The Troubled Relationship , Interfaith Dialogue and the Long Search for Peaceful Co-Existence

This paper focuses on the Interfaith Dialogue which has emerged recently in the attempt to manage the mutually antagonistic relationship between Christians and Moslems in Nigeria. Despite its wide appeal, its viability remains doubtful for reasons of its failure to include other religious faiths, particularly the African Traditional Religion (ATR). which provides an inclusive social ambience for peaceful co-existence between chrians and moslems in Nigeria. Christianity and Islam are however not the problem as they are merely appropriated as a tool in the power and resource struggles of societal elites. This paper is purely a literary work. Its thesis is that accommodation, solidarity and sharing peculiar to the African culture makes the environment conducive for inter-religious encounters, and that inter-religious dialogue is a tool for religious peace and harmony in Africa. The task of this paper, therefore, is threefold: One, to discuss the characteristics of the African cultural environment and advance some of the factors that are responsible for the possibility of inter-religious dialogue in African cultural environment. Two, to highlight the necessity of and hindrances to inter-religious dialogue in a pluralistic environment such as African cultural environment and finally discuss the forms of inter-religious dialogue in a globalized African community. The authors use a content analysis of materials from secondary sources such as journal and internet articles, newspaper publications and books.