Music/Archive

Picture

Script

Youssou N'dour

Boy walking

James and Ashafa at

mass graves

-          Long shot

-          Close ups

Ashafa prays for victims

Narrator

James

SYNC  Oh Allah, these are your servants, ... sons and daughters of your servants, who are victims of man's inhumanity to fellow human beings.  Most of them were killed, they are innocent.  They eat and drink in the morning.  Some of them were ready to go for their business.  Some of them are preparing to go to school.....  Oh Allah, we pray unto you to restore their soul. To let their soul rest in perfect peace.

COM. Imam Ashafa and Pastor James have come to a mass grave in the town of Yelwa Shendam.

They are here to remember and pray for those killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims.

SYNC We are grateful to God that we have learnt the ability to hear one another, and create a safe space to dialogue, without which you can assume things from afar.  And you can kill somebody based on assumption.  We have learned a bitter lesson

(Prayer in Arabic )

Oh Allah! Forgive the wrongs of the living and the dead, male and female.

 Oh Allah! Forgive our wrongs, have mercy on us, You are our Lord,

 Peace be upon the Prophets and praise be to God.

Ashafa shaking hands

Title shot     

The Imam and the Pastor

ITN Archive

Archive footage of clashes

COM

In recent decades, Nigeria has been rocked by violence between Christians and Muslims

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in communal clashes.  Whole communities have been devastated.

Fade to black

Scenes of Kaduna

NNIL building

Kaduna

COM

One of the flashpoints for conflict was the city of Kaduna.

Today, the relationship between the Christian and Muslim communities, which are roughly equal in size, continues to be tense.

Peace Hall

James and Ashafa in office;

On phone

COM

In the midst of this situation, Imam Mohammed Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye have set up the Christian-Muslim Inter-Faith Mediation Centre.

So if you are not really looking for him as a person but as an organization, then we will send you somebody..

COM

Ashafa and Wuye used to be bitter enemies.

Church service

Choir

Instruments

James listening

Congregation

James preaching

James interview

James - young man still

SYNC  

They used to call me Coach .. Coach like a football coach.  Because among my peers I outdrink them.... When we go to drink, I take more than they can....

  Usually I go to church to see the young girls.  And try to wink at them particularly those singing in the choir....

After winking at the girls at the choir, I go out to the community where I take my beer.  But that day I stayed on.  And the man was preaching - when he started preaching it was like he was .. somebody told him about me.  And each time he preached and he was trying to point his hand to the congregation  it was... he was pointing his hand, like unto me.  And sometimes I duck under the pew, to say wow, why is this man talking to me?  I had a conviction in my heart that God was speaking to me and that I need to change....  And that was my turning point. 

COM

James became a Pentecostal minister and a passionate evangelist.  He  served as vice-president of the Christian Youth Association of Nigeria.

SYNC  ‘The Church has to be at the forefront of building peace in Nigeria because Jesus Christ is the prince of peace.   Shall we pray...

(Prayer in Hausa:)

Oh God! I am standing in front of your  people who faced so much hardship.

They were worried and  were looking for you.

Mosque

Ashafa in mosque

Ashafa interview

 I came from a very strong religious family.  A family.  They are custodian of Islamic heritage...

My father is a spiritual leader... and I grew myself to find myself learning about the Quran and teaching it to a younger one than myself.  And I was not even able to go to western education.  Because my family had a serious struggle with western colonial authority. ...

They were learned people, because they know how to read, how to write in Arabic, how to communicate in this Arabic language.  But when the colonial authority come with their own system, they change the language of communication to English and by changing that to English, that has given a basis for a serious withdrawal from anything to do with the West.

So most of our families, we don't go to western education, we have nothing to do with the west, nothing to do with Europe.  This was the family I come from.  We have a zeal of protecting, reviving, reformatory spirit about bringing back Islam and the glory of Islam.  People expect to see us in that.  Such was the family I came from....

In mosque

Hausa:

Oh God! Expose whoever is going to stand against the progress of tomorrow's meeting. You know them better than we do.

ITN Archive

COM

Nigeria's Muslims and Christians lived in peace until the last quarter of the 20^th century -  when  economic decline, religious extremism and political turmoil combined to strain communal relations to breaking point. 

It was against this background, in the late 1980s, that James decided to join a Christian militia group.

Kazem El-Saher

James interview

Market scenes

We come from (formed) this militia group because we want to protect our people.  People were laughing us to scorn, pastors are being killed and you can do nothing.  We say if the Muslim have spare lives, then we can go borrow it.  Wherever there is one life we can also put it on line.  And that is how I became militia and my hate for the Muslims then had no limits.  And no Muslim ever impressed me for whatever reason. 

In 1992, during the Zangon Kataf religious crisis, that crisis initially was over relocation of a market.  Now for a long time the economy of the area was dominated by Muslim Hausa

And conflict engulfed, ensued there.  And most of the people who were killed there were Muslims and Hausas.  And the corpses of those people who were killed there were transported to Kaduna, to a place called Tudanwada..... And the Muslims there seeing the corpses of their kins, decided to pounce on the Christians that were there in Tudanwada.  And as a trained person to protect the church, my group swung into action.  And there are some of the boys that were with me who were killed during that encounter and I lost my hand in trying to defend the church....

COM

Mohammed Ashafa was in the Muslim militia in Tudanwada.

Ashafa interview

Going into mosque

For 48 hours we are killing and maiming one another.... I was fighting, believing I have to defend my faith, maiming and killing the others.  But at the end of the day my spiritual teacher, a man of about 70 years old .... He was murdered by the Christian community in his area. Two of my cousins were killed...

And I realise, I come to know that it is James's group, the groups of James who have organised that militia against my group.  So I was nursing... the anger is there and the motive is revenge .. I want to take vengeance.  And for 3 years myself and my group were planning ... to eliminate some of the leader of these groups. 

I was in the mosque ... and the Imam was talking about the power of forgiveness and he was talking and saying yes it is written in the law that an evil - you can revenge an evil equal to the equal done to you.  You have right to take a redress.... 

However, the Quoran teaches further that it is better to turn the evil with that which is good....

So, therefore, if there are Muslim today who refuse to forgive those who persecute you, those who hurt you, how can you be a true embodiment of Mohammed (pbuh)? 

He went further to say remember Mohammed in Mecca.  He was persecuted, he was humiliated.  He was sent out and he went to a city of Taif, a city very close to preach but they gather youths to stone him... They send a youth to stone Mohammed because they don't want to hear his message.  They stone him till blood was all over his body and the angel come - the angel in charge of mountains and he say, ‘Oh you prophet of God, do I destroy these people?  What do you want me to do?  God say give me a verdict - I will do whatever you want to do with them.  Because they harm you; you are His messenger.'

And Mohammed opened his mouth to say, No I don't want them destroyed.(Arabic...)  Oh Allah forgive my own people. ...

And I wept into tears.  I was crying.  Tears were flowing from my face.  How can I forgive this enemy of mine?  This guy who maimed, killed my spiritual teacher and two of my brothers.  Mohammed has forgiven, you have to forgive and he was looking at my direction.  Talking, as if he knows what I am thinking in my heart.  I was in a ocean of confusion.  An ocean of war, between my conscience, my desire for revenge and the reality of my standard which is my test. ...And suddenly, he finishes his sermon and says let's pray....  We pray, and after that I started thinking, can I really forgive James?

Tartit

COM

In May 1995, Ashafa met James  unexpectedly - at a gathering of community leaders convened at the residence of the Governor of Kaduna state.

A  mutual acquaintance introduced them to one another and challenged them to make peace.

James interview

Water dripping

Initially it was full of suspicion. My fear was that, because of my training, he may be planning to identify me and my friends for possible attack when an occasion provides the space for them to do that.... If you see his dressing and the way his posture is, you see like an embodiment of an Islamic fundamentalist from the dressing code he has.  We see them as fanatics.  That's a group that believes that Islam only and no other religion.  And then my mother took ill.  Then he came with some group of young men to greet her, to see her, to visit her in the hospital and then I started changing.  I say, wow, how does the Moslem come to greet me as a Christian?  Then at a point ... my mother then passed on.  Then they came again with a team to greet and that was what broke me and my resistance to interact him started falling.  I then visited his mosque ... well it was like I will swallow my heart... Because I wasn't sure I will come out of the place alive.  But gradually I developed confidence and he too kept coming and the relationship begin to grow.

Ali Farka Toure

COM

The reconciliation between Imam Ashafa and Pastor James caused controversy.  They were asked to explain their change of heart to religious groups in the area.  But their relationship was still fragile.

James interview

Sometimes I get tempted to carry a pillow to suffocate him while he is sleeping when we share rooms.... And each time I want to do that, I want to retaliate for my hand.. But this force will pull me, thou shalt not kill.  For 3 years I nurse that ambition.  That feeling to kill him....  But what really removed that from me... was when... Pastor Ina Omakwu of the Family Worship Centre in Abuja... said to us you cannot preach Christ with hate.  Christ is love and the message he is carrying is love.  And he say to you James I know you and I know what you are doing.  If you will truly do this work, you must learn to forgive them for every hurt against you or against anyone that you have loved or your loved ones.... 

That broke me finally so when I came back I was anxious to meet Ashafa.  It was like a lover looking for his loved one... I was trying to come demonstrate this new insight. ...

So that was my real turning point.  That was when I really got into this work.

Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti

Femi Kuti

Peter Rinejap

Van goes off

Sun

Night

Music

Fish restaurant

Moon

COM

Over the last five years, the work of the Inter-Faith Mediation Centre has been expanding.  Teams of pastors and imams journey to trouble-spots to lead workshops and seminars.

The rapport between Pastor James and Imam Ashafa is the foundation of their trust-building work with religious and community leaders.

I'm not going to have problem with people around me.  He say, ‘Control your anger.'

Which means anger leads to murder, and whoever you kill, his brother is going to retaliate and that leads to genocide, which we witness in our community today.

Travelling together as an inter-faith team presents its own challenges.

SYNC

As a team you can see the Christian member of the team are waiting in the bus and in the car.  And the Muslim community have to go and say their prayer.  And when we have to meet on Sunday, the Muslims will wait and the Christian go to say their prayers and then they come and we continue.  You can see mutual respect for one another.  Absolute trust.  Absolute unselfishness in action.

The mosque at Samaru Kataf has a special significance for Ashafa and James.  It was here that they began their work as mediators between Muslim and Christian communities.

SYNC

During the crisis this mosque was almost demolished from the tension and attack from the Christian community.

We brought the youth here for the reconciliation process - both the Christian and the Moslem youth and we talk reconciliation. 

Various negotiation of various stakeholders, both from the Government, the other civil society organisations and our initiatives, was able to broker a peace within the community.

COM

The team often covers long distances.  For

Ashafa and James, journeying together has become a part of everyday life.

NNIL building

Ashafa climbing stairs

Well this is a busy period in the office.    As you see me today, I have come with my children... at times they miss me so much and I have to take the fine way, because I travel extensively in the rural, remote area for  two weeks, for one week.  Trying to negotiate, doing shuttle mediation within different community. 

Mrs Fatima Suleman

Asisi Makama

COM

Responsibilities at the Inter-Faith Centre are shouldered equally  by  Muslims and Christians. 

Some of the team spend time caring for widows and orphans left behind by the conflict.

I know in Islam it says blessed is a home that brings up an orphan, so you know, if a family that is very very small and has something to offer can take charge of a less privileged child the better for the society.

We can not do without one another.

God in Heaven created us and made us to live in the same place so we have no choice but to live together with one another. So that fear is gradually going because we are now coming back - relating.

Ashafa

‘Oh you mankind - the Koran doesn't say only you Muslims. Allah say all mankind, we made you into different colour, into different races and languages, so that you may know one another.  The essence is for us to know our diversity as sources of strength.

Ali Farka Toure

Mrs Elizabeth Wuye

Mrs Fatima Ashafa

Ashafa and James sometimes travel with their families.  The strength of the bond between their wives provides  an added dimension to their trust-building work.

At times if they are out, we are worried at home.  We don't know whether they will be back safely or not. 

There are one thousand and one people that are not ready - that didn't accept what they are doing.  They said it is anti-Islam or anti-Christianity.  But because of ignorance about what peace is in the religious aspect. 

So we help them with prayers whenever they are outside in the field working.

James

We disagree on certain things and that disagreement can put us apart for two or three days, we are not talking to one another.  There are instances when we were asked to present papers..For instance on death penalty.  I said this should be eradicated.  Jesus came to forgive.  But he felt death penalty should be instilled in Nigeria. We came from the same organisation but we have different opinion......

My colleague's car has now suddenly developed problem with his clutch disc.  And look at us, somewhere else in the middle of nowhere in the evening.  So we hope that we are able to find solution to this problem.

Something happened, I cant remember exactly.  We are not talking to each other but we're attending appointments and meetings together.  If he has a message, he will write it on a paper and stuck it under my hotel room.  If I have one I go write drop it there.  And then we go to the appointment together, take the same taxi to where we want to have that appointment, we laugh when we are there with everybody and when we come back, no goodnights.... 

It seems it's always him.  Maybe God is trying to take his hand, because my hand also went off.   When we went to mediate people in Nasarawa state, trying to prevent crisis from happening - he fell into a river.  That was the greatest fear I had ever had in my life.  I thought he was gone.  My partner was gone.  He fell into a deep river.  But God saved him.  And we came back.  And we have not stopped. 

We are like a husband and a wife that must not divorce.  If we divorce our children will suffer and because of our children which is the global community, the Nigerian youth, and Christians and Moslems we cannot separate.

So we keep on working and this is our commitment, even if we have to die in the course of doing this thing, we will always do it. 

We developed a system of helping ourselves.  When I am hurt and I know he is hurting me, I will say Ashafa I need your help then he will quickly know he has hurt me.  And he says the same to me.  And then I will become alert and we call that let's go for some clinic.  And  we go and talk to one another.... that way we are able to resolve our differences for these 10 years. 

We are stuck together in this. No separation whatsoever.  So that is it....

Dan Ibro

Scenes and music

Ali Farka Toure

Kaduna peace declaration

Peace plaque at roundabout

COM

In 2001, James and Ashafa brought together prominent religious leaders in Kaduna to work on a joint peace agreement.  After months of discussion, a historic Declaration was signed by 11 Muslim and 11 Christian leaders, and by the Governor of Kaduna State. A plaque was unveiled by the President of Nigeria.

Ali Farka Toure

James

The 22 people who signed the peace declaration went to monitor elections and during that time all the places where they monitored, there was no rigging, there was no violence.  It was if God was represented in those polling stations. 

Ashafa

In Kaduna state of Nigeria, when there's a problem the Christian ecumenical centre leadership will be able to communicate with the Muslim ecumenical centre - and they talk....  And then they sort out the truth among themselves....

So many things that would have led to shedding blood have been protected by the two wing.

Ali Farka Toure

COM

In Kaduna people are rebuilding their lives.  But old wounds can be re-opened by local and even by international incidents.

SYNC

If something happen in Iraq, why is it affecting us, or Guantanamo Bay, or Afghanistan or Palestine, why is it affecting the Muslims in Nigeria?  Why do we react so positively, or extremely negatively at times?

It do, because of the level of consciousness of Islam.  Because we see ourselves as a single global community, the umma....

Ali Farka Toure

James and Ashafa, walking

Ashafa

COM

Ashafa and James have been invited to speak at international gatherings on conflict resolution and development.  Their story of forgiveness and the strength of their partnership has stirred debate and fostered hope.

Ashafa walking:

...How to make Nigeria safe, Nigeria safe for all?"

Kazem El-Saher

ITN Archive

Youssou N'dour

COM 

In 2004, clashes between Christians and Muslims from different ethnic groups erupted in the town of Yelwa Shendam.  The spate of killings was furious and terrible.  Hundreds of corpses had to  be buried without proper ceremony in mass graves.

James and Ashafa decided to focus their energy on a bid to bring healing to Yelwa Shendam.

They made 17 separate visits to the area - sharing their own experience, mediating, preaching peace.

Ashafa:

"...when you share their joy, their sadness, you create joy for them.."

COM

 Little by little, apologies were shared.  Trust was rebuilt.

And the idea emerged to hold a festival - in which former enemies could come together in a celebration of peace.

Different communities arrive at the ceremony with their respective dance troupes.

Yelwa Shendam peace ceremony

James and Ashafa organising

Build-up to ceremony

Vox pops.,

dancing, speeches,

James radio interview

Participant

Woman participant

Ashafa

Official Speaker

Chief of the Gomai

Official speaker

Imam Sani - speaker

Ashafa - addressing crowd

Governor of Plateau State

Governor to James and Ashafa

Ashafa and James have been working for five months with Muslim and Christian leaders to hammer out a Peace Affirmation.

As they make final arrangements for the imminent ceremony, Ashafa and James need to muster all their resources of improvisation and faith.

The crowds are exuberant, but the situation is still volatile, and the security forces are taking no chances.

The high drama of the festival attracts local and international media attention.

Journalist: "but..a lot of them have lost their loved ones, how have you been able to make them see reason, that life ahead is much more (?) than what happened in the past?"

James: "Well, we have been able to show ourselves as examples, because we also used to be militias, we told them we lost our loved ones and, as you can see or you can hear,I lost a hand in one of the crises in ‘92 in Kaduna, and  with this behind our minds, we were able to to tell them that we empathize with their situation but that it is better to dialogue with people than to deal  with people.In dealing with people you also live in fear, you also live in unforgiveness, and every day you are not sure what would happen the next day..but when you dialogue, when you talk, and when you forgive, you have peace..so we feel in forgiveness there is strength..you are stronger when you forgive someone who erred against you.

I witness this day as one of the happiest days in my life, because it has come to an end of the bloodshed in the town.

I have lost my father, my brother and my sister; I am just staying with my relatives...

I really appreciate the way I saw people gathering all here, both Muslim and Christians..

We gathered here to share ideas together and even dance together, we are all one...

COM

The crowds, who are joined by political and religious leaders, wait for the arrival of the Governor of Plateau state.

The executive Governor of Plateau State, honorable Chief Joshua Dariye has instructed me to tell the Yelwa community (??to?) read a letter of apology on behalf of everyone.

Permit me to use this occasion to deliver a letter of apology on  behalf of the Jarawa, of the two ruling houses of the Jarawa and Yelwa community in Yelwa town..

COM

The paramount chief of the Gomai people accepts the apology.

From the bottom of my heart , I forgive everybody who has done anything wrong to me.

COM

Representatives of different communities address the crowds.

I want to make it very clear here that(in?)what happened here, as far as I am concerned,the issue of religion was far, far secondary.  We have come back here to embrace ourselves in that old spirit and to live here together once more as brothers and sisters.

...it is time for Moslems and Christians to go back to the original teachings of their religions because we the preachers, we mislead you, I'm sorry. And in most cases,we  preach violence instead of how to preach peace, that's the problem.  So we must go back to the real teachings of our religion, let me tell you..'

I call upon all of them...

..So we will now have two minutes of silence. Everybody should pray to the Almighty in the best way known to him, in his own mother tongue, so that in the end we will come back here to celebrate peace and not violence anymore..

It is now my singular honour and pleasure to cut this tape and unveil the plaque, as a commitment of Peace and enduring settlement together..God bless.

..you are examples of Peace.. 

Catholic Bishop 

... we are confident that with all that has been put in, today, it will mark the beginning of a lasting and sustainable peace among the Christians and the Muslims and the peoples of different ethnic groups within this area.' 

Dancing in street

Fishing

COM

Creating peace between Christians and Muslims is a challenge.

For Pastor James and Imam Ashafa, and others in Nigeria, the work continues.

James

Preaching Christ does not really mean verbalising it.  You can live it.  And I believe by living a Christian life I can influence people positively without saying it out. ...

Ashafa

James

Ashafa

Every person who pronounce ‘La ilaha... Mohammed...' Arabic: ‘There is no god but God and Mohammed is the Prophet of God - peace be upon him'

 ...anybody who pronounce the Calima, who pronounce to be Muslims, I want him to be a safe-haven for people around the world who are from other faith and traditions. 

I practise my faith vehemently and he does too, and we are still coexisting and living together, yes, Christians and Muslims can coexist side by side and still go to the Heaven we dream of, that is true.

Even though we differ in some theological issues, we will make the world a safer place.  I'm a Muslim cleric, having thousands of people behind me, I never compromise the principle of Islam.  But Islam says, ‘create space for others.'  And with this as a living example... Even though he is not a Muslim, I like him.  I can give my life to protect his honour and dignity - this is what Islam taught me to do.

And I live by that principle.  And I will live for it and die for it.

James

I love him because I'm told to love my neighbour as myself.  I live by that principle.

Youssou N'dour

Music

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