From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Students, faith leaders and human rights advocates, last week, stormed Enugu for the South East premiere of ‘Bridging the Abyss,’ a hard‑hitting short film produced by Search for Common Ground to shine a light on Nigeria’s fragile religious landscape.
The event which held at Bon Platinum Hotel in Enugu was aimed at bridging the gap of religious intolerance and ensuring a harmonious society.
Senior Media Officer at Search for Common Ground, Katlong Dasat, who explained the purpose of the film noted that religious freedom was basically a human right and must be protected.
She explained that the film was “packaged to showcase freedom of religion or beliefs through characters that people would want to emulate and also with happenings that resonate with people in the society.
“The resonance of this film will help to promote and protect young Nigerians and educate them to understand that diversity and inclusion are very important, and that there is beauty in diversity.”
She blamed religious intolerance in Nigeria on people having the erroneous belief that their religion was superior: “You still find people who refuse to acknowledge others’ practices because they believe their own is superior. That brings conflict, sometimes violent conflict.
“Even today, some Nigerians are denied access to basic amenities simply because of what they believe. That’s why projects like this exist; to protect people’s human rights.
“We’ve had incidents where students’ rights were violated, and some even lost their lives. So, it’s crucial we reach these young minds, help them understand their rights, and teach respect and dignity for everyone.”
State Branch Secretary of Nasrul-Lahi-il Fathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Lamidi Saheed, insisted that everyone has a right to worship: “This programme is about religious and belief tolerance. We talk about human rights, everybody has a right to practice the religion of their choice, no matter where they come from.”
One of the student participants, Chinenye Ozoemena, admitted she saw her own campus in those scenes: “I enjoyed every bit of the event. The movie is so relatable. You see these things around you, but you hardly stop to think about them.”
Ozoemena even performed a poem inspired by the film: “The poem I presented captured the movie itself. It’s like I summarised it. So, I’m happy.
“You can believe in whatever you want or worship whoever you want, but we all need a common ground on how to relate and share space. I learnt tolerance and how to cope with my immediate environment. When I step out of here, I’ll put it into practice.”
With ‘Bridging the Abyss’ as a conversation‑starter, Search for Common Ground hopes to keep these dialogues alive across the region and build a Nigeria where every faith truly belongs.