Traditional Religion for Peace and Healing
The road to Kailahun (By Caroline Thomas from www.africanlens.com)
We’ve been talking a lot about radio for peacebuilding lately and it’s a tool that works all over the world. In Sierra Leone, SFCG, working with the Foundation for West Africa, helped establish Radio Moa. The station’s aim was to provide information, counter rumors, and support reconciliation in the fragile border area of Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Kailahun is notable for being the district where the civil war began.
Radio Moa and other stations are now the subject of the documentary Leh Wi Tok, which premiers this Fall. Former SFCG staffer, Foday Saijuma, is now the Radio Moa Station Manager. Well-versed in the benefits of radio, he writes on the Leh Wi Tok blog about how traditional religion can also be used to forward a peacebuilding agenda.
“At the community level, the execution of traditional rituals is very important in enhancing reconciliation and peace building. Victims and perpetrators involved in the process have commonalities through their traditions and customs in which they share the same views, beliefs, and vision and therefore it becomes easier for them to interact, and stay together.
Throughout the District of Kailahun communities are now fully engaged in reconciliation using the traditional conflict resolution process referred to as “Fambul Tok” or “Family Talk.” The program starts with confession and remorse by those who committed crimes and the pronouncement of forgiveness by victims around a burning fire. During this time perpetrators openly confess to the amazement of onlookers. In Bomaru an ex- RUF fighter Bockarie Kamara (alias Pupugowei) said, ‘I was forced to join the movement to avenge the killing of my two brothers …’
After the night of confession and forgiveness both perpetrators and victims converged at the worship ground at Nyadejobu where oaths were taken, and also performed rituals to honor the dead, asked for forgiveness, registered thanks to their gods and made requests for their subsistence, long life and reconciliation…”
Read the rest of Foday’s essay here.
