Charles Lavigerie, in the context of the Anti-Slavery Campaign proclaimed that “few people, too few people have the ultimate vocation: humanity.” In this interview David Kreider shares with us his life’s journey finding our way back to our humanity. He grew up in Israel-Palestine, that seemingly incessant cauldron of conflict, a place that has nurtured his faith and interests in interfaith engagement, conflict transformation and peace building. In this interview he invites us to explore the beauty of sharing ourselves through the language of art. He says that this language “intrinsically engages us at the level of our heart and soul and imagination, with the impulses of our creative talents and energy, and in non violent forms of expression that inspire our reverence and empathic identifications with each other.” He invites us to surrender to the overwhelming beauty of the unknown in which we live. He says that “the beauty of the Mystery is that it drives us together to comprehend it, which liberates us from our solipsistic inclinations to “enslave” others to our narrow absolutist constructs and worldviews.” READ MORE
Author: Missionaries of Africa - Southern Africa Province (SAP) Page 107 of 113
Charles Lavigerie, in the context of the Anti-Slavery Campaign proclaimed that “few people, too few people have the ultimate vocation: humanity.” In this interview David Kreider shares with us his life’s journey finding our way back to our humanity. He grew up in Israel-Palestine, that seemingly incessant cauldron of conflict, a place that has nurtured his faith and interests in interfaith engagement, conflict transformation and peace building. In this interview he invites us to explore the beauty of sharing ourselves through the language of art. He says that this language “intrinsically engages us at the level of our heart and soul and imagination, with the impulses of our creative talents and energy, and in non violent forms of expression that inspire our reverence and empathic identifications with each other.” He invites us to surrender to the overwhelming beauty of the unknown in which we live. He says that “the beauty of the Mystery is that it drives us together to comprehend it, which liberates us from our solipsistic inclinations to “enslave” others to our narrow absolutist constructs and worldviews.” READ MORE
Log Smuggling, Illegal Logging, and Corruption in Mozambique
February 2013
A report on the illegal flow of timber from Mozambique to China featuring detailed case studies revealing smuggling techniques, specific examples of corruption and the collusion of senior Mozambique politicians with Chinese timber exporters.
This document was produced with the financial assistance of the Department for International Development (DFID) Forest Governance Markets and Climate programme.
The contents are the sole responsibility of Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of DFID.
Conclusion of the report:
Mozambique is a signatory to the Yaounde Ministerial Declaration on African Forest Law Enforcement and Governance, committing itself to 42 indicative actions against illegal logging and associated trade, corruption, and to promote improved forest governance. Given the problems outlined in this briefing, it is clear these commitments have not been met.
The discrepancy in official export/import data in volumes of timber traded between Mozambique to China demonstrates the scale of illegal exports and how they drive illegal logging in the country.
The tax revenue lost to this trade harms Mozambique’s capacity to fund improved forest management and law enforcement, as well as community poverty alleviation schemes.
Government efforts to control the illegal timber trade, by increasing the number of seizures, legislating for greater fines and by increasing the VAT tax on the export of logs, have been undermined by the persistence of the illegal operators protected by political patronage.
These problems should by now have raised concerns from the relevant Mozambican authorities and their Chinese counterparts, leading to an investigation regarding any illegalities involved. The fact that these problems continue to blight the proper management of the forest sector is a travesty forMozambique’s forests and for those poor communities who rely on them for their survival.
PDF Document
Online Document
Dreams: Where do Biblical, Zambian and Western Approaches Meet?
The first book published by FENZA was officially launched on Friday 15th March in FENZA Hall. Tens of people attended the launching ceremony. Among the attendants were the Archbishop of Lusaka, Telephone Mpundu; the Rector of St Dominic Major Seminary, Fr. Denis P. Phiri; the M.Afr General Assistant, Fr. Peter Welsh and some visitors from Germany.
In his review, Fr. Denis Phiri – who was the external reviewer – succinctly and eloquently stressed that the book rightly reflects on dreams, a banal and yet puzzling, indicative and educative human experience. In this respect, he endorsed the book as a useful reading for all. Then, the authors of the book Gotthard Rosner, Bernhard Udelhoven and Patrick Mumbi, one after the other explained briefly the themes that the book touches.
To combine the practical with pleasure, all the attendants were invited to convivial refreshments after the ceremony. Meanwhile, copies of the new book were sold and went like hot cakes. All in all, the first book of FENZA was launched in simplicity but with great enthusiasm.
During the questions/comments session, Fr. Justin Matepa, the National Pastoral Coordinator remarked that the book was timely, as the issue of dreams has become a burning pastoral concern today. So, it is the hope of FENZA that Dreams will be of assistance in shedding light on questions about dreams and hence help in clarifying our understanding of dreams. Romaric Bationo, M.Afr
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- Bernhard Udelhoven and Gotthard Rosner
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- Bernhard Udelhoven, Gotthard Rosner and Fr. Denis P. Phiri
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- The attendants
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- Bernhard Udelhoven and Gotthard Rosner
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- Tens of people attended the launching ceremony
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- Bernhard Udelhoven, Gotthard Rosner and Patrick Mumbi
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- Copies of the new book were sold and went like hot cakes
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- The Archbishop of Lusaka, Telesphone Mpundu, Christopher Chileshe and Peter Welsh
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- Convivial refreshments after the ceremony
With great thankfulness to our confrere Reinhold Bloching for his pastoral and social work at New Kaloko Parish, Rt. Rev. Alick Banda gave the sacrament of confirmation to 99 young and some not so young people on the 17th March 2013. This first official visit of the Bishop coincided with the launching of a small book of 25 pages entitle: “St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (New Kaloko)” written by our confrere.
When Reinhold came to New Kaloko in January 1996, he had to face a new world even though he was already in Zambia for many years. He started by making a survey of the population, its religious and tribal composition, its social challenges and the history of this newly created compound where people occupied illegally any open space near the industrial area of Ndola. “As I got more and more involved with our Christians and the population at large, I was also challenged. Thus I started various religious and social initiatives”, wrote Reinhold.
Yearly reports over the development in the compound provided the necessary content for the writing of the book answering the wishes to the Christians of New Kaloko. Printed by Mission Press in Ndola, written in Chibemba, the book is well illustrated and can be purchase in Ndola or at the Missionaries of Africa in Woodlands at the price of only 5 Kwacha.
Congratulations to Reinhold Bloching for this beautiful achievement.
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- On the way to Sunday mass
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- Confirmation at New Kaloko Parish
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- Confirmation at New Kaloko Parish
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- Confirmation at New Kaloko Parish
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- Rt. Rev. Alick Banda
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- Reinhold_Bloching
The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ),
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ)
and the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC)
“I have seen the Miserable State of my People … I have heard their Cry” (Ex 3:7)
We the three Christian Church Mother Bodies namely: the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) are repeatedly saddened at the rampant political violence that keeps on popping its ugly face especially in the recent by-elections. As people who have a God given mandate of exercising the prophetic mission in our nation and in our time, we cannot tolerate such abominable and immoral acts being committed right before our very eyes. Our nation today, stands at the crossroads and we are in a crisis. We face many challenges related with governance and survival, among which, are increasing levels of poverty among the majority of our people, a pervading cancer of rampant corruption, escalating youth unemployment, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, an education system that is falling apart, a poor health service delivery coupled with the unclear constitution making process, the gagging or muzzling of people’s freedoms, the arrests of the opposition party leaders and human rights violations. As Zambians, we all need to examine our conscience, seek the truth and work towards bringing back hope to our people. READ MORE
New DVD from Kungoni Centre in Mua, Malawi
This documentary, produced by Kungoni Centre of Culture and Art, presents a collection of 160 Gule characters filmed by Claude Boucher Chisale over 25 years (1988 to 2012) in the central Malawian areas of Mua, Mtakataka, Kapiri and Golomoti.
It reveals Gule Wamkulu as the storehouse of Chewa culture, showing the richness, creativity and originality of the Great Dance, which is placed at the service of the Mwambo, the teaching of the ancestors.
The film offers first-hand experience of the tremendous variety of characters and seeks to understand their hidden messages. It comprises a selection of sequences taken from the 800 hours of filming that Boucher has completed during these last three decades.
The key to an in-depth understanding of the Gule characters is to be found in Boucher’s two recent publications: “When Animals Sing and Spirits Dance’ (Oxford 2012) and its accompanying website; www.kasiyamaliro.org.
The DVD introduces the author and illustrates the numerous contexts in which Gule Wamkulu is performed: rain ceremonies, initiation, chieftainship, eldership, spirit possession, funeral commemoration, institutional and village festivals and political and health development rallies. The 160 Gule characters selected for this production are then presented in alphabetical order.
The film offers a full visual experience of what has been described in the two publications mentioned above. It complements the publications and invites deeper immersion into Chewa culture.
@ Kungoni 2012. Running time: 121 minutes.
Congolese born at the very last day of 1974, Pierre Lukusa is a Missionary of Africa since his Oath on the 26th August 2005. Today, Father Lukusa is sharing his experience of life and his hope for the future.
Why did you go to Brazil?
I left my mission placement in Mozambique towards the end of 2011 for an anticipated home-leave in the DRCongo to find a way to treat my unbalanced drinking problem which was becoming alarming to myself and to the confreres. I was offered to go to Brazil for treatment at a rehabilitation centre for chemical dependents and alcoholics called “Fazenda d´Esperança”. It was founded by Father Hans Stapel, OFM, in collaboration with three lay persons; Nelson Giovanelli Rosendo, Iraci and Lucy. This organisation was officially recognised by the Pontifical Office of Laity after the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Fazenda on the 27th May 2007. I am here since August 2012 to deepen the program I started in February 2012 in Nairobi.
Was it easy to get a visa for Brazil?
No, it was not! I had to wait nearly a year to get it. This is why I was proposed to go to Nairobi to start the program. Our confrere Baptiste Mapunda helped me to get a place at the “Raphaelites Centre”. I went through a very intense therapeutic program whereby I learnt fascinating things about myself.
Can you share with us some of those discoveries?
Under the guidance of a personal counsellor, I understood that I was at an early stage with my problem. Actually, it was a very wise decision to seek for help. I was very open to my counsellor and honest with myself when it came to share about my childhood experiences and all my background to find out the cause of my misbehaviour.
It came clear to me that, since I lost my beloved mother when I was ten years old, I have been living unconsciously in a state of “loneliness” which I have been covering with a fake personality. I did not want to show that I was suffering from that loss. The social environment where I was brought up taught me that a man cannot weep for a loss. I had to hide it by all means.
This “loneliness” became a source of insecurity. In many other instances, I was feeling that nobody around me was sharing my interests. I was dying alone inside myself. I had to find a way out of this pain.
How would you summarise your inner self-awareness?
I am becoming an emotionally mature person. Loneliness is part of life, nothing catastrophic. The ones who groan, moan and wallow in self-pity will do the inappropriate thing, like drinking. Loneliness is painful, so is stomach-ache. Drinking may ease the pain but never eliminate it. I found myself in a situation whereby my alcoholism was not yet a “social-disease”. Through unconscious mechanisms, other people develop extra types of addiction to cope with their own frustrations.
How long do you plan to remain in Brazil?
It is already one year and a half since I left Mozambique. To be honest, I am not comfortable in moving from place to place. However, I believe that God is preparing me for something greater that will give sense to my mission. I was offered to stay another year in Fazenda da Esperança. I found it a bit long. But I also came to realise that I had to accept and take it as God´s providence for my good and that of the others. God loves me; He is offering me various opportunities to teach me about myself, to be stronger and serve Him better. Finally, I happily take it remembering the biblical statement I had chosen for my priestly ordination: “My grace is enough for you…” (2 Cor. 12: 9-10).
What is the general atmosphere of the Fazenda da Esperança?
The atmosphere is very conducive to regular personal reflections.
What would you say is the paradox of alcoholism?
Let us take an example. Drinking is a social act. The paradox is that the society that encourages drinking marginalises those who slips into alcoholism. This is how my drinking problem went underground.
Alcoholics suffer from rejection. More than the average individual, the alcoholic is naturally friendly and loving person. After a few drinks, he could be sociable, attentive, complimentary and talkative. His shyness would be overcome and he could relate more comfortably. Later, everyone´s hand is against him. The doors of employment or promotion are closed. His friends do not invite him around anymore. He may find the door of his own home or community closed. In his own eyes he becomes a man with no importance, a non-person consigned to oblivion, a prisoner in solitary confinement. This is another very common paradox.
What would be your recommendations?
When people think of an alcoholic, they refer to someone in his late stages of the disease: destitute, deadly ill, mentally confused, morally bankrupt and living only for alcohol. Yet, this deterioration began long before. In most cases it started years before any physical, psychological, spiritual or social damage become apparent.
Anyone who drinks alcoholic beverages is a potential candidate for alcoholism, for as long as he lives. A basic characteristic of alcoholism is that it is a progressive disease: it never gets better, only worse. However, since it can be treated, everybody, even non-drinkers, would be wise to know the signs and symptoms and at what stages they appear. This way they are better equipped to recognise it in themselves or in others. They become aware of how severe the problem is and how urgent it is at any stage of the disease (early, middle or late stage). The bottom line is that we should not delay seeking or providing help.
I am very happy with what I am going through. It was and still is an opportunity for growth. I am also grateful to my confreres who helped me to find a way out. May God bless you all!
I left my mission placement in Mozambique towards the end of 2011 for an anticipated home-leave in the DRCongo to find a way to treat my unbalanced drinking problem which was becoming alarming to myself and to the confreres. I was offered to go to Brazil for treatment at a rehabilitation centre for chemical dependents and alcoholics called “Fazenda d´Esperança”. It was founded by Father Hans Stapel, OFM, in collaboration with three lay persons; Nelson Giovanelli Rosendo, Iraci and Lucy. This organisation was officially recognised by the Pontifical Office of Laity after the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Fazenda on the 27th May 2007. I am here since August 2012 to deepen the program I started in February 2012 in Nairobi.
Was it easy to get a visa for Brazil?
No, it was not! I had to wait nearly a year to get it. This is why I was proposed to go to Nairobi to start the program. Our confrere Baptiste Mapunda helped me to get a place at the “Raphaelites Centre”. I went through a very intense therapeutic program whereby I learnt fascinating things about myself.
Can you share with us some of those discoveries?
Under the guidance of a personal counsellor, I understood that I was at an early stage with my problem. Actually, it was a very wise decision to seek for help. I was very open to my counsellor and honest with myself when it came to share about my childhood experiences and all my background to find out the cause of my misbehaviour.
It came clear to me that, since I lost my beloved mother when I was ten years old, I have been living unconsciously in a state of “loneliness” which I have been covering with a fake personality. I did not want to show that I was suffering from that loss. The social environment where I was brought up taught me that a man cannot weep for a loss. I had to hide it by all means.
This “loneliness” became a source of insecurity. In many other instances, I was feeling that nobody around me was sharing my interests. I was dying alone inside myself. I had to find a way out of this pain.
How would you summarise your inner self-awareness?
I am becoming an emotionally mature person. Loneliness is part of life, nothing catastrophic. The ones who groan, moan and wallow in self-pity will do the inappropriate thing, like drinking. Loneliness is painful, so is stomach-ache. Drinking may ease the pain but never eliminate it. I found myself in a situation whereby my alcoholism was not yet a “social-disease”. Through unconscious mechanisms, other people develop extra types of addiction to cope with their own frustrations.
How long do you plan to remain in Brazil?
It is already one year and a half since I left Mozambique. To be honest, I am not comfortable in moving from place to place. However, I believe that God is preparing me for something greater that will give sense to my mission. I was offered to stay another year in Fazenda da Esperança. I found it a bit long. But I also came to realise that I had to accept and take it as God´s providence for my good and that of the others. God loves me; He is offering me various opportunities to teach me about myself, to be stronger and serve Him better. Finally, I happily take it remembering the biblical statement I had chosen for my priestly ordination: “My grace is enough for you…” (2 Cor. 12: 9-10).
What is the general atmosphere of the Fazenda da Esperança?
The atmosphere is very conducive to regular personal reflections.
What would you say is the paradox of alcoholism?
Let us take an example. Drinking is a social act. The paradox is that the society that encourages drinking marginalises those who slips into alcoholism. This is how my drinking problem went underground.
Alcoholics suffer from rejection. More than the average individual, the alcoholic is naturally friendly and loving person. After a few drinks, he could be sociable, attentive, complimentary and talkative. His shyness would be overcome and he could relate more comfortably. Later, everyone´s hand is against him. The doors of employment or promotion are closed. His friends do not invite him around anymore. He may find the door of his own home or community closed. In his own eyes he becomes a man with no importance, a non-person consigned to oblivion, a prisoner in solitary confinement. This is another very common paradox.
What would be your recommendations?
When people think of an alcoholic, they refer to someone in his late stages of the disease: destitute, deadly ill, mentally confused, morally bankrupt and living only for alcohol. Yet, this deterioration began long before. In most cases it started years before any physical, psychological, spiritual or social damage become apparent.
Anyone who drinks alcoholic beverages is a potential candidate for alcoholism, for as long as he lives. A basic characteristic of alcoholism is that it is a progressive disease: it never gets better, only worse. However, since it can be treated, everybody, even non-drinkers, would be wise to know the signs and symptoms and at what stages they appear. This way they are better equipped to recognise it in themselves or in others. They become aware of how severe the problem is and how urgent it is at any stage of the disease (early, middle or late stage). The bottom line is that we should not delay seeking or providing help.
I am very happy with what I am going through. It was and still is an opportunity for growth. I am also grateful to my confreres who helped me to find a way out. May God bless you all!
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- Fr. Hans Stapel, OFM, Pierre Lukusa and Mr. Nelson Giovanelli Rosendo
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- Sessions of initiation to the spirituality of the Fazenda
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- Singing while waiting for meal
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- With Philipe, one of the young chemical dependents
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- Nuns from the Clarists Monastery
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- Last day of sessions of initiation
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- Visit to the national sanctuary; Our Lady of Aparecida
Welcome to this new interview of the Antislavery Campaign Series with Annmarie Early.
In this interview we explore the reality of slavery from the perspective of “Attachment Theory,” narrative affects and neurobiology.
Annmarie’s insights allow us to better understand the biological happenings that cause acts of violence. We shall see how early experiences in our lives (relationship with our caregivers) extend through our lifespan and across contexts, greatly at the subconscious level.
We shall navigate into new areas of awareness receiving insightful tools for our pastoral work, personal and community life. In the last part of the interview we shall explore religious life from the angle of “Attachment Theory.”
This resource interview invites us to jump into liminal spaces of initial and ongoing religious formation.
Dear Fr. Christopher,
Greetings from Merrivale. I hope you are fine. I want to inform you of the sudden stroke that my Father had on Friday evening and apparently they have also found him with a brain tumor. He has been admitted at UTH Ward H10 (Manure Maxwell Nzou). I ask that you may remember him in your prayers.
Harrison Banda, Third Year Theology at Merrivale.