Coming together : interview with Fr. Joseph Wainainaby Andrea Useem
WAJIBU: Fr. Wainaina, what is your background and involvement in interfaith dialogue?
FR. WAINAINA: I had an interest in learning about world religions and am taking a course at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in this subject. This has been a great help to me, especially in my pastoral work. I studied Islam, Hinduism and all the other religions in Asia, as well as Christianity and Judaism. That knowledge enriched my life, and now helps me in trying to bring religions together. I am also part of an interfaith group, the Eastern Africa United Religions Initiative. Some time ago we had a conference at the Kenya Technical Teachers College. We were from many different religions: Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Brahma Kumaris, Ba'hai, Jews, Catholics and Protestants. We were able to pray together. We had also expected traditionalists from the Nuba Mountains in Sudan, but they were finally not able to come. As a member of this initiative, I can say it is very good in propagating dialogue. Another event that encouraged this kind of dialogue was the memorial service for bomb victims, which we held at Uhuru Park on August 20. That service was originally a Christian project. But we knew that the bomb affected not only Christians but also Hindus and Muslims, in fact, all Kenyans. When it came to organizing the prayers, we decided that Christians would lead the main prayers, but we also gave a chance for Hindus and Muslims to speak. So one representative from each community spoke at the service. People from different faiths have different styles of worship. How can they pray together? In our Eastern Africa initiative, we begin our meetings with a moment of silence, a moment of meditation. That way you can pray the way you pray in your own church or temple: it is a mental prayer. When we say prayers together, we make sure that we use terms, in particular names for God, that will not be offensive to any group. For example, some people would be offended if we used the name Jesus to mean God, so we avoid that. Besides praying together during the conference, we also gave time for each group to lead their own prayers for us. In that case, we each just prayed the way we usually pray, in order to present the way we actually worship. When it was our turn, I explained the mass. I showed the bread, the wine, the Bible. I shared it with them, but I never told them to join me. We don't want to impose our prayers on them. That's what variety is all bout. We are also thinking that, as the initiative grows, we can form a committee to design prayers we can all say together. From your own experience, what is necessary for interfaith dialogue to begin? When it comes to interfaith dialogue, having respect for each other is very important. If we respect one another, and one another's beliefs and practices, then we can begin to work together. The problems that divide us usually come from the doctrines each religious group holds. But we do not have to focus on those doctrinal issues. We can look at social issues that bring us together: health and education and many other aspects of development. Let's not look at the differences—we know they are there. Let's join hands and do something for the betterment of our people. I also feel strongly that religious variety is good. Variety is very important for human life. Look at a family, for example. You have children born of the same mother and father but each child is unique, with different talents and abilities. Religions are like this: we all come from one God, but each religion has its own strengths and interests. Religious variety enriches society. Do you see any progress in different religious communities coming together in Kenya?
Yes. For example, I remember that during the recent clashes in the Rift Valley, we had prayers in Christ the King Cathedral in Nakuru. It was an interfaith prayer for peace: all the groups came, and Muslims were praying together with Christians. When I was in Nakuru, the Catholic Diocese was working together closely with groups from other faiths, so I would say we are making progress. Another example: the Sikhs have invited us (members of the Eastern Africa United Religions Initiative) to their temple for prayers of peace later this month. The very fact that members of different faiths can come together and talk means we are making progress. What is the background to this progress? Has Kenya experienced inter-religious tension in the past?
From my experience, we have not had any big problems between religions. If we have, it has been negligible, something very small. But that's drawn from my own experience of working in Nakuru and now in Nairobi. Would you say that government's recent deregistration of five NGOs—perceived to be an attack on the Muslim community—will upset this balance?
The parties involved in this conflict are the Government and NGOs. The government is neither Christian or Muslims it is therefore not really an issue of religion. But there are normal procedures that should be followed in deregistering an NGO. and the government should have follow those procedures. From what I have seen on TV, I am sure the government knew the charitable activities of these NGOs: they were not here illegally. The government should be fair and follow their own laws on this issue. However, I do not think this controversy will have any long-lasting affects on our move towards working together. In fact, such tension may even be a good thing. People start to appreciate things they took for granted, the peace between different communities. One danger of a group like the Eastern Africa initiative is that you may only attract like-minded people, those who are interested in dialogue, while other members of those faiths are still opposed. How do you deal with this problem?
It's a big question, and we recognize the problem of representation. Within our initiative, we have generally had the people who are of importance in the various religious communities. But that's not always the case: sometimes we have not had all the representatives who matter. It would be best move to get people who have a say in their different religious affiliations. For example, I am charged with pastoral work throughout the country. When I speak, I can speak with the authority of the Catholic Church. We need to try as much as possible to involve people who hold key offices, so that when they speak, their communities will listen and take their contribution seriously. You have noted that Protestant and Catholic groups have been involved in interfaith dialogue, but what has been the participation of the evangelical, or "born again," churches in Kenya? And what is the contribution of popular evangelists, such as Reinhart Bonnke, who have been accused of speaking against other religions, and Islam in particular?
From the experience I have had, I think those churches would be interested in interfaith dialogue, but whether they are fully involved or not is another question: I don't really know. On the question of evangelists, it seems they tend to come and preach when Kenya is in a political crisis. They bring an aspect of Christian fundamentalism. Sometimes they try to divert people from the issues affecting the community right at the moment. They try to spiritualise things, and this can at times be done at the expense of people's well-being. Having worked nine years as a pastor, the message of Christ for me is that we should address the issues that affect the people. Let's say you are hungry, and I come to you and say, "Jesus loves you." You already know that. But if I bring food for you, and you eat, then you will feel that Jesus loves you. The message of Christ will find more fertile ground when people are cared for. I am not blaming such preachers, I am not against them. They do have a gift of drawing crowds. What advice can you give to individuals of all faiths who want the dialogue to grow?
I would say the first thing we need is respect for one another. When I respect you as a person, it will also follow that I will respect your religion. I respect your religion and you respect mine. For me, there is no religion that is superior to another. Of course there is always a tendency to feel that "my religion is the best." But if we start by saying that, aren't we going to create an atmosphere of tension? We all want to reach heaven. I think that is the goal of every religion, for us to be united with our Creator, the Supreme Being. Knowledge of other religions is also very important. As leaders of different religions, we need to organize seminars, workshops and courses to let our people know how other people worship. Most people know very little about other groups. And if you are not well informed, then you can make mistakes in judgement. People should be interested in learning, should want to know more about other religions. When we are acquainted with one another, we can appreciate one another. You learn to see riches in another person's religion, and you enrich yourself. What would you like to see more of in the future?
I hope that, as members of different religions, we can have more time to be together and pray together for issues affecting our society. What is important for us is to pray together for peace. We need more time together.
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