BRiCC

Some people have accused me of marching to the beat of a different drum, of seeing things in an odd light, of questioning too much.  Yesterday I was given the opportunity to use these sometimes annoying qualities in a way that should help others.

BRiCC (Building Reconciliation in City Center (spelt by Americans)) has not been running long but is already having an effect in the Muslim and Christian communities in Jos.  It’s definitely not a Christian outreach programme.  The few westerners who are involved act merely as facilitators in the organisation, helping members of the two communities get together, study together, set up businesses together and realise that they can be friends.  For BRiCC to be of any use it has to be owned by the community and run as much as possible by Nigerians.  Its offices are in a mainly Muslim area of Jos, not far from the grand Central Mosque, although a few Christian families still live nearby.  Local teachers give up their time to take classes in computers, maths and English for children and also for adults.  There are special weekly “Peace classes” which all adults have to attend, trauma-healing workshops and classes in skills’ acquisition, entrepreneurship, how to run a business, sports sessions and anything else the community suggests and a teacher can be found for.  Ideally the classes are fairly evenly split between Christian and Muslim, that after all is the point of the whole thing, but many Christians feel uneasy about going into the Muslim area which is an issue that is currently being addressed.

It was only on Tuesday that I met Toby and Alycia, the American couple who started BRiCC.  When I visited the premises with Toby yesterday he said that on Tuesday night, out of the blue, a huge idea occurred to him.  The traditional style of teaching in Nigeria is extremely didactic; years of the military telling people what to do has often stifled independent, out-of-the-box thinking, people just read and repeat what is in the textbook.  Toby thought it would be a great way to repay the BRiCC teachers if we could help them think more creatively and teach more effectively: would I like to undertake this challenge?

When I started home educating James my main aim was to get him thinking independently, questioning, not taking things for granted (some would say I succeeded too well).  I think one of the most important skills in life is the ability to think round things for yourself, not to accept anything blindly, not to expect to be spoonfed (I could never have been a soldier).  The idea of being able to encourage people to think creatively and ask awkward questions appealed to me immensely: Toby seems to have been divinely inspired as the task seems to fit so well.  It is also rather daunting.  The theory is often easier than the practice, especially as I’ll be trying to communicate with adults from a different culture without being patronising.  If it is successful in helping people to realise that there’s not just one way to think it could go a long way towards helping community relations.  It’s a very exciting prospect.  If you'd like to support it in any way please get in touch.