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Now popular in many countries, African wax cloth owes its creative and commercial success to the fact that it is not tied to any particular African culture. It must guard against Chinese imitations and violations of copyright.  French anthropologist, Anne Grosfilley, an expert in African materials, recounts the history of this cloth. When we speak […]

Marriage involves a series of rituals, and four essential stages among the Quechua people of the Bolivian Andes: coca leaf reading, verbal commitment, asking for the bride’s hand and the official celebration of marriage. The preparation for marriage among the Quechua and Aymara peoples starts during adolescence, when a Waynuchu (young man) and an imilla

The feast of Timket or Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in Ethiopia on January 19, 12 days after Christmas. An original feature with regard to this celebration is that in Ethiopia the Old and New Testaments are combined, since, in addition to commemorating the baptism of Jesus, the Ark of the Covenant or Tabot

Many years ago, a local district officer gave a small plot for a non-formal school in the Mukuru slums of Nairobi. The Mukuru Promotion Centre (MCP) started and along the years has become an important place for thousands of people giving them a future and dignity. We visited the Centre. Mukuru is one of the

At the age of 31, Elizabeth Kperrun has founded a start-up that makes digital material available to children while valuing their mother language and African cultures, combining tradition and innovation. Who says tradition and innovation must be in opposition? Elizabeth Kperrun, one of the ten most interesting female entrepreneurs emerging in Africa according to Forbes

The Christmas cycle begins with a long period of fasting, corresponding to Advent in the Latin rite. It begins around November 15 (Hedar 6 in the Ethiopian calendar). The feast of Christmas or Ledet (the Birth of Jesus) is invariably celebrated on January 7 (28 or 29 of Tahsas in the Ethiopian calendar).   If

When Sr. Mary Varguese, a nun who used to work with special children in India, arrived in the Philippines to take care of a centre of mentally-challenged persons, the conditions were so bad that she was “completely shocked.” However, after some years of hard work, the situation has greatly improved. We visited the place. When

They are seers and traditional healers with a vast knowledge of medicinal plants, spells and fetishes. They represent an example of moral integrity. Today they enjoy a high position in Malinke society, especially in the rural environment. African societies have always lived in a close relationship with the world of visible powers and that of

It is true that a vocation is a gift from God, but it presupposes a response on our part. Sister Maria Victoria Acebes from Spain, tells us her vocation story. When I finished my university studies and was teaching grade school in Madrid, I was starting to doubt my call to religious life. I felt

Ethiopia is Africa’s second largest refugee hosting country with more than 800,000 of them in its territory. They are victims of wars, persecutions or natural disasters. There is just one centre for refugees in Addis Ababa and it represents the microcosm of some of the problems that affect the African continent. The large outdoor patio