International Journal of African and Asian Studies www.iiste.org ISSN 2409-6938 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.66, 2020 32 Building Bridges and Trust Through Interfaith Relations in Africa: The Role of African Indigenous Religious and Cultural Values Francis Acquah Methodist University College Ghana, Department of Educational Studies. P. O. Box DC 940, Dansoman – Accra, Ghana Abstract The African continent is not a homogenous entity; it is religiously and culturally diverse. The continent’s religious and cultural varieties have presented both prospects for progress and setbacks. The religious and ethnic differences and certain prevailing socio-economic structures of oppression in most societies as well as the disintegrative impact of globalization, have, sometimes, created pressures and tensions. These conditions tend to transform into situations of mistrust, stereotypes, fear of the other, exclusion, and violence, thereby diminishing Africa’s efforts to make the expected progress. However, this paper argues that the innate religious disposition of African people, and their indigenous cultural values provide a common ground and a rallying point around which trust can be built to promote sustainable living and peaceful co-existence. This work recommends an interfaith approach, which takes into account and makes use of certain African indigenous religious and cultural resources in building bridges and trust for peace and sustainable living. Keywords: Interfaith relations, religious diversities, extremism, pluralistic, bridges, trust, indigenous religious and cultural values, dialogue of life DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/66-06 Publication date:July 31 st 2020 1. Introduction The African continent is religiously and culturally pluralistic, with over 3, 000 ethnic groups, who speak more than 2, 100 different languages. According to Pew Research Centre (2015) survey conducted in 2010, the people of Africa practise a variety of religions such as African Traditional Religions (ATRs), Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and others. 1 The diversity of the continent presents both an asset and a liability. The diverse nature of the continent’s religious and cultural resources has the potential to enrich one another in their encounters. However, this has not always been the reality of the people’s living situations. Rather, mistrust, stereotypes, fear of the other, exclusion and elements which divide, rather than, build peace have been stressed, sometimes, leading to conflict situations on the continent. Sarbah (2016) corroborates on this, referring to Christian-Muslim encounters in West Africa which have been characterized by instances of intolerance, tensions, and conflicts, resulting in violent clashes that have destroyed innocent life and property in places such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Sudan, and Cote d’ Ivoire. Furthermore, there is a trend of terrorism which is imbued with religious character and motivations (Sampatkumar, 2004). The religious involvement in the on-going disruptions cannot be under estimated for a number of reasons. First, for black Africans, especially, religion infuses into every aspect of life. This is what (Olukpona, 1991:28) meant when he stated that, “The African experience of God is one in which the sacred and the profane tend to be symmetrical. The ordinary human experience is mimetic of the transcendence and the sacred.” In African experience of life, religion provides the grounding of being and the basis of human conduct. It is in recognition of the prominent role of religion in African life that the Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (CIDO) of the African Union (AU) Commission in collaboration with King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Centre for Inter- religious and Inter-cultural Dialogue, have instituted the African Union Interfaith Forum. The third forum took place at the Hilton Hotel, Sabanga, Chad from November 13 to 15, 2018 on the theme, “Faith in Action: The Role of Religious Leaders in Advancing Peace, Inclusiveness and Development in African Communities” (African Union Commission, 2018). 2 Secondly, religion throughout human history has exhibited the capacity for violence and destructions as well as inherent resources and values for fostering harmony and peaceful co-existence. The ambivalent nature of religion has been well observed by Appleby (2000:16): “In each of the major religious traditions of the world, prophets, theologians, sages, scholars, and simple believers…refined and deepened the tradition’s spiritual practices and theological and ethical teachings in support of peacemaking…” He, however, observes that some religious extremists resort to some selected scriptures and doctrines in their tradition in endorsement of violence (Appleby, 2000:17). The religious phenomenon in human affairs hardly gives communities and individuals the easy option of deciding to dismiss it outright, especially, in black Africa. Participation in the community or social life, invariably, means sharing in the religious life of that community. Magesa, (1998:33), for example, sums up the African indigenous understanding of religion as follows: “For Africans, religion is quite literally life and life