Talking Drum Studio Sierra Leone recently conducted a seriesof “Faith-Based Engagements to Promote Civic Life and Tolerance on Democratization Process” across four districts: Moyamba, Port Loko, Kono, and Koinadugu convening religious leaders, local authorities, youth \representatives, women’s groups, local media, a.
Sierra Leone enjoys religious freedom and inter-faith relations cut across different spheres of life. Leveraging this endeared reputation, TDS collaborated with the Inter Religious Council Sierra Leone (the biggest inter-faith institution in Sierra Leone) and organized community engagements on Peace and Good Governance, civic responsibilities, accountability thereby influencing behaviours and practices. These engagements highlighted the significant role faith leaders can play as trustedactors on civic education, and good governance.
During the sessions, religious leaders emphasized the moral imperative for communities to actively discourage hate speech, violence, corruption, and divisive rhetoric. Speaking at the Moyamba session, a local Imam said, “Our faith teaches us the value of peace, respect, and justice. As spiritual leaders, we must remind our followers that true democracy thrives on tolerance and understanding.”
In Port Loko, participants underscored the critical importance of collaboration especially between traditional and faith leaders in building trust and reinforcing civic responsibility. The discussions highlighted the unique role of fatih leaders in guiding their communities towards active and responsible citizenship. Further engagements in Kono and Koinadugu delved into how religious leaders can actively utilize their Mosques and Churches to promote civic life, tolerance, and transparency in decision-making both local and national levels, ultimately contributing to democratization processes. These initiatives therefore are part of a broader effort to empower local voices and integrate diverse perspectives into the nation’s democratic journey
Religious leaders from various faiths committed to intensifying their efforts to engage communities including using places of worship to promote active citizenry.They pledged to incorporate messages on civic life, tolerance, and the democratization process into their regular Friday and Sunday sermons in mosques and churches, respectively. To broaden the reach of these messages, they also committed to producing short audio and video content which will be shared by TDS-SL and other development partners.
