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  • 8 hours ago
In Jos, Nigeria, religious segregation born from decades of Christian-Muslim conflict is felt in everyday life. Yet, courageous bridge-builders are quietly working to foster understanding and interfaith harmony.
Transcript
00:00Hey SK, how are you? Yes, I agree that there are a lot of conflicts, especially in Plateau State,
00:06but that is not all. Religious tolerance is the lived norm in Nigeria, and I'll show you some
00:13examples, particularly from this region, where these clashes occur more frequently. Come with me.
00:21In this community, when people talk about just, they talk about boundaries and divisions,
00:26but young people here are busy, crossing boundaries.
00:30Oh, hi Kefal.
00:31Alpha, how are you doing?
00:32To the Wada Youth Forum is a non-political organisation, a non-religious organisation,
00:39where people from different walks of life, youth from different religions, come together
00:46just for the sake of unity. I would love to show you something there.
00:49This junction has been more like the demarcation. The whole of this place are the most
00:56Muslims, and then the whole of this place from here, downward, are the Christian residential areas.
01:02So before now, a Christian is not permitted to pass through this place because of the crisis
01:09that we experienced prior to now. To the Wada Youth Forum was birthed immediately after the crisis.
01:14We saw the need to be united because if there is no unity, then there will be no development,
01:18there will be no progress. Because of initiatives like this that the Youth Forum is all about,
01:22we can walk freely here. That shows that peace has come to us.
01:26And as you can see, this is one of our initiatives here. We know the significance of sport.
01:30We know how sport unites us together. And so the Wada Youth Forum, in its own wisdom,
01:36think of organizing stuff like this, you know, so that it can bring the youth together,
01:40regardless of your religion, regardless of your even political affiliation.
01:44Interesting.
01:45So basically, that's exactly what we do.
01:50Ayubo!
01:52Hello, good morning.
01:54Good morning.
01:55Yes.
01:55How has, you know, playing on the team changed your perspective about each other off the pitch?
02:00I don't allow that to interfere with my relationship with the people I do play with in the football field,
02:07irrespective of their religion. Even outside the field, we are friends. I respect their religion.
02:12Likewise, I respect my religion whenever we play. We've made that very clear.
02:17All right. What about you?
02:18Most of us, we live together. We even help each other. If somebody, like,
02:22he have something that happened to him, we visit his house, we sit together. If it is marriage,
02:28we go for a condolence. All this, we are living in peace in Tudumwada here.
02:32To be practical, I want to show you the Muslim community where prior to now, as a Christian,
02:39I won't even dare to cross this line. I show you that this is demarcation before now. I want to
02:45practically show you that, hey, there is peace, and I can confidently walk to the Muslim community.
02:51I say I will call you.
03:03It's one of my friends. It's Muslim and then I'm a Christian,
03:11you see now we basically work together. We are cool now.
03:14Shukaba, Assalamu alaikum.
03:16You are welcome.
03:17You are welcome.
03:19You are welcome.
03:21Assalamu alaikum.
03:25Assalamu alaikum.
03:27So, these are our people.
03:31I'm Muslim, I'm a Christian, but then we are still living in peace.
03:35So, SK, just as you can see, we're all living together.
03:39There's peace in this Plateau of Joss, Tudunwada Plateau State.
03:43And for the sake of emphasis, I told you earlier, that before now, prior to now,
03:47I don't dare, I can't even imagine doing this.
03:50The whole of this treat, I cannot even pass.
03:53Prior to now.
03:54But now, you see what's happening.
03:56So, we are living in peace, basically.
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