“If you choose not to dialogue with those in the opposition, then prepare to meet
them in the streets”
Mandate of the Commission: To contribute to meaningful engagement between Faith institutions with Governments, in policy development and creating an enabling environment for citizen participation in Governance issues, peaceful coexistence, national cohesion and regional cooperation, and strengthening CAPA’s engagement with the Regional hubs namely AU, EAC, SADC and ECOWAS. The church in the region has a long history of struggles with modelling Peaceful relations even by promoting truth telling, reconciliation and forgiveness. The “Church we want” is one that recognises the distinctive gifts and ministries that it has, to include discernment. It is a Church that in addition to opening the eyes of God’s people and invites them to a critical understanding of how important it is to acknowledge past lessons and struggles and still create safe spaces for sustained peace and security even as they participate in changing the world and creating
hope in anticipation of the new reign of the Kingdom of God among the poor and excluded in our present society; people forced to migrate across perilous waters; displaced from land by extractive industries or foreign commercial farmers and land mines or landslides, floods or famine due to climate change.
The church aims at addressing apathy in a continent that has generally registered economic growth albeit inequitably consequently lagging behind the rest of the world particularly in poverty levels, job creation, and food security. All these insecurities have created a restlessness that has potential to turn violent if not well managed or addressed.
The growing culture of impunity and confrontation fomented by failure of government systems to deliver has created a culture of repression, intolerance and outright violence that is state sponsored especially by governments that refused to crate space for dialogue.
The Church can use its versatile congregations to create platforms for dialogue since its members belong to different political and ethnic groupings that work beyond narrow party, ethnic, faith loyalty towards national solidarity. Only the Church has a membership that attracts and mobilizes people with different ethnic, political and economic identities.
a) Presence at the African Union (AU)
The African Union has articulated a transforming Agenda 2063, which work towards Continental Unity by strengthening the African Union and regional processes of integration namely: EAC, SADC & ECOWAS. The vision reflects a commitment for shared prosperity and wellbeing, for unity and integration for a continent of free citizens and expanded horizons, where the full potential of women and youth, boys and girls are realized and with freedom from fear disease and want. The key drivers of change are through the promotion of science, technology and innovations including in education, health and biosciences, agriculture, and clean energy. With a deliberate effort to invest in human development, it is hoped that this vision will be realized through people’s ownership and mobilization; accountable leadership and responsive institutions; capable and democratic developmental states and institutions and changed attitudes and mind sets to rekindle and strengthen Pan African values of self-reliance, solidarity, hard work and collective prosperity. At economic growth stands at 5% per year for more than a decade, which is higher than at any other period since the early 1970’s.
This noble vision calls for a conscious and deliberate effort to nurture a transformative leadership, responsive institutions guided by active participation of citizens and with strong values and ethics that will drive this Agenda. It is for this reason that CAPA is seeking to mobilize its membership as well as other Faith communities to bring their infrastructure, values, influence and long experience of working with vulnerable communities to bear on the various processes that are likely to impact on the realization of Vision 2063. CAPA shall analyse and critically engage Key AU Instruments before developing benchmarks for advocacy and find appropriate areas to either align themselves with the AU vision 2063, or critically engage the AU.