Unfortunately, we lost electricity for an
entire day so I couldn’t send off this update sooner. Really
this past weekend is a microcosm of my social life here in Nairobi
(with a few notable exceptions). So, hopefully, this gives you
an example of what I do in my spare time.
Becoming “Easter people”
“How tragically does hate prevail in our human relations!
How the spirit of revenge prevails in the conscience of our human
groups, taking into consideration what has been done by past generations
and passing the load of hatred and revenge to the coming generation!”
Emilio Castro, former General Secretary of the World Council of
Churches (WCC)
I stumbled over the above quote in an archived PROCMURA document
while I was doing my research on Christian-Muslim relations in
Nigeria. I can’t help but notice how painfully accurate
it is. We seem unable to escape our own bitterness, and we are
too much a part of our own problems to blame them on external
circumstances. If Castro’s assessment of our situation is
correct—if we actually do leave prejudice and revenge as
the birthright for our children—then our plight is dire
indeed.
While I was in West Africa I took the chance to ruminate on a
theme that has been on my mind for some time now. The subject
of identity is central to my reflections on “our human relations,”
and is especially relevant when looking at the conflicts which
abound in our contemporary world. Identity is an extremely useful
human tool; we use race, language, ethnicity, traditions, geography,
and religion to compartmentalize our world and understand our
role in it. Each component of a group’s self-image is benign
on its own, yet each is prone to manipulation for other purposes.
This phenomenon is often central to quarrels, wars, and conflicts
within the human family. Whether out of fear, arrogance, or material
interests, components of a group’s identity become excuses
for violence and mayhem. Opposing sides twist religion, ethnicity,
or other divisions into a club with which to smash their opposition.
In such a situation the protagonist denies the validity of the
opposing faction’s existence, thereby shattering the image
of God reflected in their being and tearing apart subtle social
connections which normally tie one group to another. In so doing,
the actors subvert all actions to the overarching goal of affirming
one’s own identity. Rwanda, Sudan, Northern Ireland, and
Bosnia-Herzegovina all come to mind as wars in which the politics
of identity plays a leading role in the violence.
It is quite clear that the perversion of identity in all of these
conflicts is morally abominable. The more I think about it, the
more I realize that my Christian faith ought to play a role in
my response to such violence. Jesus’ resurrection on Easter
Sunday holds a tremendous amount of significance for the subject.
Christ’s transformation from death to life mirrors the shift
in attitude of the women who came to visit his tomb that morning.
Their grief was turned to joy and wonder as they found that Jesus
had risen from the dead. Likewise, just as Christ’s body
moved from a state of decay to a state of glory, the disciples,
upon seeing the risen Lord, moved from a state of fear to one
of excitement (although outright boldness didn’t come until
Pentecost). Something profound happened to them on Easter; they
became “Easter people” (to use a phrase the pastor
did on Easter Sunday) as they were raised to life with Christ.
This is the fundamental meaning of Easter. As Christians, our
identities, just like the body of Jesus, are transformed from
death to life. So too should our actions become transformed when
we encounter Jesus in our lives. We should no longer be capable
of allowing others to manipulate our race, culture, or faith in
such a way that embroils us in conflicts which rebuff the dignity
that resides within the lives of our neighbors. Through Christ’s
risen body, we are capable of reconciling our own identity with
that of those around us. And that is my prayer this month: that
we would become identified with Jesus Christ, who sets us free
from sin and gives us a new identity as children of the living
God.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. […]
The Spirit himself testifies that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:1-2, 16-17
Peace,
Kirk Harris |
