The rocks cry out

The whole world quit watching. On Friday, 7 September 2001, unexpected violence broke out in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. On Tuesday, 11 September 2001, two hijacked commercial planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Instantly, world attention focused on the United States and its reaction. Instantly, international reporters relegated events in Jos to a footnote. For those living in Jos at the time, Tuesday marked a respite, a breathing space between the horrors of the weekend and those which would follow on Wednesday, the 12th. “Religious, ethnic conflict”, outsiders labelled the situation. But those living in Jos, both Christians and Muslims, felt trapped, manipulated by forces beyond such simplistic descriptions. Those living in Jos experienced the same kind of shock and disbelief as those living in New York. The Jos Crisis lasted longer and created more casualties, but the rest of the world quit paying attention. “If these be silent, the rocks will cry out.” This collection of eye-witness accounts, meditations, and poems fills the vacuum left by the outer world’s silent disinterest. In reading this book, one relives the fear, the confusion, the grief experienced by those who lived through this time. At the same time, one discovers amidst the horror the superior power of reason, compassion, and love.