May 26 - 29th IRLS and Ethiopia Abay visit

May 26-28, BYU Center for Law and Religion Studies in conjunction with Stellenbosch University hosted the second annual African Law and Religion Conference.  The event was held in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.  The program included over 60 presentations from over 12 countries on the subject of religious freedom.  The theme for the conference was- ‘The Quest for Common Good in Pluralistic Societies’.  Both Area Presidents were present, as well as representatives from OGC and Public Affairs.  The Church in in the Africa South East Area had proposed participants for the event and invited other opinion leaders to be present.  Many relationships were developed and strengthened.

Listed a just a sample of the people who presented at the symposium:

Seen here Professor Cole Durham with Mr Beyene Abay, Director of Religious Affairs, Ethiopia

W. Cole Durham, Jr., is Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies, a position he has held since the Center was officially organized on January 1, 2000. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was a Note Editor of the Harvard Law Review and Managing Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal, Professor Cole Durham has been heavily involved in comparative law scholarship, with a special emphasis on comparative constitutional law. He is currently the President of the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS), based in Milan, Italy, and a Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion. From 1989 to 1994, he served as the Secretary of the American Society of Comparative Law, and he is also an Associate Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law in Paris—the premier academic organization at the global level in comparative law. He is serving as a General Rapporteur for the topic "Religion and the Secular State" at the 18th International Congress of Comparative Law held in July 2010. He has also served in earlier years as Chair both of the Comparative Law Section and the Law and Religion Section of the American Association of Law Schools. Professor Durham has taught at the Brigham Young University Law School since 1976, and he was awarded the honorary designation of University Professor there in the fall of 1999.

He has authored numerous law review articles dealing with religious liberty and other comparative law themes. Professor Durham has testified before the U.S. Congress in hearings on religious intolerance in Europe and on the Religious Liberty Protection Act. In 2010 he testified via teleconference before the Indonesia Constitutional Court concerning the constitutionality of the Indonesian blasphemy law.

Muhammed Haron – South Africa

Professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Botswana. Muhammed Haron is a South African based in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at the University of Botswana where he teaches Religious Studies courses as an associate professor.

Johannes Nicolaas Horn – Namibia, Professor, University of Nimibia. Nico Horn is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Namibia. He teaches Philosophy of Law and Constitutional Law and has also taught Human Rights Law, Public International Law and Criminal Procedure.

Kizito Kabengele – South Africa

Research Associate and LLD Candidate, Faculty of Law, Department of Public Law. Kizito Kabengele is a research associate and a PhD Candidate in the Department of Public Law at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He has bachelor and masters law degree. He specializes in the area of Business and human rights with interest on corporate social responsibilities of extractive industries.

Nokuzola Mndende – South Africa, Dr., Icamagu Institute. Nokuzola Mndende holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town. National Chairperson of African Traditional Religion. Director of Icamagu Institute and Deputy Chairperson of the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and claims. Advisor on cultural issues in the Commission on Gender Equality. 

Albie Sachs – South Africa Retired Constitutional AC Justice. Justice Albie Sachs, author, activist and retired judge on the Constitutional author, activist and retired Judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Justice Sachs’ career in human rights activism started at the age of seventeen, when as a second year law student at the University of Cape Town, he took part in the Defiance of Unjust Laws Campaign. Three years later he attended the Congress of the People at Kliptown where the Freedom Charter was adopted. He started practice as an advocate at the Cape Bar aged 21. The bulk of his work involved defending people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws. Many faced a death sentence. He himself was raided by the security police, subjected to banning orders restricting his movement and eventually placed in solitary confinement without trial for two prolonged spells of detention.

Seen here Albie Sachs and Church Lawyer, Sean Boshoff.  In 1966 Sachs went into exile. After spending eleven years studying and teaching law in England he worked for a further eleven years in Mozambique as a law professor and legal researcher. In 1988 he was blown up by a bomb placed in his car in Maputo by South African security agents, losing an arm and the sight of an eye.

During the 1980s - working closely with Oliver Tambo, leader of the ANC in exile - he helped draft the organisation’s Code of Conduct, as well as its statutes. After recovering from the bomb he devoted himself full-time to preparations for a new democratic Constitution for South Africa. In 1990 he returned home and as a member of the Constitutional Committee, and the National Executive of the ANC, took an active part in the negotiations which led to South Africa becoming a constitutional democracy. After the first democratic election in 1994 he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve on the newly established Constitutional Court.

In addition to Sachs’ work on the Constitutional Court, he has traveled to many countries sharing South African experience in healing divided societies. He has also been engaged in the sphere of art and architecture, and played an active role in the development of the Constitutional Court building and its art collection on the site of the Old Fort Prison in Johannesburg. 

Seen here far left, Elder LeGrand R. Curtis, Area President Africa West Area on a panel of Religious Leaders. Elder Curtis was the last to speak, testifying of the restoration and core beliefs of the Church and our stance on human rights, and respect of all faiths, quoting from AoF 1,3,6,11,12.

After everyone returned from the symposium, we got our offices ready to host Mr. Abay, who is the Director of Religion Affairs in Ethiopia. He had agreed to stop by our offices on his way home from the symposium, where he also presented. He came on the 29th of May and was accompanied by a member, "Ethiopian District President Habtu.

Since we have been in Johannesburg, we have put on several hosting events. My job is to take photographs during the tour of the offices and then usually a group photo at the last part of our tour, which is on the temple grounds. He is a photo essay of our time with Mr. Abay:

The first person anyone sees upon entering the Area Office is Brenda who always presents us with a beautiful smile. This is how Mr. Abay started his tour.

The next place on the tour is with our temporal affairs administrator, George Benet, who gave a brief introduction of our Area Office and presence in Africa. His assistant, Francis, was also in attendance.

We then headed for humanitarian services department to get a presentation from Phillip and Kenneth about our current projects in Ethiopia and the services Humanitarian offers the world. They spoke of clean water projects where the dig bore holes, vaccinations, eye care training and glaucoma surgery, wheelchairs, neonatal resuscitation programs that train medical personnel how to help babies breathe and provide the equipment and show them how to train other medical personnel. Here Kenneth is explaining garden projects and other smaller humanitarian projects, like school supplies.

Sheree heads up the family services department and helps provide addiction recovery programs, marriage counseling, adoption services, etc...anything to do with emotional well-being.

One big happy department

We went from here to the PEF department, Perpetual Education Fund, and Therene told them about the low cost loan program that offers discount in student loans if certain criteria are met, like doing well in the classes, making payment on time, graduation from the course. They can get up to 40 percent off the cost of the loan by meeting all the criteria. Vivian and Therene were having a good time with President Habtu and Mr. Abay.

We then toured the Distribution Center where their services were explained and our guests go to look around the store.

Sean helped them pick out some items to take home with them, like photos of the Savior, Mormon Tabernacle Choir Cd's and miscellaneous other items.

Then on to Church History where Elder and Sister Barnes explained how important it is for the Church to keep records of the Church from it's inception in Africa to inspire future generations in the Church and show them the hardships their ancestors faced...that will hopefully make their problems be put in perspective and show them that they too can overcome adversity.

After Church History, we visited the employment center where Dominic and his volunteers explained how classes on finding a job and services such as resume creation, how to conduct and interview. usage of computers, copiers, faxes, printers, etc are available to all. People that stick with the program either find a job or start their own business.

We then visited Family History Department and took a tour of their different machines that allow a person to view just about any record that is out there. Finding ancestors has never been easier. The Church is looking to digitize all records in Africa, so African members can find and do the work for their ancestors.

We then took a break for lunch (I had to leave early, because I was preparing for the food. We got the delivery from the caterer of various African delights. I also made the dessert and relish tray...good stuff.

Area President Cook, his wife Lynette and Francis joined Mr. Abay for lunch.

I wasn't there for the temple photos. Sean took those and probably still has them, because I don't. But, that night we went to a nice French restaurant for dinner. We found out that President Habtu's four year old had a birthday today. He bought him many presents and called him on the phone to wish him a Happy Birthday. Area Seventy, Kubalani and his wife also joined us. He sat next to Mr. Abay and they had some good conversations. 

I enjoyed talking to his wife at dinner. When she found out our children and grandchildren were coming in August, she offered to babysit the children and take them somewhere fun...a beautiful woman! The food was delicious, the company was great. A great evening and fun time had by all.

Also at the end of May, we were assigned to get some stories and photos regarding a Zimbabwe group that were coming to the Temple by train. There were supposed to be 35 youth and a total of 60 members. We were assigned to do a story about how much they enjoyed the trip to encourage other groups to come to the temple as groups as well. It was a LONG train ride. We were tied up with Mr. Abay and group, so our new publishing department handled the story following the group to all their activities, but I saw them all in the parking lot and asked a few questions and took a couple of photos between hosting activities.

Many of the youth and adults had never been to the temple. The young woman I spoke to had been baptized 21 times. She said it was a wonderful experience. She was baptized for her own relatives. Others had similar experiences. They said they couldn't wait to come again. One lady said she hoped the single adults learned that they could meet other faithful members by coming to Johannesburg, the big city.

Soon we will get a video of the interviews conducted while they were here. What a group and what a big deal to get here.

It is hard to believe that May is over. The months are just whizzing by. We have learned to enjoy every moment, no matter how hectic or how busy we are. It's a great thing to learn...kind of stop and smell the roses idea.