Mexico: The Marimba, the Sound of the Forest
The story behind the marimba narrated by a Chiapaneco storyteller. We met him in the Coyoacan neighbourhood, in Mexico City. It was a Saturday afternoon, and we were walking through the Santa Catarina square in Coyoacan, a neighbourhood south of Mexico City. The name Coyoacan comes from the Nahuatl language and means ‘the place of […]
Oral Literature: The Tortoise, the Dog and the Farmer
Once upon a time, there was famine in the land of the animals because the dry season had extended more than usual. There was no rain in the land and every animal was looking rather thin and unhealthy because very limited food was available. However the tortoise observed that his friend the dog was looking […]
Sami: An indigenous European people
The Sami have always lived in the far north of the European continent. Historically oppressed and assimilated, they are today fighting to keep their culture and traditions. All despite advancing modernisation. The Sami are an indigenous people numbering around 75,000. They are divided by the borders of four countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia […]
Bolivia: Water, Source of Life in the Andean Pacha
The Andean peoples preserve their ancient wisdoms with great care in order to lead a good life. Wisdoms that have been transmitted for hundreds and thousands of years. The wisdom of water. We Andean people consider our Pachamama as the Mother of the universe, as the Mother of the Pacha. The name Pachamama is made […]
South Sudan: Mrs Atemo Robina, “We treat and God heals”
Mary Immaculate Mapuordit Hospital is situated 75 km south west of Rumbek, capital of former Lakes State in the Republic of South Sudan. It has the size and services of a County Hospital, having grown to its present 113 bed status over the years since foundation in 2002. Mrs Atemo Robina, a midwife in the […]
Great Missionaries: Father Paolo Manna, a “prophet of ecumenism”
He spent his entire life for the missionary cause. Father Manna took the first steps towards the foundation of the Missionary Union of the Clergy (today PUM), which Pope Pius XII called “the gem of his life.” Paolo Antonio Manna was born in Avellino, Italy, on January 16, 1872, the fifth of six children. After […]
Oral Literature: The Ungrateful Cobra
One day a cobra fell down a deep crack in the ground and couldn’t get out. A man passed by, and heard a strangled voice calling: “Help! Save me!” The man peered down the crack, and immediately jumped back in alarm. The cobra is man’s great enemy. The cobra said: “Please, pull me out!” Still […]
Pan-African Museum: reclaiming history
Aimed at Africans and the diaspora, the Pan-African Museum of Heritage and Culture in Accra (Ghana) is a project in the name of black pride and memory. Opening in 2022. The man who thought up the idea of the project is Kojo Yankah, former MP and minister in the government of president Jerry Rawlings (in […]
The fascination of the word: an old missionary talking with a young missionary
I was sitting on the porch of the house, admiring the warm sun slowly descending on the horizon. Wrapped up in my thoughts, a newly-arrived young missionary approached me, and he sat next to me and we both watched the warm sunset. Then, all of a sudden, he asked me what is important for a […]
The Economy of Francesco: Young People, A Commitment, The Future
Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and by Pope Francis, 2,000 young adults met online to discuss making the economy more responsive to human dignity and more respectful of creation. The Economy of Francesco project, sponsored in part by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, hosted a virtual global meeting Nov. 19-21. Below […]
