ABIDJAN - Ivory Coast, Sept. 18 — A coup in 1999 and controversial presidential elections a year later effectively ended three decades of religious and ethnic harmony. Hundreds of people were killed in the ensuing violence.
Once a model of stability and prosperity, this West African country has, in recent years, been plagued by political turmoil and violence.
Although civilian rule has now been restored under President Laurent Gbagbo, tensions remain and there are frequent outbreaks of violence in some parts of the country.
The Rev Benjamin Boni, President of the Protestant Methodist Church of Côte d’Ivoire, recently spoke about the role played by the Church and the Bible Society during the trouble and of their role in the years ahead.
A Time to Speak
He described how the Church had spoken out against the former military leader, Robert Guei, who had allegedly attempted to rig the 2000 election results.
“[Christians felt that] now was the time for the church in Côte d’Ivoire to speak out,” he stated. “Christ himself was our inspiration. He did not hesitate to purify the temple. We needed to stand together and speak out about what is right and what is not."
Mr Boni commended the Bible Society of Côte d’Ivoire (BSCI) for their response to the crisis.
“The Bible Society issued many copies of a Bible Portion, Peace, at the time of the elections,” he said. “These were very well-received and I am sure they helped to ease the tensions at that time. The Bible is key to the education of our people and in moulding their outlook on life and their attitudes and behaviour, especially in times of crisis. If you don’t know God how can you turn to him?”
“It is through prayer and with courage that we have avoided what could have been tragic demonstrations during last year’s elections. Some people were killed, yes, but they were few compared to what could have been. More recently there have been several attempts to overthrow our elected president. Even foreign powers have tried to interfere but we hold onto our faith that God will help to restore peace in Côte d’Ivoire.”
Victim
Mr Boni was himself a victim of the election violence, targeted by opposition supporters who tried to break into his house and kill him. Undeterred, he continues to believe that the Church has an important role to play in helping to restore peace and stability in the country.
“We have much work to do to bring about stability and growth here,” he said. “Foreign aid has been cut because of the unrest. I am in the process of calling a meeting of the heads of all the churches so that we can pray together to find a solution to these problems.”
He added that the BSCI, too, had important work to do in taking the Bible and its values to the people of Côte d’Ivoire.
“The Bible Society is doing the best it can to provide the Scriptures in a variety of formats, in French and local languages, but much still needs to be done,” he commented.
“I have just returned from the western provinces where I found many people thirsty for God’s Word. Without the Bible, they have no guidance for their lives.”
Source: United Bible Societies
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