The majority of the population in Africa is religious, and they follow both their indigenous spiritual faith and those of other mainstream religious institutions. As vast as the continent is, there are several religious and faith communities in Africa. The religious life of people on the continent contributes to peace, justice, and prosperity for the community.
That has been a long-held trend of life in Africa. However, the long-standing spiritual tradition of the people in the continent has been affected by the infiltration during the slave trade, colonisation and modern-day economic and political pressures from outside. Thanks to the strong and faithful spiritual leaders of the communities, there is a revival of the practice of the spiritual heritage of the people on the continent. Accordingly, these religious institutions and faith-based communities on the continent have remained committed to their followers.
“The spiritual leaders in Africa are closer to the grassroots. They know and understand the feelings and the pulse of the people in times of trouble and hardship,” said Dr Radebe, an indigenous spiritual leader in the Republic of South Africa.
They also influence the people. Faith-based communities can play a big role in development, peace, etc. Therefore, working in close collaboration with them is a viable idea.
By next week, Ethiopia will host a two-day Conference on Africa’s Faith Communities in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, the AU Agenda 2063 and G20 South Africa’s. There are big initiatives and goals with meaningful impact on the lives of people in Africa or the world. Especially due attention should be given to the situation in Africa to meet the targets set in the SDGS, Agenda 2023, as well as the topics of the G20 summit in South Africa.
It is repeatedly indicated that Africa is not in a likely position to meet the goals and targets set in these global and continental initiatives. This is due to the weaknesses in the governance of the content as well as due to the lack of commitment of the international community to discharge its responsibility of compensating the continent for the aggressions committed during colonisation and slave trade that are still dragging the progress of the continent.
It is clear to everyone that Africa is a developing continent that needs due support of the international community in terms of finance and technology. Among the reasons for the support that the continent deserves is that it has been a victim of aggression, persecution and exploitation for centuries through slave trade, colonisation and the subsequent indirect political and economic manipulations.
The continents have lost a signification proportion of their productive forces, resources, as well as trapped in a vicious cycle of conflict, poverty and exploitation. It still lingers in economic and political crisis as an outcome of the past aggression.
Political leaders of the continent need to step up their voices to gain the commitment and obligation of the international community, especially the West, which has the upper hand in the perpetration of the historical injustice that rendered the continent vulnerable and weak. Yet their role cannot succeed without the active participation of the faith-based communities to secure economic and political support for the continent. They have to work together to seek compensation for the aggression of the past as proscribed by the Assembly of A this year. They have to make sure that the support for the continent is redoubled.
The participants of the upcoming faith-based communities should also uphold the idea of securing compensation as well as adequate commitment for the realisation of the continental and global goals.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 10 MAY 2025
