Training the Nigerian prison chaplains

Having delivered an overview training to a larger audience of folks on Monday, I have since had the joy of delivering a more focussed training to a select few, who will then go on to be the key ambassadors of 360Life here in Nigeria. As well as all being involved in Good News Global prison ministry, there are several who have other roles, including church leadership, community groups, and there was one who is a social worker and local TV broadcaster.

The training included a review of the materials, plus going into extra depth on some areas so that the team are better equipped to reinforce the training to others. They all had the chance to deliver some of the presentation themselves, and also various other practical activities to embed the knowledge, as well as conversations about how to contextualise, or ‘Nigerian-ise’ it – both relating to translation of ‘troublesome words’, and developing some examples that the local people can relate to.

One of the conversations was around what are the most important messages for the prison inmates to hear if the chaplain only has one 30-minute sermon slot in which to get the message out. That led to a fascinating reflection on the challenges that the prisoners face, both inside and on release, and the results of that conversation were a range of messages, depending on all sorts of factors. It was a good conversation to have, and wonderful to see how deeply the participants were thinking about the materials and the information, and how best to put them into practice.

There were also some interesting conversations regarding the challenge of delivering training on mental health in a land where there is still such a strong element spiritualisation to many aspects of life, and where demonic manifestations are still very much believed in by many in the churches, particularly in rural areas. Also their lack of talk about emotions, and the issues relating to perceptions around counselling, particularly for men in a culture where it’s better to drown the problem in alcohol than admit being anything but strong.

One of the other meetings that happened yesterday was a courtesy visit to the Director of Correctional Facilities for the Akwo Ibom state. It was an honour to meet him, and by the time I had briefly answered his question about what I was teaching, I had an invitation to go to deliver a training session to the prison staff who are based in the administration and oversight department for all the prisons in the state. So, that was the plan for tomorrow morning – a fabulous chance to get the training directly to prison officers and share with them about how to move towards delivering a more trauma-informed service.

Sadly however, the flight from Uyo to Lagos has been rescheduled for the second time (first time from Friday to tomorrow afternoon, and now from tomorrow afternoon to tomorrow morning). So the training with the prison officers can’t happen. Feeling a bit unhappy about it all, as it was an excellent opportunity, but trusting it all into God’s hand for His perfect timing.

Overall, however, as we prepare to leave Uyo tomorrow morning, I thank God for all the opportunities we have had, for the people we’ve met, for the conversations had, for the experiences shared, for the memories made. And I pray that the seeds that have been sown will reap good harvests in many ways.

 

Nigeria day 1 – a few random reflections!

After the travails of getting to our preferred destination in Nigeria yesterday, today was the first day of delivering training. The audience today were a group of about 35 prison chaplains, prison volunteers, and church leaders, and it was wonderful to spend time with them.

Prior to the training, we had a delightful time of meeting with a group of women who are members of the church and the equivalent of ‘Mothers Union’. They clearly do all sorts of community and church work, and today was the presentation of a gift for each of the ladies to say thank you. This was a lovely colourful and tuneful event, full of singing and laughter and prayers and praise and hugging. It even ended with some dancing and a bit of a conga experience – very wonderful, and so good to spend time with the women and celebrate them. A truly African experience – loved it!

The training with the prison chaplains etc went really well. They were wonderfully engaged and lots of questions and conversations that showed how active their listening was, and how much they were thinking through the contextualising of it all. One of the conversations that I had with the prison chaplains centred around what the main crimes are that lead to imprisonment. Obviously, there are the usual ones of burglary and theft, but apparently the key ones here for men are abduction and kidnapping, and the key ones for women are child abduction with an aim of trafficking. I have to say I did feel slightly alarmed at that point and have realised why all Nigerian friends are saying not to walk alone around the neighbourhood and have decided not to do any early morning runs!

On a food front (always a good topic of discovery when going to a new place) – we’re doing well on some new and very delicious foods. I’ve not had jollof rice before, but that is now a firm favourite and definitely something I’ll need to find a good recipe for when I get home. Today we had some sort of bean paste alongside the rice and greens which was really nice. It came in a little plastic bag – kind of like it had been put in cold, and then heated up in the bag in hot water – and then you just rip the bag to get the paste out and mix it in with the rice. Really delicious and I’ll have to try and find out more about what it was. We’ve also had some good greens, and the bananas are wonderful over here. Considering we’ve not been here very long, I think that’s a pretty good start. Oh, and today we were introduced to Nigerian non-alcoholic Guinness (although I don’t think it bears a lot of resemblance to the Irish version!)

Traffic-wise it’s pretty standard although everyone does drive very fast, and lots of horn-honking to get people to move out of the way. Definitely need your wits about you if crossing the road – although as I’m not walking anywhere alone I guess I’ll rely on the locals to keep me safe!

And that’s about it for my first reflections. Everyone is so very friendly (that I’ve met anyway), and so full of welcome and warmth. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the temperature is hot. Am feeling very blessed.

Over and out until the next ramblings 😊