Nigerian Christians attend an Easter mass in the cathedral of Niamey on April 5, 2015, few months after the anti-christian riots of January that have killed ten people and destroy almost every church. AFP / BOUREIMA HAMA
NIAMEY, Niger – Thousands of Christians across Niger tried to forgive and move on as they celebrated the first Easter since their churches were torched during deadly riots spurred by the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
The walls and ceiling are still black from flames at the Saint Gabriel parish church in the capital Niamey, which was left without doors or windows by the unrest in January that killed 10 people and destroyed eight out of ten of the country’s churches.
“We are still in shock. We have forgiven, but what happened is still in our hearts,” said Father Paul Wendyam Sandwidi, a priest at Saint Gabriel’s.
“We hold nothing against those who attacked us,” he added.
Undeterred by the stench of smoke and the damage done to the building, hundreds of worshippers went there Saturday to pray.
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“They destroyed my church, but they didn’t damage my faith,” said parishioner Marie at a service, where rubble still littered the floor.
Saint Gabriel and 44 other churches were torched — causing three million euros in damage — during protests set off when the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published the image of the Prophet Muhammad on its cover three months ago.
The publication came just a week after Islamist gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the paper’s office, claiming they were avenging cartoons of the Prophet the paper has run previously.
To many Muslims, any such depiction is blasphemous and the Charlie Hebdo cover prompted protests around the world.
But the ferocity of the reaction in Niger shocked many where sectarian violence had been rare and Christians make up less than two percent of the mainly Muslim nation’s population of 17 million. The government declared three days of officials mourning after the flames subsided.
Next time?
Some worshippers are still meeting in tents or temporary structures as their churches are repaired or rebuilt. One high profile exception is the grand cathedral in Niamey, which survived the riots because it was — and remains — under police protection.
Despite the destruction and violence visited on other houses of worship, the church has offered its forgiveness to all involved, said Eric Medagbe, a spokesman for Niamey’s Catholic archbishop.
“We are celebrating Easter in peace and reconciliation with our Christian as well as Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said.
“We were laid low, not wiped out.”
The government has offered to help finance the millions of euros needed to repair the burned churches, but Father Wendyam Sandwidi said: “Concretely, we haven’t seen anything from the state state yet.”
Coming up with the funding is urgent in Niamey because the rainy season is due to arrive next month.
“If between now and then the roofs are not repaired, buildings will flood and could collapse,” said a local architect.
It is not the only destruction feared by some members of Niger’s Christian community. Those who witnessed the burning and looting said at the time they could not get rid of the images of youths methodically destroying their places of worship, before setting them on fire.
One community leader said: “There are signs that this is not over and all this could happen again.”
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