KENYA: Tangaza College in Collaboration with Missio Aachen Conducts a Conference on Religion and Violence
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
Tangaza University College in Collaboration with Missio Aachen Germany is currently conducting a conference on Religion and Violence. The three-day conference which, started on Thursday September 8 and ends on Saturday is being held under the theme Religion and Violence, A contribution from Social Sciences and from Theology to an Urgent Issue.
“This indeed is an international conference focused on Africa and dealing specifically with the question of Religion and Violence,” said Rev. Fr. Felix Phiri, MAfr Head of the Department of Mission and Islamic Studies at Tangaza University College.
Fr. Phiri explained that their collaboration as Tangaza Department with Missio Aachen started as a participation in a pilot project initiated by Hekima Institute of Peace studies and International Relations two years ago by Rev. Fr. Elias Opongo, SJ. The project entailed carrying out research on Religious Extremism and Violence REV in Tanzania. The initiative has spread to West Africa.
“The material about violence covered through a research carried out for the case of Tanzania and West Africa are to be subjected to critical, Biblical, ethical and cultural reflection during the second part of the conference,” Fr. Phiri said adding that the historical background of the project indicates that they are still at the beginning of a daunting task. “It is therefore hoped that at the end of the three days of listening and discussing together, we shall be able to discern further new avenues of research, reflection and formal action that is distance of close collaboration.”
Speaking at the same occasion Dr. Marco Moerschbacher from Missio Aachen, Germany said that the idea to set up a Missio Network of African Theology indeed came from Missio Theological Department in Missio Aachen, which is the Pontifical Mission Service of Aachen Germany.
“The role of Missio was not to set the agenda but rather to facilitate, support, enhance and to make possible International Networks between African Researchers in Theology and Philosophy,” he said.
He said that the practical importance of the subject religion and violence has grown considering the increasing number of incidences of religious related violence and terrorism acts claimed by the extremists’ groups in France, Germany, Nigeria, Kenya and recently in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
“The idea of the project was to look at the sample studies of violence linked to the religion, consider what people think about it, reasons for violence the histories of the violence, the way it came about and also to see the role of religion in peace building and conflict solutions.”
Among the case studies to be presented at the conference included the study on Religious Extremism and Violence REV in Tanzania, Religion and Violence case studies from Ivory Coast and Chad. These would be followed by Biblical perspectives and ethical perspectives on the issue of Religion and Violence as well as dealing with a history of violence socio-economic underpinnings as well as how to overcome structures of social marginalization among others.
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