Certificate Programme in Freedom of Religion or Belief (ForB)

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About Course

An Interfaith and Ecumenical Programme for Faith Leaders, Peacebuilders, Activists and Policymakers across Africa.

8 weeks · 8 modules · approx. 80 notional learning hours · Online, replicable as physical workshops · Professional Certificate (with optional university co-endorsement).

Programme aim

To form a continental network of knowledgeable, skilled and ethically grounded ForB ambassadors who can promote peaceful religious coexistence, document and respond to violations, accompany victims and advise institutions — each from within their own tradition and in genuine dialogue with others.

Who is it for?

  • Religious leaders: bishops, priests, pastors, imams, rabbis, religious, seminarians
  • Traditional and customary leaders, custodians of African Traditional Religion
  • Lay faith-based actors, catechists, youth and women’s ministry leaders
  • Human rights defenders, civil society and peacebuilders
  • Policymakers, civil servants, parliamentarians, local officials
  • Journalists, educators, researchers; AFORBO focal persons and volunteers

Open to all, including those of no religious affiliation, who commit to mutual respect and academic honesty.

Delivery

Weekly live sessions (Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, 90–120 min), recorded micro-lectures, a weekly interfaith panel, downloadable low-bandwidth readings, discussion forums and practical assignments.

Assessment & certification

Continuous assessment 30% · Final written examination 35% · Capstone project 35%. Pass mark 50%. Certificate of Attendance/Completion, or Certificate of Achievement.

Languages: English, French, Portuguese. Scholarships and community sponsorships available.

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Course Content

Module 1 — Foundations: Concepts and Philosophical Foundations of ForB
Week 1 · 5 notional hours. Establishes a shared vocabulary and conceptual map: freedom of religion, belief, conscience and thought; the individual and communal dimensions of belief; and the philosophical and ethical foundations of religious liberty.

  • 1.1 Overview and learning outcomes
  • 1.2 Live session and interfaith panel
  • 1.3 Readings, bibliography and resources
  • 1.4 Assessment activity

Module 2 — Historical Approaches to Freedom of Religion
Week 2 · 5 notional hours. Traces how religious freedom emerged historically — from ancient arrangements of coexistence and persecution, through the wars of religion and early edicts of toleration, to modern constitutional and international recognition — with particular attention to Africa’s own histories.

Module 3 — International, Regional and National Legal Frameworks on ForB
Week 3 · 10 notional hours. A working command of the law of religious freedom: universal instruments, the African regional system, and national constitutions and statutes — taught from a practitioner’s standpoint: what the law says, how it is enforced, and where the gaps are.

Module 4 — Faith and Belief Perspectives on ForB (I): Judaism & Christian Traditions
Week 4 · 15 notional hours. Each tradition presents, in its own voice, how it understands religious freedom: scriptural and doctrinal sources, historical development, internal debates and contemporary stance.

Module 5 — Faith and Belief Perspectives on ForB (II): Islam, Dharmic Traditions, Baháʼí, ATR & Humanism
Week 5 · 15 notional hours. Extends the same respectful, sources-based approach to Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, the Baháʼí Faith, African Traditional Religion, and non-religious or humanist worldviews.

Module 6 — Monitoring, Documentation, Legal Advocacy and the AFORBO Model
Week 6 · 10 notional hours. The core skills module: recognising, recording, verifying and reporting ForB violations to professional standards; supporting victims toward legal recourse; and AFORBO’s four-level operational model (grassroots, national, regional, continental).

Module 7 — Psychology of Victims: Trauma, Accompaniment, Healing and Reconciliation
Week 7 · 10 notional hours. Introduces the psychology of victims of religious-based violence and discrimination, equips participants for safe first-line psychosocial accompaniment within the limits of their role, and explores faith-based and communal pathways to healing and reconciliation.

Module 8 — Interfaith Dialogue, Peacebuilding, Careers and Capstone
Week 8 · 10 notional hours. Consolidates learning into practice: designing and facilitating interfaith dialogue and community peacebuilding, exploring career and service pathways, and completing a capstone project applying the whole programme to a real challenge.

Final Assessment and Certification
Final written examination and capstone project for the Certificate of Achievement. Pass mark: 50% overall (or as set by the endorsing university).

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