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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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00:11Since in my early childhood, religion has shaped conversations at home, in school and in the news.
00:17Sometimes it brings comfort, other times fear and division.
00:21News of violence and extremism shows that this crisis pierred no one.
00:25So what happens when people no longer feel safe and what does that mean for democracy and coexistence?
00:30Today on The 77%, we look beyond the noise to unpack religion, conflict and what it means for Nigeria and
00:36Africa.
00:37My name is SK and welcome to the show.
00:44Coming up on the show.
00:46In our street debate, we discuss with young Muslims and Christians about the political situation in Nigeria.
00:54Events Compares, Stephanie Augustine introduces us into interfaith life in the city of Joss.
01:02And finally, we ask, why has Boko Haram remained a threat despite Nigeria's military efforts?
01:11To kick off today's show, we are starting with the big picture.
01:14When religion comes up in Africa, the focus is often on tension and conflict.
01:18But that's not the full story.
01:20Across the continent, different faiths have lived side by side for generations,
01:24often in tolerance, cooperation and everyday coexistence.
01:28My DW colleague, Michael, is breaking down for us what religious tolerance in Africa really looks like.
01:33Trump was right or was he.
01:37The African continent is deeply religious and at the same time deeply tolerant.
01:42While recent reports highlight tensions between Muslims and Christians, especially in parts of Nigeria,
01:49those incidents don't reflect how most of the religious communities on the continent relate with each other.
01:57In fact, coexistence is far more common than conflict.
02:01A recent Afrobarometer survey found that in Sierra Leone,
02:05Muslims and Christians take part in each other's religious celebrations, including Ramadan.
02:10Faith there is something to be shared, not weaponized.
02:14And this cooperation goes well beyond festivals.
02:17Did you know the Catholic Church is Africa's largest non-governmental healthcare provider?
02:21Across the continent, it operates nearly 7,000 healthcare facilities serving different communities regardless of belief.
02:29Education tells a similar story.
02:31In 2022 alone, more than 27 million children attended Catholic schools in Africa.
02:38What's striking is that these schools and healthcare facilities serve everyone, regardless of religious affiliation.
02:43The same is true of the many Islamic schools on the continent, which educates students from different religious backgrounds.
02:51So, are there religious tensions in Africa?
02:54Of course.
02:55But are Christians being systematically targeted?
02:59The facts simply don't support that claim.
03:03Hmm.
03:04One line from the video stands out.
03:06Religious tolerance in Africa isn't the absence of tension.
03:08It's the daily effort to live with difference.
03:10On the streets, though, you often hear fear, suspicion, and strong claims.
03:14I encountered this in a street debate in my hometown, Joss, where we asked the question,
03:19is there a Christian genocide in Nigeria?
03:21The answers were raw, divided, and revealing.
03:30Hello, everybody.
03:32We are having a quick and easy street debate where we're asking the question,
03:35should the U.S. intervene militarily in Northern Nigeria?
03:38And if, actually, there's a genocide, Christian genocide in Nigeria?
03:41So, I'm going to start with you, Paul.
03:43Do you think there's a Christian genocide in Nigeria?
03:46I'm 100%.
03:47I strongly believe there is an attempted genocide and the killing of Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern Nigeria.
03:55I was in my village when the first attack happened in my village around 2017, 2016, or thereabouts,
04:00when our relatives and our friends were killed by the herders.
04:04Alright, so I'm going to come to you, Nana.
04:06Do you actually believe there's a Christian genocide in Nigeria?
04:08No, especially from what he said.
04:10He said he's from Benue State, right?
04:12This same Benue is something that when you, as a Muslim, you're going there,
04:16you have to disguise to be a Christian before you can enter the state entirely.
04:19Do you believe the Muslims are actually on a life, too?
04:22Yes.
04:22A lot, about five Muslims were slaughtered without any question or, like, where are you coming from?
04:29As much as you are wearing something that makes you look like a Muslim,
04:32they will just slaughter you without any remorse.
04:35Alright, so I'll come to you, Adams.
04:37Now, why do you think the Muslims are underreporting their own genocide?
04:43The Muslims are trying their best to report their genocide or their incidents in terms of their villages.
04:51Some of the people from their villages, they don't even have networks so that they can present their incidents
04:57or what is happening in their villages.
04:58Some international media, they're supposed to go deep into their villages to go and report the actual what is happening
05:05so that the world can convince and see what is happening.
05:10They are underreported.
05:11Do you actually believe that the media is undermining and underreporting for the Muslims?
05:16I'll come to you.
05:19Yes, in the process of carrying out the act, most of the times they recite whatever they have to recite.
05:26Yeah, Allah or something like that.
05:28So if my colleague here is trying to say there is actually a targeted Christian of Muslims,
05:33sorry, the killing of Muslims, is there any situation or a process or an instance where Muslims are being killed
05:40and then the Christians or the mention of whatever recitation like the name of Jesus,
05:44I'm killing you in the name of Jesus, has it ever happened?
05:46This is a strategic target at the killing of Christians.
05:50Stephanie and Rabilu, I'm coming to you, but you raised your hands and you wanted to say something.
05:56Were you in disagreement with what he said?
05:57So like they started bombing places, putting places on fire simply because we don't even know why, just on bikes.
06:04So like, why would you say they came from Christians?
06:08Meanwhile, they were killing everybody.
06:09Right.
06:10And back to what he said about saying they have slangs, Allahu Akbar and something.
06:16Right, I was coming to that.
06:17Yes.
06:18So simply because they are using that slang doesn't mean that they are Muslims.
06:22Both me and him don't know whether they are Muslims or not.
06:25Some people have argued saying that there are places where if you own a life, people, you have a reward
06:30for it.
06:31How true is that statement?
06:32No.
06:34No.
06:34Even if they are infidels, right?
06:37No.
06:38In the Quran, I don't know the chapter, I don't know the verse though, but it is not allowed for
06:44you as a Muslim to kill another religion.
06:49Allah gave you the life and gave him the life too.
06:52So we don't care whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, as long as you are a human being
06:56like me, Muslim law do not allow us to kill anybody.
07:01Something of recent happened in September where terrorists entered and attacked a church.
07:06I don't know specifically the state.
07:08They attacked a church, right?
07:10But do you know that in that same month, the news of terrorists attacking a church went viral.
07:15But in that same month, same thing happened in a mosque where about seven lives were unalived.
07:21Meanwhile, about 10 were kidnapped and few were injured.
07:25And nobody, nobody said anything about that.
07:28And that happened in the same month.
07:30Right.
07:30I think we are almost rounding up with this round, but let me hear from you.
07:35I want her to correct something for me.
07:36She said there is no portion or no section of Quran that actually supports the unaliving of the infidels.
07:43So I don't know if she's familiar with the Quran, but if she's familiar, I would want her to read
07:48Quran, sorry, chapter 9, verse 5, so we can just get it straight away.
07:55What does he say?
07:56She should recite it because she's a Muslim.
07:59So I argue based on facts, empirical facts.
08:04So she should read them.
08:05Before I come to her, you check it, but Rebillu, you have been itchy.
08:08You want to say something?
08:10Please, let's hear it.
08:11You can't just pick one portion of a statement and just say, this is the facts.
08:15You need to read through.
08:17Read from the beginning.
08:18If you are reading a news report, somebody can just have a headline and say, massacre, Christians are being killed
08:23in Gangari, for example.
08:24And if that's what you pick from that statement, that's what you tend to believe.
08:28But do you look at what the insight of that particular report, what is it saying?
08:35You know, not just look at one statement of that.
08:37And also going back to regarding the issue of media, I think the language barrier is an issue for us,
08:44right?
08:44Try to pick people randomly and try to communicate with them and say, hey, can you just tell me about
08:50yourself in English?
08:51They might find it difficult to express themselves.
08:53But if you look at the media, you know, a lot of people are putting in content in Hausa language,
08:58which the international body doesn't look at as a fact.
09:01This should bring us to the last round where we ask for the solutions for this problem in Nigeria.
09:08So I'm going to start with you, Nana.
09:10I know your mouth has been itchy to say something, but what is the solution?
09:14What do you think Nigeria can actually do right now to solve its problem right now?
09:19We have to, this one is within us, the citizens, we have to stop this blame game and face reality
09:26because we are both getting attacked, we are both getting killed, we are both getting raped in this.
09:32So I think it's just two solutions.
09:35One is within ourselves.
09:36And then the second one is our government showing us that, yes, they are our government, they will work for
09:41us.
09:42Interesting point.
09:43So, Paul, what would you say is your own solution?
09:47There is a need to actually initiate a peace negotiation between the victims of this attack.
09:54There are people who have been wounded.
09:56And again, enlightenment, just like she rightly said, there is a need for us to just enlighten ourselves, know how
10:03to hold the government of the day accountable because it's our rights.
10:06Well said.
10:07I'm going to come to you, Adams.
10:09Now, what would you say is actually the solution for Nigeria right now?
10:14The solution for Nigeria right now about insecurity for me, number one, let's prioritize the welfare of the armed forces
10:20in Nigeria.
10:21How much are they giving them salary?
10:23Look at the way how they are struggling for their lives and their families.
10:27Yeah.
10:27Well said.
10:28And I'm going to ask you, what do you think is the solution right now?
10:33What mentioned actually in terms of taking care of the victims of this problem.
10:37So, I think for me is holding the government accountable as well as others mentioned.
10:43I hear you.
10:44But now you said something, holding the government accountable.
10:48And I'm curious, how can we hold them accountable?
10:51We can hold them accountable by calling them out through a proper channel like media.
10:55This is what is happening in my community.
10:56And I want this thing to stop.
10:58And when I vote you out, what can you do for me?
11:01And lastly, I'll ask Stephanie, don't you think Nigerians have been actually holding the government accountable all these years?
11:10Well, yes.
11:11I do feel some Nigerians have been holding the government accountable.
11:15How would you want us to hold Nigerians, the politicians now or the government accountable right now?
11:21Well, I feel that they should keep on creating awareness about it.
11:26And then just as what has been done, like getting external forces aware of what is happening.
11:33You know, they've been calling out, you see, the United States, like making the world know about it.
11:39All right. Thank you very much.
11:41This was really a very heated debate.
11:43Sadly, it has come to an end.
11:45But this conversation has not ended because you people online have a lot to say.
11:50You can join us on our social media platforms as displayed to you on the screen.
11:54My name remains SK until I come your way next time.
11:57See ya.
12:05Trust me, that was an intense debate full of strong allegations and emotions running high.
12:11But away from the heat of the argument, some individuals are quietly building bridges across fate lines, creating spaces for
12:17understanding, dialogue and cooperation.
12:19Events Compare and fellow Josawad Stephanie went to the street to show the other side of fate.
12:24Hey SK, how are you?
12:26Yes, I agree.
12:27That there are a lot of conflicts, especially in Plateau State.
12:31But that is not all.
12:32Religious tolerance is the lived norm in Nigeria.
12:36And I'll show you some examples, particularly from this region, where these clashes occur more frequently.
12:43Come with me.
12:45In this community, when people talk about Jos, they talk about boundaries and divisions.
12:51But young people here are busy, crossing boundaries.
12:54Oh, hi, Kepha.
12:56Alpha, how are you doing?
12:57To the Wada Youth Forum is a non-political organization, a non-religious organization, where people from different walks of
13:06life, youth from different religions come together just for the sake of unity.
13:12I would love to show you something there.
13:14This junction has been more like a demarcation.
13:18The whole of this place are the Muslims, and then the whole of this place, from here, downward, are the
13:25Christian residential areas.
13:27So before now, a Christian is not permitted to pass through this place.
13:32Wow.
13:33Because of the crisis that we experienced prior to now, the Two Wada Youth Forum was birthed immediately after the
13:38crisis.
13:38We saw the need to be united.
13:40Because if there is no unity, then there will be no development, there will be no progress.
13:44Because of initiatives like this, that the Youth Forum is all about, we can work freely here.
13:48That shows that peace has come to Jos.
13:50Hmm.
13:51And as you can see, this is one of our initiatives here.
13:54We know the significance of sport.
13:55We know how sport unites us together.
13:57And so the Two Wada Youth Forum, in its own wisdom, think of organizing stuff like this.
14:02Okay.
14:03You know?
14:03So that it can bring the youth together, regardless of your religion, regardless of your even political affiliation.
14:09Interesting.
14:10So basically, that's exactly what we do.
14:15Ayuba!
14:17Hello, good morning.
14:18Good morning.
14:20Yes.
14:20How has, you know, playing on the team changed your perspective about each other off the pitch?
14:25I don't allow that to interfere with my relationship with the people I do play with in the football field,
14:32irrespective of their religion.
14:34Even outside the field, we are friends.
14:36I respect their religion.
14:38Likewise, I respect my religion whenever we play.
14:40We've made that very clear.
14:42Alright.
14:42What about you?
14:43Most of us, we live together.
14:44We even help each other.
14:46If somebody, like, he has something that happened to him, we visit his house.
14:50We sit together.
14:52If it is marriage, we go for a condolence.
14:54Because all this, we are living in peace in Tudumwada here.
14:57To be practical, I want to show you the Muslim community where prior to now, as a Christian,
15:04I won't even dare to cross this line.
15:06I show you that this is demarcation before now.
15:09I want to practically show you that, hey, there is peace.
15:12And I can confidently work with the Muslim community.
15:17Sali!
15:19How are you?
15:21How are you?
15:22How are you?
15:24How are you?
15:24How are you?
15:26How are you?
15:26How are you?
15:28How are you?
15:29How are you?
15:31This is one of my friends.
15:33He's a Muslim.
15:35I'm a Christian.
15:38We're cool now.
15:41How are you?
15:43How are you?
15:44How are you?
15:45How are you?
15:46How are you?
15:46How are you?
15:47How are you?
15:53So these are our people.
15:56I'm Muslim.
15:57I'm a Christian.
15:58But then we are still living in peace.
16:00So SK, just as you can see, we're all living together.
16:03There's peace in this plateau of Joss.
16:07To do what that plateau states.
16:09And for the sake of emphasis, I told you earlier,
16:10that before now, prior to now,
16:12I don't dare, I can't even imagine doing this.
16:15The whole of this treat, I cannot even pass.
16:18Prior to now.
16:19But now, you see what's happening.
16:21So we're living in peace, basically.
16:29Thank you, Stephanie.
16:30We must learn to stop the blame game
16:32and learn to live together peacefully again
16:34while also holding the government accountable
16:36for what is happening in Northern Nigeria
16:38and asking the obvious question.
16:40Why isn't the military protecting the people?
16:43Behind the strong image of the Nigerian military
16:45are growing concerns about welfare and conditions
16:47raised by active and retired personnel.
16:50Meanwhile, jihadists are backed by Boko Haram.
16:52In this video, one soldier shares a reference hand view
16:56of life behind the uniform.
16:59This footage was sent to DW News
17:01by a Nigerian soldier showing the living conditions
17:04of his unit on the front lines.
17:06He has been fighting in the country's northeast
17:08for four years, the epicenter of Nigeria's insecurity.
17:12We won't mention his real name and location.
17:14His real voice will also not be used to protect him
17:17from getting punished like others he says
17:19shared similar clips online in the past.
17:22We will call him Soldier X.
17:26This is the place where soldiers are living.
17:29We face challenges during rainy season
17:31because of the leaky roof.
17:33We put tarpaulin up here, but it doesn't help much.
17:37So when rain falls, water pours in.
17:41Soldier X says those serving on the front lines
17:44face many challenges besides poor living conditions.
17:47Nigeria has less than 300,000 active personnel in the military
17:52serving a country of 200 million.
17:55For years, Nigerian soldiers deployed to the northeast
17:58have posted videos like this online
18:01complaining about food, inadequate weapons
18:04and meager support, making their work
18:06all the more difficult and dangerous.
18:13Our soldiers, our military, they need to be motivated.
18:18We have soldiers out there that their salaries in a month
18:23is still not up to the minimum wage.
18:27Nigeria has been fighting a 16-year insurgency
18:30with Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State, West Africa,
18:34province, ISWAP.
18:36Founded in the early 2000s, the jihadist militant organization
18:40is based in northeastern Nigeria, but has also expanded
18:43its influence into neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
18:48The group aims to establish an Islamic State
18:50and is known for its violent attacks targeting security forces,
18:54civilians, schools and religious institutions.
18:58For a time, Boko Haram fell into obscurity
19:01while its breakaway faction, ISWAP, steadily rose.
19:05But early 2025 saw Boko Haram resurging in the Lake Chad region,
19:10this time with a new leader, Bakura Doro,
19:13who avoided media attention while Boko Haram
19:16re-strengthened largely unnoticed.
19:18Meanwhile, combat stress and fatigue within the Nigerian military
19:22also rose sharply, with over 1,000 soldiers resigning
19:26from the army between 2020 and 2024.
19:29Experts say this, combined with the failure of reintegration programs
19:35across the region and Nigeria's decision to withdraw from the
19:39multinational joint task force, which is mandated to secure borders
19:43in the Lake Chad region, gives insurgent groups like Boko Haram
19:47impetus to intensify their attacks, while Nigeria security forces
19:51are stretched increasingly thin.
19:53The outcome of an investigation called by the then Army Chief,
19:57Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede into a social media video showing soldiers
20:02complaining about poor food has not been published.
20:05The Army considers public complaints by soldiers as a breach of military ethics and discipline.
20:12But Soldier X says the military leadership is not honest about soldiers' welfare.
20:18It's a lie, I repeat. It's a lie. They are not doing anything for us. Nothing.
20:23They are lying to the President that soldiers are living well. But it's not true. We are suffering.
20:30The new Army Chief appointed by President Bola Tinubu has assured that the welfare of the troops remain top priority.
20:38But it won't be the first time such a promise was made.
20:43Let's hope our politicians keep their promises this time. But what can we ourselves do to break down the prejudices
20:50between Muslims and Christians so that we can live together peacefully?
20:53For our last story, we look to neighboring Ghana. About 70% of Ghanians are Christians,
20:58while Muslims make up the second largest group at about 18%. There's a high degree of tolerance
21:03and even holidays are often celebrated together. Let's have a look.
21:07In Al-Aju, a mostly Christian suburb of Accra, Muslims gather for afternoon prayers, an everyday scene
21:15that speaks to Ghana's remarkable interfaith harmony. Church buildings stand just meters away from mosques
21:22and Muslims practice their faith openly without tension.
21:2830-year-old Muftal Fusseini, a newly graduated doctor, meets with Ibrahim Halidu,
21:35a local leader known for promoting religious tolerance. It's an issue that resonates deeply with Fusseini.
21:42Most of my friends have been Christians. So from then we established good on their relationship.
21:48Even when I traveled out of the country too, I also met good Christians too that were friends with me.
21:54Despite we share different backgrounds, but it doesn't bring a lot of conflict among us.
21:59I tried to learn from them, they also tried to learn from me, and their relationship has been perfect.
22:04I'm really grateful that Ghana is one of the most peaceful countries in which we share different views.
22:10But despite that, we are peaceful.
22:12Ibrahim regularly visits churches to encourage interfaith unity. Today he joins a nearby congregation.
22:21The church members welcome him warmly. They invite him to speak and even offer a prayer,
22:27clear signs of Ghana's deeply rooted coexistence.
22:30I was very, very elated. I mean, the pastor came, he came down to pray for me. I mean, pray
22:36for long life, prosperity.
22:39You know, anytime you visit them and you pray for, it is fulfilling. It is so, so, so fulfilling.
22:47So I'm so happy they prayed for me. And I don't think it lightly at all.
22:51This spirit of acceptance is widespread. Christians attend Muslim events, Muslims take part in Christian gatherings,
23:00and both communities join in each other's celebrations. These interactions are also supported at the national level.
23:07Politicians and religious leaders encourage dialogue, and the national policy on religion is in the works to help protect the
23:15rights and faiths of all citizens.
23:16There's no distinction. It's just we coming together to give reverence to the same God we serve.
23:22So we don't have a system where we distinguish that here should be just for Christians and this place should
23:30be just Muslims, right?
23:32And then I don't think God himself allows for separation due to religion.
23:37So it's just nice that we coexist as humans to all serve the same God.
23:4228-year-old Cornelius Amewude, a close friend of Ibrahim, teaches children about religious tolerance, hoping the next generation will
23:51continue the peaceful coexistence that defines Ghana.
23:55We all believe in peace. We all have the same values, love, unity, worship, because most times the Koran 2
24:01contains the values of love, caring for people.
24:05Yes, and the Bible also emphasizes that love for one another. So I think that is what makes us one
24:10as people. The values we have in the Bible are similar also in the Iran.
24:14Ghana's education system includes religious studies and encourages mutual respect among children of different faiths.
24:23Ibrahim believes that strengthening coexistence will help support development in the community he serves as a youth leader.
24:31With freedom of worship protected, Muslim-Christian relations in Ghana remain a cornerstone of national peace.
24:47Beyond the headlines, many Nigerians choose coexistence daily in neighbourhoods, workplaces, and even in my hometown, Joss, which was once
24:55divided but slowly moving forward.
24:57Change begins with listening, accountability, and the choice to live peacefully. Now we want to hear from you. Share your
25:03experiences with us on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
25:06What's up, fellow African millennials and Gen Zers. You belong to the 77% Africans who are younger than 35.
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25:47My name is SK and this was The 77%, your peace magazine bringing you the stories that matter. Join us
25:54next time. See ya!
25:55See ya!
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