The Program for Christian and Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA) has held a two-day capacity building workshop on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) at the Kambia District Resource Centre in Kambia.
The workshop which was held on Thursday and Friday 8th and 9th March 2023 brought together stakeholders from all walks of life and of different faiths throughout the district.
The inter-Christian and Muslim programmes are aimed at strengthening the capacity of Christian and Muslim religious leaders, women and youth to collaborate and cooperate to attend to issues of mutual concern.
The inter-Christian and Muslim programmes also bring together civil society, secular and state actors to attend to pertinent issues that affect the wider society and to which religion is sometimes implicated. The details of these programmes always come in a strategic plan informed by contemporary emerging issues that require a lot of attention.
Kambia was purposely chosen for this particular program due to religious conflict that ensued few years ago.
While welcoming participants at the opening ceremony, the National Coordinator of PROCMURA, Rev. Christiana Sutton Koroma said that it is the duty of religious leaders to intervene in times of crisis.
She said that even though Sierra Leone has been acclaimed nationwide for its religious tolerance, Kambia has been named in the latest religious conflict in the country which she said was all the more reason why they were in Gambia.
She highlighted the aims and objectives of the organization among which was to promote Christian constructive engagement with Muslims so that, together, members of the two communities can work towards the promotion of peace and peaceful coexistence, and embark on joint actions on issues that militate against the development of the society.
Rev. Samura Bangs, the representative from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone (PPSL) spoke about the advent of the missionaries where they met the people referring to God in their various languages.
He emphasized the importance of living at peace with one another and called on all to thieve to coexist.
Sheikh Ibrahim Sesay presented a paper on the perspective on Freedom of religion or belief while Rev Paul Kamanda dilated on the same for the Christian perspective. Other presentations included the situation analysis on FoRB from community, district, regional and national level perspective; FoRb as a Human Right, Constructive Christian/Muslim relations; A substantive mechanism for promoting FoRB and skills in promoting peaceful co-existence and countering fundamental radicalism and extremism through FoRB among others. Speakers also included representatives from ONS, Council of Imams, Police Partnership Board, Interreligious Council and CCSL.
The Media Officer and member of PROCMURA Donald Theo-Harding oversaw the plenary sessions in which participants looked at the following:
What needs to change in your country/society for everyone to enjoy freedom of religion or belief?
How do you intend to address FoRB violations in your society?
Who is your target group? Government, Religious Leaders, Community leaders?
How do you intend to work with women and youth?
How do you intend to pass on the knowledge you have acquired in this training?
What will you immediately do when you go back to your community as individuals and as a group?
Draw a one-year action plan to explain the above.
A football gala climaxed the end of the two-day program.
