Oral Literature. How Hare fooled Elephant
Once upon a time there lived two friends; Elephant and Hare. There had been no rains for a long, long time, and a great famine hit the land. So, the two friends decided to sell their hides, in order to raise enough money to buy cows. The market was in a far-off land, which they […]
Vocation Story. Sr. Maria José. “Education. For a better future”
A Comboni sister Maria José Carrero Viñas from Spain shares his vocation journey. At birth, I was named Maria José after my paternal grandmother. I was seven years old when the missionary who had arrived at the parish on World Mission Day explained to us that there were many children in the world who still […]
The Guarani. The great family of creation
For indigenous peoples, the earth is like a mother who offers her children the best that she herself can produce. Women are the producers and guardians of the common home. At Guarani ceremonies in Paraguay, shamans perform prayers in the form of a sacred dance to the rhythm of the beating (with the tacuara) of […]
Women as the true guardians of life and land
In Latin America, not a day goes by without communities and territories being stripped of their assets to incorporate them as commodities in the markets. The aggressiveness of these systems imposes itself with asymmetric relationships based on inequality of power and abuse. This cold logic materializes in mining concessions, in the extraction of hydrocarbons, in […]
Advocacy & People. South Africa. Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu
Activists Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu have stopped destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off South Africa’s Eastern Cape, in an area known as the Wild Coast. Organizing their community, Nonhle and Sinegugu secured their victory by asserting the rights of the local community to protect their marine environment. By halting oil and gas […]
Oral Literature. The Magician and the Sultan’s Son
There was once a sultan who had three little sons, and no one seemed to be able to teach them anything; which greatly grieved both the sultan and his wife. One day a magician came to the sultan and said, “If I take your three boys and teach them to read and write, and make […]
Reflection. Safeguarding the Environment: Costs and Benefits
“Do we want our children and their children to ask us: ‘Why did your generation destroy our home, when you knew that what you were doing was harmful?’ We would go to great lengths to safeguard them from anybody who would hurt them. So, we also have to protect them from living in a dysfunctional […]
The Earth, “The Common Home” of humanity
Pope Francis has established 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging the Catholic community around the world to pray for our common home. The encyclical Laudato Si’ offers a new way of thinking about our understanding of the current planetary crisis of environmental degradation, the causes of this […]
African Cuisine. Senegal
Senegal’s cuisine has been influenced by the country’s many ethnic groups. The largest is the Wolof. Islam, which first came to the region in the 11th century, also plays a role in the cuisine. A sweet Thiakry recipe from Senegal Today we offer you a fresh and tasty recipe for a dessert originally from Senegal […]
Oral Literature. Why the sea is salty
Long ago, the sea was not salty. People got their salt from the mountain of salt across the sea. One day, the people in the village ran out of salt. But they could not set out to sea because the waves were high, and the wind was strong. Their small boats would not withstand the […]
