Your Arise Africa signatures delivered to 10 Downing Street

Your signatures for the Arise Africa petition have reached the UK government! Today, a delegation delivered them to Number 10, as the photos of 12 Christians killed for their faith in sub-Saharan Africa were powerfully displayed at Parliament Square. Praise God that Westminster is talking about it and please pray for real and lasting impact.

Today, in a landmark moment for our persecuted family in sub-Saharan Africa, the Arise Africa petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street. Thank you so much for helping make this possible by adding your voice and praying.

In total, 1,046,377 people worldwide have signed the petition, which calls for protection, justice and restoration for Christians facing violent persecution in the region. A box containing around 200,000 names added from the UK was handed in by a five-person delegation that included CEO Tiffany Barrans and two Christians from Nigeria.

“Because you shared the petition with your friends, your family, your church, and because you hit a ‘Like’ on social media and you signed it yourself, the body of Christ who’s been suffering know that they’re not alone and know that we stand with them in their pain and suffering, and for the change they’re asking for,” shares Tiffany Barrans.

At the same time, the pictures of 12 martyrs were held aloft by Open Doors supporters in an installation some 700 yards away in Parliament Square, reflecting the number of believers killed on average every day in sub-Saharan Africa for their faith. A 13^th poster was raised which read, “12 killed every day. Without action, who will be next?”

What happened at Number 10?

The petitioners were Tiffany Barrans, Afordia and Kewente* from Nigeria (as representatives of the persecuted church in sub-Saharan Africa), Rev Osoba Otaigbe (on behalf of the Nigerian diaspora church in the UK) and Tom Collins (MP for Worcester).

Each of the petitioners wore a floret that had been created from fabric hand-dyed by widows from the trauma centre in northern Nigeria run by Open Doors local partners. Each colour in the fabric represents different ethnic groups across the region, and every floret has been made using 12 individual petals to represent the number of believers killed every day, on average, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Before handing in the petition, photos were taken outside the gates of Number 10 with the petition box and a large card featuring the number of signatures for the Arise Africa petition. The petitioners also held a collage of tie-dyed fabrics created by widows from the trauma centre which had embroidered on them the names of their loved ones who’ve been killed.

The delegation then headed to Number 10, knocked on the door and handed in your signatures.

Afterwards, a separate delegation which included Tiffany, Afordia and Kewente, as well as Fiona Fearon (Open Doors Head of PR and Advocacy), attended a closed door event by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief titled “Ending Christian persecution in Nigeria”.

“We are so happy”

Standing on the footsteps of 10 Downing Street, Afordia and Kewente’s presence powerfully represented the countless number of Christians whose lives have been devastated by violent persecution in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2014, Afordia lost her husband Isaac, a pastor, in an attack by Boko Haram militants. After declaring before them that he was a Christian, he knelt down and prayed, and was shot dead.

“To count me among those handing in the petition and say, ‘God, you can use me in such a way that I will be a voice to the whole nation?’ It’s very great privilege,” she said. “We are so happy, because today God has seen our case and He will intervene for us.”

Kewente, from Nigeria’s Plateau State, has meticulously documented first-hand records of attacks on Christians in his Local Government Area (LGA), primarily by radicalised Fulani, since 2001. “We’ve lost 1,315 people,” he said. “This includes infants as young as ten months old.” He’s aware of 547 widows and more than 2,000 fatherless children.

Kewente has a message of gratitude and encouragement to everyone who’s supported the campaign. “To every individual who has signed, a very big thank you,” he says. “Your efforts and prayers will not be wasted.”

Joining Tiffany, Afordia and Kewente was Rev. Osoba Otaigbe, who said, “No one should live in fear, suffer violence, lose their home or be killed simply for following Jesus. I am glad to add my voice to the call for the UK government to act. Those affected must know they are not forgotten. Their suffering must not be met with silence.”

12 martyrs honoured in Parliament Square

Over in Parliament Square, those silently holding the photographs of the 12 Christians who were killed for their faith were Open Doors’ Activists, Advocacy Reps and Church Ambassadors, as well as church leaders.

These are the martyrs who were honoured: Rebekah G, Rowland G, Peter Linus, Dauda Matthew, Emmanuel, Ayuba Mangai, Luka Mashingil, Lubem Orshoja and Utume (all from Nigeria); Thomas from Burkina Faso; Immaculé Mbambu Luvwa from DRC; and Mekuria Kiflu from Ethiopia.

Speaking before the display began, Pastor Sola from Jesus House Church in London, said, “It’s a privilege to be able to stand up and hold up that picture of one of our brothers and sisters. It will be deeply emotional.”

Emmanuel, an Activist, said, “Standing up today to hold this picture means so much to me that I can be part of their story.”

Petition and prayer

The UK government is the first authority to receive the petition. Over the coming weeks, it will also be delivered to governments in Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, Norway and Denmark, as well as to the European Union and the United Nations.

The petition is not the end – it’s the start. And key to its impact and favour is prayer. As Afordia shared, “When we hand in the petition with prayer, I know God will arise for us.” While we rejoice in today’s milestone moment, and the significant progress made so far with the campaign, please be much in continued prayer – for Afordia, Kewente and the many, many others who live in the shadow of violent persecution in sub-Saharan Africa.

*Name changed for security reasons