Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye receive Foundation Chirac Award for Conflict Prevention in the Grand Amphitheâtre of La Sorbonne University in Paris, 6th November 2009 (Photo: Laurence Le Moing)In Paris, on 6 November, the Jacques Chirac Foundation awarded its first Conflict Prevention Prize to Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, members of the Initiatives of Change international network, in the presence of former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In the prestigious auditorium of the Sorbonne University, Paris, Jacques Chirac paid tribute to Ashafa and Wuye. They are ‘two former adversaries who have ... challenged the use of force and devoted themselves to the reconciliation of hearts and minds in Nigeria, which is prey to ethnic violence,’ he said.

In his speech, the former president praised these ‘trailblazers’ who ‘prove to us that the best is possible’ and ‘show that we can change the world .... [The winners] were able to call into question the use of violence.’ He stressed the importance of ‘extinguishing the smouldering embers of hatred’ and ‘helping all those who can defuse misunderstandings and bring about reconciliation’.

Former State Minister Simone Veil who presented the award – worth 100,000 euros - welcomed the action of the winners, and also Chirac’s commitment to peace. ‘It took imagination. He had great confidence in mankind. It took a lot of hope,’ said the former Minister and member of the jury. Kofi Annan, meanwhile, presented the Special Jury Prize to former South Korean Minister for Unification, Park Jae-Kyu, who was described by Chirac as a ‘tireless craftsman of dialogue with North Korea’, having worked ‘for better understanding between the two Koreas’.

Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac congratulate the Imam and Pastor for their work (Photo: Laurence Le Moing)

Chirac paid tribute to the three winners, putting their actions in the non-violent tradition of Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. ‘Peace is not just a matter of international conferences’, he said. ‘It is sometimes as humble as a shared meal … It is something laboriously constructed first in the hearts of men and women.’ He praised the winners for their exemplary contribution to building a better world. ‘More than ever, we need peace activists from civil society,’ he said.

Kofi Annan noted that ‘we often talk of conflict between religions. That is not entirely correct. They all teach love, mercy and friendship. Religion, at its best, is an education in social morality.' Annan said that the faithful have a responsibility to declare that there is a distinction between religion as a whole and the extreme actions of some minorities.

There may be more merit in avoiding conflict than trying to resolve a conflict which has already started, added the current head of State, Nicolas Sarkozy, who closed the meeting. The Imam and Pastor celebrating with Mr Sahnoun (Photo: Mary Winstanley Channer)

In the presence of Mohamed Sahnoun, Chairman of the Caux Forum for Human Security and former President of Initiatives of Change International, and of British film director, Alan Channer, of FLTfilms who produced the documentary The Imam and the Pastor (an extract of which was shown during the ceremony), the two religious leaders, former heads of rival militias, said they were very ‘honoured’ by this award. They thanked Initiatives of Change International for their support and made reference to their present and future partnership with FLTfilms.

Imam Ashafa then observed that ‘if you want peace, you have to be ready to give peace, and without forgiveness, there will be no peace.’ He urged the international community to support early response and warning systems to prevent conflicts such as those which both Laureates have tried to introduce in Nigeria, and also more recently, in Kenya and other countries in Africa. In the same vein, Pastor Wuye meanwhile called on the United Nations (UN) to establish an International Day of Forgiveness, a suggestion which drew applause from the audience. He concluded his speech by saying ‘Peace be with you.’

During the week, posters of Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye are being displayed on the Champs Elysees in Paris, in connection with an exhibition of photographs and the publication of a book by the FNAC bookstore chain in 2010.

View Pastor Wuye's acceptance speech online on the Chirac Fondation website here

Susan Korah adds this background with reactions from the producers of The Imam and the Pastor

In their acceptance speech, Ashafa and Wuye singled out two organizations – apart from their own team and Board – for thanks. They were IofC's FLTfilms, which made the documentary, The Imam and the Pastor, and Initiatives of Change International, which helps to distribute it globally.

Alan Channer (centre), co-producer of The Imam and the Pastor and Imam Ashafa during an interview at the occasion (Photo: Mary Winstanley Channer)Produced by Alan Channer and Imad Karam, The Imam and the Pastor premiered at the United Nations in November 2006, and continues to be a particularly successful peace education tool that spreads Ashafa and Wuye’s message and methods around the world.

The Chirac Foundation also acknowledged FLTfilms with an invitation to the film-makers to attend the event. ‘Personally, I was extremely happy to hear that Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye had won this award’, said Karam in a telephone interview from FLT’s studios in London. ‘Any recognition of their work is recognition of ours.’

Channer was equally thrilled with the news. ‘I received a text message about the award while I was in Kenya working on a sequel to The Imam and the Pastor,’ he said. ‘I immediately recalled Pastor James’ advice, which I shared with my Kenyan colleagues: ‘ Learn to be equally at home on the red carpet and on the mud carpet!’

Channer did this with aplomb (walked the red carpet) when he attended the ceremony on behalf of FLTfilms. He even had an opportunity to make personal contact with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the event..

Regarding the role of the documentary in spreading the word about Ashafa and Wuye’s peace-building work, Channer observed that ‘We were the only foreign media present to record the event when the Nigerians made their historic Peace Agreement in Plateau State. We made the film in a particular way, making sure that it was their (Nigerian people’s) film. This really helped in presenting it as an authentic case study to the international community and many people are able to use the Imam and the Pastor’s methodology as a model.’

Channer and Karam went on to express gratitude for the wonderful team that made the film and to explain how Initiatives of Change International played a key role in supporting Ashafa and Wuye’s efforts by disseminating the film through their worldwide network.

For more information on FLTfilms see www.fltfilms.org.uk