By Francis Kangwa, M.Afr – Zambia
Kolibo Vocation Centre is a Pre-First Phase Centre based in Serenje, some 440 km North of Lusaka, Zambia.
This Centre was opened in 1990 and it came about as a result of the growing numbers of young people who showed interest in the way of life of the Missionaries of Africa. Thus, the idea of coming up with this Centre was to give these young men a favourable environment where they would have ample time to discover their vocation. The purpose of Kolibo Centre was to guide these young men in the process of discernment, while also preparing them for formation.
The Centre is named after Fr. Jean-Marie Colibault. In the ears of the local people, Colibault sounded like “Kolibo” and that is how they started to call him. Fr. Colibault (Kolibo) was an extremely zealous Missionary who worked in the Luapula Province of Zambia. For the people, be they Catholics or members of other denominations, Fr. Colibault was not only zealous but also a saint. He was a man of prayer and it was through prayer that he found strength to continue his work with great fervour and commitment. Naming the Centre after Fr. Colibault (Kolibo) was a way of emulating him and inspiring young people who would pass through the Centre with his passion for the Mission. READ FULL TEXT HERE
Centre vocationnel Kolibo, Zambie
Francis Kangwa, M.Afr, Directeur vocationnel – Zambie.
Le Centre vocationnel Kolibo est une maison de propédeutique à Serenje, à quelque 440 km au nord de Lusaka, Zambie.
Ce centre fut ouvert en 1990 pour répondre au nombre croissant de jeunes intéressés au style de vie des Missionnaires d’Afrique. L’idée de base de ce centre était donc d’offrir un environnement favorable à ces jeunes, où ils auraient le temps nécessaire pour découvrir leur vocation. Le but du centre était de guider ces jeunes dans un processus de discernement, ainsi que de les préparer à la formation.
Le centre tient son nom du Père Jean-Marie Colibault. Le nom de ce dernier sonnant comme “Kolibo” aux oreilles des gens, ceux-ci commencèrent à l’appeler ainsi. Le Père Colibault (Kolibo) fut un missionnaire très zélé qui travailla dans la province de Luapula en Zambie. Pour les gens, catholiques ou d’autres dénominations, le Père Colibault était non seulement un missionnaire zélé mais un saint. Il fut un homme de prière et par elle, il trouva la force de continuer son travail avec ferveur et dévouement. Appeler le centre de son nom était une manière d’inviter les jeunes qui y habiteraient à l’imiter et à s’inspirer de sa passion pour la mission. TEXT COMPLET
By Francis Kangwa, M.Afr – Zambia
Kolibo Vocation Centre is a Pre-First Phase Centre based in Serenje, some 440 km North of Lusaka, Zambia.
This Centre was opened in 1990 and it came about as a result of the growing numbers of young people who showed interest in the way of life of the Missionaries of Africa. Thus, the idea of coming up with this Centre was to give these young men a favourable environment where they would have ample time to discover their vocation. The purpose of Kolibo Centre was to guide these young men in the process of discernment, while also preparing them for formation.
The Centre is named after Fr. Jean-Marie Colibault. In the ears of the local people, Colibault sounded like “Kolibo” and that is how they started to call him. Fr. Colibault (Kolibo) was an extremely zealous Missionary who worked in the Luapula Province of Zambia. For the people, be they Catholics or members of other denominations, Fr. Colibault was not only zealous but also a saint. He was a man of prayer and it was through prayer that he found strength to continue his work with great fervour and commitment. Naming the Centre after Fr. Colibault (Kolibo) was a way of emulating him and inspiring young people who would pass through the Centre with his passion for the Mission. READ FULL TEXT HERE
Centre vocationnel Kolibo, Zambie
Francis Kangwa, M.Afr, Directeur vocationnel – Zambie.
Le Centre vocationnel Kolibo est une maison de propédeutique à Serenje, à quelque 440 km au nord de Lusaka, Zambie.
Ce centre fut ouvert en 1990 pour répondre au nombre croissant de jeunes intéressés au style de vie des Missionnaires d’Afrique. L’idée de base de ce centre était donc d’offrir un environnement favorable à ces jeunes, où ils auraient le temps nécessaire pour découvrir leur vocation. Le but du centre était de guider ces jeunes dans un processus de discernement, ainsi que de les préparer à la formation.
Le centre tient son nom du Père Jean-Marie Colibault. Le nom de ce dernier sonnant comme “Kolibo” aux oreilles des gens, ceux-ci commencèrent à l’appeler ainsi. Le Père Colibault (Kolibo) fut un missionnaire très zélé qui travailla dans la province de Luapula en Zambie. Pour les gens, catholiques ou d’autres dénominations, le Père Colibault était non seulement un missionnaire zélé mais un saint. Il fut un homme de prière et par elle, il trouva la force de continuer son travail avec ferveur et dévouement. Appeler le centre de son nom était une manière d’inviter les jeunes qui y habiteraient à l’imiter et à s’inspirer de sa passion pour la mission. TEXT COMPLET
Casa Cardenal Carlos Lavigerie
This article is coming from our mission corner in Mozambique. We belong to the Southern Africa Province (SAP) together with Zambia, Malawi and South Africa, one of the so called mega-provinces. The country covers more than 800,000 square km, and the population is around 20 million.
Since colonial times, Mozambique has faced many problems such as natural calamities like landslides, floods, bushfire and cyclones. In addition, Mozambique suffered a civil war which lasted for 16 years and which wrecked the country’s economy. The impact of that internal conflict is still being felt. Despite all these catastrophes, the country is potentially rich in natural resources like natural gas, coal, fertile land and more than 2.500 km of coastline on the Indian Ocean. (…)
The Pre-1st Cycle Programme
Our programme lasts for 2 years. In fact, when the students finish their secondary school, they are selected by a team of three confreres. They are then admitted to the Pre-1st Cycle Programme which lasts for a period of 17 months. After this, they are presented to the staff of Balaka, our Philosophy Centre in Malawi. READ FULL TEXT HERE
La Maison Cardinal Charles Lavigerie au Mozambique
Cet article vient de notre mission de l’extrémité du Mozambique. Nous faisons partie de la Province d’Afrique australe (SAP) avec la Zambie, le Malawi et l’Afrique du Sud, l’une de celles appelées méga provinces. Le pays couvre une surface de plus de 800’000 km² et il est peuplé de 20 millions d’habitants environ.
Depuis la période coloniale, le Mozambique a souffert de beaucoup de problèmes et de calamités naturelles tels que cyclones, inondations, coulées de terre et feux de brousse. De plus, le pays a connu une guerre civile pendant seize ans, laquelle a détruit son économie. L’impact de cette guerre civile est encore perceptible. Malgré toutes ces catastrophes, ce pays est potentiellement riche en ressources naturelles comme le gaz, le charbon, une terre fertile et plus de 2’500 km de littoral sur l’océan Indien. D’importantes rivières y coulent, tels le Zambèze, le Limpopo et le Save pour n’en mentionner que quelques-unes. En dépit de toutes ces ressources, le Mozambique est compté parmi les pays les plus pauvres du monde. L’exploitation de ces ressources est principalement dans les mains de compagnies étrangères et la population n’a qu’une vague idée de ce que cela représente pour l’économie réelle du pays. C’est le contexte dans lequel nous travaillons.
Le programme de la propédeutique
Notre programme dure deux ans. Quand les étudiants terminent à l’école secondaire, ils sont sélectionnés par une équipe de trois confrères. Ils sont admis au programme de la propédeutique qui dure 17 mois. Ils sont ensuite présentés au staff de Balaka, notre centre de première étape au Malawi. TEXT COMPLET
Egypt’s political unrest has brought suffering not only to its own people but also to hundreds of African refugees. Their goal is Israel but many end up as hostages on the Sinai Peninsula.
Kahassay Woldesselasie simply wanted to get away from Eritrea. He planned to begin a new life in a country where citizens are not as brutally suppressed as in his East African homeland. Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa, is one of the world’s most secretive and repressive regimes.
Woldesselasie initially fled to neighboring Sudan. While there he heard rumors of good jobs being offered in Israel. A human trafficking syndicate offered to take him there. Woldesselasie agreed and fell into their trap. The traffickers abducted him and took him as a hostage to the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.
On the journey they blindfolded him, there was little food and water. The gangsters threatened to kill him if he did not pay ransom. “You have no choice but to call your relatives,” Woldesselasie told DW in an interview. “If they agree to pay, you might be lucky. But if they don’t, you’re dead.”
The lucky and the unlucky
Woldesselasie was one of the lucky ones. Family members living abroad agreed to pay for his release.
Israel refers to asylum seekers from Africa as ‘infiltrators’
He was set free and finally managed to cross the border into Israel.
Not many are as lucky as Woldesselasie, says Hamdy al-Azazy, an Egyptian human rights activist who lives in al-Arish, the capital of the North Sinai region. He has met Eritrean refugees who had been held captive for weeks in torture camps.
While their families are listening over the phone, the victims would be subjected to burnings or have their limbs broken. Such painful experiences would then push even the poorest of families to send money. Those who don’t comply risk having their relatives being buried in the desert. According to al-Azazy, more than 500 remains of dead bodies of Africans were discovered in the desert in the past years.
The Sinai equation
The Sinai Peninsula has long been a powder keg. The indigenous population consists of Bedouin Arab tribes who settled there several hundred years ago. Today, they only represent about half of the approximately 500,000 inhabitants.
Israel withdrew from the area back in 1982 and left it to the Egyptian state. Egypt then took the best land from the Bedouins, says Günter Meyer, director of the Center for Research on the Arab World at the University of Mainz. “This goes back to a long period of discrimination against the Bedouin population.” According to Meyer, the Bedouins were seen by Egyptians as Israeli collaborators, drug smugglers and illiterate.”Meyer however emphasizes that only a small minority of the Bedouin is involved in the criminal gangs that deal in human trafficking. According to Human Rights Watch over 1,500 Eritreans flee the country every month Following the Arab Spring which began in 2011, security forces have been weakened in the Sinai Peninsula giving the traffickers more leeway. The situation has “escalated dramatically,” Meyer warns. There are no known figures for the number of refugees detained in torture camps in the Sinai or how many of those hostages have perished. According to the Israeli government, more than 10,000 illegal immigrants crossed the Sinai border into Israel in 2012. Most of them came from Eritrea and Sudan. But in Israel, a nation once founded by immigrants, the refugees are not welcome. They have little chance of obtaining political asylum. Instead Israel has built a more than 200-kilometer – long (124 miles) fence against them. In the first five months of 2013, only 33 refugees managed to cross the border. Little international support The world, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), has turned a deaf ear to the plight of these refugees, says human rights activist Hamdy al-Azazy. “They write their reports from their air-conditioned offices in Cairo,” he laments. “Nobody is on site to assess the real situation. I’m the only one here in the midst of all these dangers.” There have been several attacks on him, he adds. African asylum seekers meet with harsh reality in Israel. His office was ransacked, his children have been attacked.
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- Israel refers to asylum seekers from Africa as ‘infiltrators’
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- According to Human Rights Watch over 1,500 Eritreans flee the country every month
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- African asylum seekers meet with harsh reality in Israel
One of our students in formation, Humphrey Mukuka, Zambian, made his thirty day retreat in Ghana in August. While still in the country, an important football match took place between the Black Starts of Ghana and Chipolopolo team of Zambia. Which one to support? This is what he says: “this exciting game taught me how to control myself while being a Chipolopolo fan in another country. Despite that Chipolopolo lost the match, I joined the Ghanaian fans in their joyful festivity.” Humphrey is now pursuing his theological studies in Abidjan.
Ghana won 2 goals against 1 in Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on the 6th September. With this win, Ghana have made it to the play-offs stage of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in Africa.
Thanks Humphrey for this nice story! Let us rejoice with the Black Stars fans until Chipolopolo wins again.
By Jean-Baptiste Todjro 
, Stagiaire
For a while, we have a break from our daily activities to have fun. This weekend was a particular one in the life of the faithful of Saint Lawrence Parish. On Saturday we gather to relax with sport activities. While the Youth Council in collaboration with some football teams of the place where enjoying themselves on the football ground, our mothers and grandmothers where enjoying netball and athletics. Today, Sunday August 11, we close our festivities with mass and the blessing of the grotto.
Happy Saint Lawrence to all!
, Stagiaire
For a while, we have a break from our daily activities to have fun. This weekend was a particular one in the life of the faithful of Saint Lawrence Parish. On Saturday we gather to relax with sport activities. While the Youth Council in collaboration with some football teams of the place where enjoying themselves on the football ground, our mothers and grandmothers where enjoying netball and athletics. Today, Sunday August 11, we close our festivities with mass and the blessing of the grotto.
Happy Saint Lawrence to all!
Greetings from JCTR!
The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection seeks to recruit a Media Relations Consultant as per attached terms of reference. Closing date for expressions of interest is 12:00 hours on 20th September 2013.
Kindly circulate this advert through your network.
Regards,
Namundi Siwale
Acting Information Officer
Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection3813 Martin Mwamba Road, Olympia
P.O. Box 37774, Lusaka 10101 Zambia
Tel: +260-211-290410; Fax: +260-211-290759; 0955 291052 Terms of reference for a Media Consultant Background The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection Centre (JCTR) is a faith based organization with a mission to foster critical understanding of current issues from a faith inspired perspective that generate action for the promotion of the fullness of human life. This is done through research, advocacy, education and consultancy. In its advocacy work, the Centre through its information office widely uses the media to disseminate its information. The media therefore plays a critical role in the advocacy work of the Centre. It is in this regard that the Centre seeks the services of a media person until December 2013 to seek ways of enhancing the Centre’s media relations in order to raise its profile and reach a wider audience. Objective The major objective is to: Conceptualize and develop a media strategy for the JCTR Duties and Responsibilities Review JCTR current media relations Produce stories for the media from JCTR specific activities that have been done. Recommend how JCTR can enhance its media relations Monitoring and progress controls: a) The consultancy work plan will be developed and agreed no later than two days after the start of consultancy work b) The consultants work will be under the supervision of the Deputy Director’s Office c) The outputs will be reviewed according to the agreed upon milestones in the contract. Expression of interest should include: Technical proposal: brief profile about the consultant with particular emphasis on previous experience in this kind of work; understanding of the ToR and task to be accomplished Financial Proposal: This should provide cost estimates for the consultancy (fees based on persons days for the assignment).
By Stuart Lisulo, Thu 12 Sep. 2013, 14:00 CAT
JUSTICE deputy minister Ngosa Simbyakula says there have been very few prosecutions of human trafficking cases in Zambia.
Speaking at the official launch of the first manual for law enforcement officers and prosecutors to combat human trafficking in Zambia, Simbyakula said the training manual provided practical tools to law enforcement officers and prosecutors to understand and effectively apply the provisions of the anti-human trafficking Act of 2008 to ensure the successful prosecution of human trafficking cases.
The manual, which builds on already existing training for law enforcement officers, will equip prosecutors with a clear understanding of what human trafficking is, he said.
Simbyakula said with a focus on the role of prosecutors in the fight against human trafficking, the manual would also sensitise officers on victim identification and assistance as well as witness protection.Officers included in the training of trainers, which commenced yesterday, include personnel from Zambia Police, the Department of Immigration, National Prosecutions Authority, Drug Enforcement Commission, Zambia Law and Development Commission and the Ministry of Justice. Simbyakula further said the government’s expectation was to see an increase in the number of successfully prosecuted cases of human trafficking. And US Embassy chargé d’affaires David Young said the training manual would enable law enforcement officers to bring victims of trafficking “out of the shadows and into the light” where they could find justice and support to rebuild their lives. They suffer under what President Obama has called the ‘intolerable yoke of modern slavery.’ Last year, roughly 46,000 victims of trafficking were brought to light worldwide, but millions still enslaved. These victims need justice. These victims need our help, said Young. Chief of Mission at the International Organisation for Migration Andrew Choga who officially handed over the manual to Simbyakula said there was a need to understand what trafficking was and to have a clear picture on when the act had been committed.
What a marvellous sensation to travel on highways on a powerful motorbike! It is quite different on bush land. This is what Faustin Kerumbe discovered on his way to the chapel of Kamaka situated at over 200km from Serenje in Zambia. Long journey on sandy paths crossing the Luombwa River on a canoe and passing over a shaky bridge add to the adventure. But Faustin has a mission; to meet the Christians of Kamaka who are waiting to see a priest for the past three years. Not easy to visit regularly 86 outstations dispersed throughout the Parish. The reward is nevertheless a reality; meeting the leaders, the youth and praying with the small Christian community of Kamaka. Fortunately enough, a small mud house was provided with the satisfaction of the visiting priest.
Watch this video:
And this video:
Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site www.mafrwestafrica.net :
Dans la rubrique « Justice et Paix »« Les femmes esclaves aujourd’hui ». La reprise d’un article paru dans « Voix d’Afrique » et rédigé par une sœur Missionnaire de N.D. D’Afrique, la sœur Paquita Reche. (lire la suite) Dans la rubrique « vu au sud, vu du sud » « Les ONG et nous », un article de notre confrère Hilaire Guinko, présentement en Ouganda publié dans la revue « Petit Écho ». « Le contexte de ce 21e siècle nous lie, Missionnaires d’Afrique, aux ONG en vue de travailler en partenariat ; il nous pousse même à être comme elles, sans embrasser leur idéologie.». (lire la suite)
« Produire de la viande ou du lait ? ». Le Père Maurice Oudet, une fois de plus, nous invite à réfléchir. « Il ne s’agit pas de supprimer la transhumance, mais plutôt d’allier ce que l’on peut appeler le système pastoral transhumant et le système d’élevage extensif sédentaire » (lire la suite) Dans la rubrique « Actualités » :
« Débuts du Conseil Plénier à Ouagadougou» : quelques textes et photos qui décrivent cet événement de notre société missionnaire. (lire la suite) Dans la rubrique « Témoignages » : « Le Père Richard Roy nous a quittés», il avait travaillé au Burkina, et un de ses confrères de la province d’Amérique témoigne à son sujet, tout spécialement à propos de la maladie d’Alzheimer qui le faisait souffrir. (lire la suite) « Joannès Liogier, ancien du Niger », fête ses 50 ans de serment missionnaire, un texte paru dans les « Le Lien » du secteur France, et que nous publions à notre tour (lire la suite) « Jean Devriésère, ancien du Burkina et du Malawi ». Ce texte, écrit par lui-même date déjà d’une année, mais n’a pas perdu sa pertinence ni son humour. (lire la suite) « La fin du Home service », faut-il faire revenir dans leur province d’origine des confrères pour y remplir des tâches bien particulières, comme l’accompagnement vocationnel par exemple ? Georges Jacques pense que cette manière de faire est dépassée. (lire la suite)
One 25th August 2013, the Good Shepherd Parish celebrated the World Day of Prayers for the Prisoners. The Eucharistic celebration was led by Fr. Cleophus Lungu, the Secretary General of the Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC). In attendance were the parishioners, the Commissioner of prisons, 30 prisoners and 25 prison officers. After the Eucharist, the parishioners had an opportunity to interact with the prisoners.
Reported by Adelarde Munishi, M.Afr
