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This week's show explores how Muslims and Christians live together across Africa. We ask Nigerians, if violence in the north is really about religion and meet people working to promote peace between the two faiths.
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00:06Since in my early childhood, religion has shaped conversations. At home, in school,
00:11and in the news. Sometimes it brings comfort, other times fear and division.
00:15News of violence and extremism shows that this crisis pierred no one. So what
00:20happens when people no longer feel safe and what does that mean for democracy
00:23and coexistence? Today on The 77% we look beyond the noise to unpack religion,
00:28conflict, and what it means for Nigeria and Africa. My name is SK and welcome to the show.
00:38Coming up on the show. In our street debate, we discuss with young Muslims and Christians about
00:44the political situation in Nigeria. Events Compare, Stephanie Augustine introduces us into interfaith
00:52life in the city of Joss. And finally, we ask, why has Boko Haram remained a threat despite
01:01Nigeria's military efforts?
01:06To kick off today's show, we are starting with the big picture. When religion comes up in Africa,
01:11the focus is often on tension and conflict. But that's not the full story. Across the continent,
01:16different faiths have lived side by side for generations, often in tolerance, cooperation,
01:20and everyday coexistence. My DW colleague, Michael, is breaking down for us what religious tolerance
01:26in Africa really looks like. Trump was right or was he. The African continent is deeply religious
01:34and at the same time deeply tolerant. While recent reports highlight tensions between Muslims and
01:40Christians, especially in parts of Nigeria, those incidents don't reflect how most of the religious
01:48communities on the continent relate with each other. In fact, coexistence is far more common than conflict.
01:56A recent Afrobarometer survey found that in Sierra Leone, Muslims and Christians take part in each
02:02other's religious celebrations, including Ramadan. Faith there is something to be shared, not weaponized.
02:08And this cooperation goes well beyond festivals. Did you know the Catholic Church is Africa's
02:14largest non-governmental healthcare provider? Across the continent, it operates nearly 7,000 healthcare
02:19facilities serving different communities regardless of belief. Education tells a similar story. In 2022
02:26alone, more than 27 million children attended Catholic schools in Africa. What's striking is that these
02:34schools and healthcare facilities serve everyone regardless of religious affiliation. The same is true of the
02:40many Islamic schools on the continent, which educate students from different religious backgrounds.
02:46So, are there religious tensions in Africa? Of course. But are Christians being systematically targeted?
02:53The facts simply don't support that claim. Hmm, one line from the video stands out. Religious tolerance in
03:01Africa isn't the absence of tension, it's the daily efforts to live with difference. On the streets though,
03:06you often hear fear, suspicion and strong claims. I encountered this in a street debate in my hometown,
03:12Jaws, where we asked the question, is there a Christian genocide in Nigeria? The answers were raw, divided and revealing.
03:25Hello everybody. We are having a quick and easy street debate where we're asking the question, should the
03:31U.S. intervene militarily in Northern Nigeria? If actually there's a genocide, Christian genocide in Nigeria? So, I'm going to
03:36start with you, Paul. Do you think there's a Christian genocide in Nigeria?
03:41I'm 100%. I strongly believe there is an attempted genocide and the killing of Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the
03:49Northern Nigeria.
03:50I was in my village when the first attack happened in my village around 2017, 2016 or thereabouts, when our
03:56relatives and our
03:57friends were killed by the herders. All right, so I'm going to come to you, Nana. Do you actually believe
04:01there's a Christian genocide in Nigeria? No, especially from what he said. He said he's from Benway state,
04:07right? This same Benway is something that when you, as a Muslim, you're going there, you have to disguise
04:11to be a Christian before you can enter the state entirely. So, you believe the Muslims are actually
04:16on her life too? Yes, a lot, about five Muslims were slaughtered without any question or like, where are you
04:22coming from? As much as you are wearing something that makes you look like a Muslim, they will just
04:27slaughter you without any remorse. All right, so I'll come to you, Adams. Now, why do you think
04:34the Muslims are underreporting their own genocide? The Muslims are trying their best to report their
04:42genocide or their incidents in terms of their villages. Some of the people from their villages,
04:47they don't even have networks so that they can present their incidents or what is happening in their
04:52villages. Some international media that's supposed to go deep into their villages to go and report
04:58the actual what is happening so that the world can convince and see what is happening. They are
05:05underreported. They actually believe that the media is undermining and underreporting for the Muslims.
05:11I'll come to you. Yes, in the process of carrying out the act, most of the times they recite
05:19whatever they have to recite, Allah or something like that. So if my colleague here is trying to
05:25say there is actually a targeted Christian of Muslims, sorry, the killing of Muslims,
05:29is there any situation or a process or an instance where Muslims are being killed and then the Christians
05:36or the mention of whatever recitation like the name of Jesus, I'm killing you in the name of Jesus,
05:40has it ever happened? This is a strategic target at the killing of Christians. Stephanie and
05:47Rabilu, I'm coming to you but you raised your hands and you wanted to say something. Were you
05:51in disagreement with what he said? So like they started bombing places, putting places on fire
05:56simply because we don't even know why, just on bikes. So like why would you say they came from
06:02Christians? Meanwhile they were killing everybody. And back to what he said about saying they have
06:09slangs, Allahu Akbar and something. I was coming to that. Yes. So simply because they are using that
06:14slang doesn't mean that they are Muslims. Both me and him don't know whether they are Muslims or not.
06:20Some people have argued saying that there are places where if you honor live people, you have
06:25a reward for it. How true is that statement? No. No. Even if they are infidels, right? No. In the
06:33Quran, I don't know the chapter, I don't know the verse though, but
06:36it is not allowed for you as a Muslim to kill another religion. Allah gave you the life and gave
06:46him the
06:46life too. So we don't care whether you are a Christian or a Muslim. As long as you are a
06:50human being like me,
06:52Muslim law do not allow us to kill anybody. Something of recent happened in September where terrorists entered
06:59and attacked a church. I don't know specifically the states. They attacked a church, right? But do you know that
07:05in that same month, the news of
07:07terrorists attacking a church went viral. But in that same month, same thing happened in a mosque.
07:14Where about seven lives were unalived. Meanwhile, about 10 were kidnapped and few were injured. And nobody,
07:20nobody said anything about that. And that happened in the same month. Right. I think we are almost rounding up
07:26with
07:27this round. But let me hear from you. I want her to correct something for me. She said,
07:32there is no portion or no section of Quran that actually supports the unaliving of the infidels.
07:38So I don't know if she's familiar with the Quran, but if she's familiar, I would want her to read
07:43Quran,
07:44sorry, chapter nine, verse five, so we can just, just get it straight away. What does he say?
07:51She should recite it because she's a Muslim. So it's, I, I, I, I argue based on facts, empirical facts.
07:59So she should read them. Before I come to her, you check it, but Rebili, you have been itchy. You
08:03want to
08:03say something? Please, let's hear it. You can't just pick one portion of a statement and just say,
08:09this is the facts. You need to read through, read from the beginning. If you are reading a news report,
08:14somebody can just have a headline and say, massacre, Christians are being killed in Gangari,
08:18for example. And if that's what you pick from that statement, that's what you tend to believe.
08:23But do you look at what the insight of that particular report, what is it saying? You know,
08:30not just look at one statement of, of that. And also going back to regarding the issue of media,
08:35I think, I think the language barrier is an issue for us, right? Try to pick people randomly
08:40and try to communicate with them and say, hey, can you just tell me, just tell me about yourself
08:45in English. They might find it difficult to express themselves. But if you look at the media,
08:49you know, a lot of people are putting in content in Hausa language, which the international body
08:54doesn't look at as a fact. This should bring us to the last round where we asked for the solutions
09:01for this problem in Nigeria. So I'm going to start with you, Nana. I know your mouth has been itchy
09:06to say
09:07something. But what is the solution? What do you think Nigeria can actually do right now to solve
09:12its problem right now? We have to. This one is within us, the citizens. We have to stop this blame
09:19game and face reality because we are both getting attacked. We are both getting killed. We are both
09:26getting raped in this. So I think it's just two solutions. One is within ourselves. And then the
09:31second one is our government showing us that, yes, they are our government. They'll work for us.
09:37Interesting point. So Paul, what would you say is your own solution?
09:42There is a need to actually initiate a peace negotiation between the victims of this attack.
09:49There are people who have been wounded. And again, enlightenment, just like she rightly said,
09:54there's a need for us to just enlighten ourselves, know how to hold the government of the day
09:59accountable because it's our rights. Well said. I'm going to come to you, Adams. Now,
10:04what would you say is actually the solution for Nigeria right now? The solution for Nigeria right
10:10now about insecurity for me, number one, let's prioritize the welfare of the armed forces in
10:15Nigeria. How much are they giving them salary? Look at the way how they are struggling for their lives
10:20and their families. Yeah. Well said. And I'm going to ask you, what do you think is the solution
10:27right now? What mention actually in terms of taking care of the victims of this problem? So I think
10:33for me, it's holding the government accountable as well as others mentioned. Like I hear you,
10:39but now you said something, holding the government accountable. And I'm curious, how can we hold them
10:45accountable? We can hold them accountable by calling them out through a proper channel like media.
10:49This is what is happening in my community. And I want this thing to stop. And when I vote you
10:54out,
10:54what can you do for me? And lastly, I'll ask Stephanie, don't you think Nigerians have been
11:00actually holding the government accountable all these years? Well, yes, I do feel some Nigerians
11:08have been holding the government accountable. So how would you want us to hold Nigerians,
11:12the politicians now or the government accountable right now? Well, I feel that they should keep on
11:19creating awareness about it. And then just as what has been done, like getting like external forces
11:26aware of what is happening. You know, they've been calling out, you see the United States,
11:31like making the world know about it. Thank you very much. This was really a very heated debate. Sadly,
11:39it has come to an end. But this conversation has not ended because you people online have a lot to
11:44say.
11:45You can join us on our social media platforms as displayed to you on the screen. My name remains
11:49SK until I come your way next time. See ya!
12:00Trust me, that was an intense debate full of strong allegations and emotions running high.
12:05But away from the heat of the argument, some individuals are quietly building bridges across
12:10faith lines, creating spaces for understanding, dialogue and cooperation. Events Compare and
12:15fellow Josawad, Stephanie, went to the street to show the other side of faith.
12:19Hey SK, how are you? Yes, I agree that there are a lot of conflicts, especially in Plato State.
12:26But that is not all. Religious tolerance is the lived norm in Nigeria. And I'll show you some examples,
12:33particularly from this region where these clashes occur more frequently. Come with me.
12:40In this community, when people talk about Jos, they talk about boundaries and divisions. But
12:46young people here are busy, crossing boundaries. Oh, hi, Kepha. Alpha, how are you doing?
12:51To the Wada Youth Forum is a non-political organisation, a non-religious organisation,
12:58where people from different walks of life, youth from different religions,
13:04people come together just for the sake of unity. I would love to show you something there.
13:09This junction has been more like the demarcation. The whole of this place are the Muslims. And then
13:16the whole of this place from here, downward, are the Christian residential areas. So before now,
13:23a Christian is not permitted to pass through this place. Because of the crisis that we experienced
13:29prior to now, To the Wada Youth Forum was birthed immediately after the crisis. We saw the needs
13:34to be united. Because if there is no unity, then there will be no development, there will be no
13:38progress. Because of initiatives like this, that the Youth Forum is all about, we can work freely here.
13:42That shows that peace has come to us. And as you can see, this is one of our initiatives here.
13:48We know
13:49the significance of sport. We know how sport unites us together. And so the To the Wada Youth Forum,
13:53in its own wisdom, think of organizing stuff like this, you know, so that you can bring the youth
13:59together regardless of your religion, regardless of your even political affiliation. So basically,
14:05that's exactly what we do. Hello, good morning. Good morning. Yes. How has, you know,
14:16playing on the team changed your perspective about each other off the pitch? I don't allow that to
14:21interfere with my relationship with the people I do play with in the football field, irrespective of
14:27their religion. Even outside the field, we are friends. I respect their religion. Likewise,
14:33they respect my religion whenever we play. We've made that very clear. All right. What about you?
14:37Most of us, we live together. We even help each other. If somebody like you have something that
14:43happened to him, we visit his house. We sit together. If it is marriage, we go for a condolence.
14:49All this, we are living in peace in To the Wada here. To be practical, I want to show you
14:54the Muslim
14:54community where prior to now, as a Christian, I won't even dare to cross this line. I show you that
15:02this is
15:02the location before now. I want to practically show you that, hey, there is peace. And I can
15:09confidently walk to the Muslim community.
15:11Let me show you some of that downstairs. Who is it?
15:17What's the name?
15:18Say that.
15:19Yes.
15:19Is that your name?
15:22Hello.
15:23What's it?
15:24Are you from seated?ониК?
15:25Green!ano
15:26Medicare?
15:26How your god!
15:26The body is working?
15:26one of my friends,
15:28Muslim and then I am Christian. You
15:30see now we⌠physically, we're together. We
15:33are cool now. OK. How are we doing?
15:35Yes.
15:36Goodč˝. How did
15:36Good teacher?
15:38Nice.
15:39How are you?
15:41Assalamu alaikum.
15:47So these are our people,
15:51I'm Muslim, I'm a Christian,
15:53but then we are still living in peace.
15:55So SK, just as you can see,
15:57we're all living together.
15:58There's peace in this Plateau of Joss,
16:02Tudunwada Plateau states.
16:03And for the sake of emphasis, I told you earlier
16:05that before now, prior to now,
16:06I don't dare, I can't even
16:08imagine doing this.
16:10The whole of this treat, I cannot even pass.
16:12Prior to now.
16:14But now, you see what's happening.
16:16So we're living in peace, basically.
16:24Thank you, Stephanie. We must learn to stop
16:26the blame game and learn to live together peacefully
16:28again, while also holding the government
16:30accountable for what is happening in
16:32northern Nigeria and asking the obvious
16:34question. Why isn't the military protecting
16:36the people? Behind the strong image
16:38of the Nigerian military are growing
16:40concerns about welfare and conditions
16:42raised by active and retired
16:44personnel. Meanwhile, jihadists are backed
16:46by Boko Haram. In this video,
16:48one soldier shares a reference hand
16:50view of life behind the uniform.
16:54This footage was sent to DW News
16:56by a Nigerian soldier showing the
16:58living conditions of his unit on the
17:00front lines. He has been fighting in the
17:02country's northeast for four years,
17:04the epicenter of Nigeria's insecurity.
17:06We won't mention his real name
17:08and location. His real voice
17:10will also not be used to protect him
17:12from getting punished like others he says
17:14shared similar clips online
17:16in the past. We will call
17:18him Soldier X. This is the place
17:22where soldiers are living.
17:24We face challenges during rainy season
17:26because of the leaky roof.
17:28We put tarpaulin up here,
17:30but it doesn't help much.
17:32So when rain falls, water pours in.
17:36Soldier X says those serving on the
17:38front lines face many challenges
17:40besides poor living conditions.
17:42Nigeria has less than 300,000
17:44active personnel in the military
17:46serving a country of 200
17:49million. For years,
17:51Nigerian soldiers deployed to
17:52the northeast have posted videos
17:54like this online, complaining
17:56about food, inadequate weapons
17:58and meager support, making their
18:00work all the more difficult and
18:02dangerous.
18:07Our soldiers, our military,
18:10they need to be motivated.
18:12We have soldiers out there
18:14that their salaries
18:16in a month is still not up to
18:19the minimum wage.
18:21Nigeria has been fighting
18:23a 16-year insurgency
18:24with Boko Haram and its offshoot,
18:27Islamic State West Africa
18:29Province Icewap.
18:31Founded in the early 2000s,
18:33the Jihadist Militant Organization
18:34is based in northeastern Nigeria
18:36but has also expanded its influence
18:39into neighboring Chad,
18:40Niger, and Cameroon.
18:42The group aims to establish
18:44an Islamic State and is known for
18:46its violent attacks targeting
18:48security forces, civilians,
18:50schools, and religious institutions.
18:53For a time,
18:54Boko Haram fell into obscurity
18:56while its breakaway faction,
18:58Icewap, steadily rose.
18:59But early 2025 saw Boko Haram
19:02resurging in the Lake Chad region,
19:04this time with a new leader,
19:07Bakura Doro,
19:08who avoided media attention
19:10while Boko Haram
19:11restrained largely unnoticed.
19:13Meanwhile,
19:14combat stress and fatigue
19:15within the Nigerian military
19:17also rose sharply,
19:18with over 1,000 soldiers
19:20resigning from the army
19:22between 2020 and 2024.
19:24Experts say this,
19:26combined with the failure
19:28of reintegration programs
19:30across the region
19:31and Niger's decision
19:32to withdraw from the
19:33multinational joint task force,
19:35which is mandated
19:36to secure borders
19:37in the Lake Chad region,
19:39gives insurgent groups
19:40like Boko Haram
19:41impetus
19:42to intensify their attacks,
19:44while Nigeria security forces
19:46are stretched increasingly thin.
19:48The outcome of an investigation,
19:50called by the then Army Chief,
19:52Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede,
19:54into a social media video
19:56showing soldiers complaining
19:57about poor food,
19:59has not been published.
20:00The army considers public complaints
20:03by soldiers
20:03as a breach of military ethics
20:05and discipline.
20:07But Soldier X says
20:08the military leadership
20:09is not honest
20:10about soldiers' welfare.
20:12It's a lie, I repeat.
20:14It's a lie.
20:16They are not doing anything for us.
20:17Nothing.
20:18They are lying to the president
20:20that soldiers are living well.
20:22But it's not true.
20:23We are suffering.
20:25The new army chief
20:26appointed by President Bola Tinubu
20:28has assured
20:29that the welfare of the troops
20:31remained top priority.
20:33But it won't be the first time
20:34such a promise was made.
20:38Let's hope our politicians
20:39keep their promises this time.
20:41But what can we ourselves do
20:43to break down the prejudices
20:44between Muslims and Christians
20:46so that we can live together
20:47peacefully.
20:48For our last story,
20:49we look to neighboring Ghana.
20:50About 70% of Ghanians are Christians
20:53while Muslims make up
20:54the second largest group
20:55at about 18%.
20:56There's a high degree of tolerance
20:58and even holidays
20:59are often celebrated together.
21:01Let's have a look.
21:02In Al-Aju, a mostly Christian suburb of Accra,
21:06Muslims gather for afternoon prayers,
21:09an everyday scene that speaks to Ghana's
21:11remarkable interfaith harmony.
21:14Church buildings stand just meters away
21:16from mosques and Muslims practice their faith
21:19openly without tension.
21:2330-year-old Muftal Fusseini,
21:26a newly graduated doctor,
21:28meets with Ibrahim Halidu,
21:29a local leader known for promoting
21:32religious tolerance.
21:33It's an issue that resonates deeply
21:35with Fusseini.
21:37Most of my friends have been Christians,
21:39so from there we established good
21:41audio relationship.
21:43Even when I traveled out of the country too,
21:45I also met good Christians too
21:47that were friends with me.
21:49Despite we share different background,
21:51but it doesn't bring a lot of conflict
21:53among us.
21:54I try to learn from them,
21:55they also try to learn from me.
21:57Their relationship has been perfect.
21:58I'm really grateful that Ghana is one of the most peaceful
22:01country in which we share different views.
22:05But despite that, we are peaceful.
22:08Ibrahim regularly visits churches
22:09to encourage interfaith unity.
22:12Today he joins a nearby congregation.
22:15The church members welcome him warmly.
22:18They invite him to speak and even offer a prayer,
22:22clear signs of Ghana's deeply rooted coexistence.
22:25I was very, very elated.
22:27I mean, the pastor came,
22:28he came down to pray for me.
22:31I mean, pray for long life, prosperity.
22:34You know, anytime you visit them and you pray for,
22:38it is fulfilling.
22:40It is so, so, so fulfilling.
22:42So I'm so happy they prayed for me.
22:44And I don't take it lightly at all.
22:47This spirit of acceptance is widespread.
22:50Christians attend Muslim events.
22:52Muslims take part in Christian gatherings
22:54and both communities join in each other's celebrations.
22:58These interactions are also supported at the national level.
23:02Politicians and religious leaders encourage dialogue
23:05and the national policy on religion is in the works
23:08to help protect the rights and faiths of all citizens.
23:11There's no distinction.
23:13It's just we coming together to give reverence
23:16to the same God we share.
23:17So we do not have a system where we distinguish that here should be just for Christians
23:23and this place should be just Muslims, right?
23:27And then I don't think God himself allows for separation due to religion.
23:31So it's just nice that we coexist as humans to all serve the same God.
23:3728-year-old Cornelius Amewude, a close friend of Ibrahim,
23:41teaches children about religious tolerance,
23:44hoping the next generation will continue the peaceful coexistence that defines Ghana.
23:50We all believe in peace.
23:51We all have the same values, love, unity, worship,
23:54because most times the Quran 2 contains the values of love, caring for people.
24:00Yes, and the Bible also emphasizes that love for one another.
24:03So I think that is what makes us one as people.
24:05The values we have in the Bible are similar also in the Iran also.
24:09Ghana's education system includes religious studies
24:12and encourages mutual respect among children of different faiths.
24:18Ibrahim believes that strengthening coexistence will help support development
24:23in the community he serves as a youth leader.
24:26With freedom of worship protected,
24:29Muslim-Christian relations in Ghana remain a cornerstone of national peace.
24:42Beyond the headlines, many Nigerians choose coexistence daily.
24:46In neighborhoods, workplaces, and even in my hometown, Joss,
24:49which was once divided but slowly moving forward.
24:52Change begins with listening, accountability, and the choice to live peacefully.
24:56Now we want to hear from you.
24:58Share your experiences with us on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
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25:45your peace magazine bringing you the stories that matter.
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26:02Tchau!
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