Pastora Mira Garcia: Forgiveness without Limits
Pastora Mira Garcia is best known in Colombia for her example of forgiveness in the face of hatred and violence. In September 2017, when Pope Francis visited the country, Pastora was chosen to narrate her commitment to “love one another.” She tell us her story. On April 4, 1960, my father, Francisco Mira, was assassinated […]
The Sahara: The Kel Air and Kel Ahaggar Tuareg: There is life in ‘The Great Emptiness’
The desert is not a no man’s land but the land of nomads. The best known among these are the Tuareg, also called the ‘blue people’, in reference to the colour of the veil (tagelmust) with which the men cover their faces, or ‘desert warriors’, in reference to the sword (takuba) they carry. A glance […]
DR Congo: Miracles Happen
Despite having lost both legs in a bomb explosion, Sr. Present returns to her mission. A gesture of love and hope. The memory of what happened is still very much present not only in her mind but also in her body. A bomb blew off both her legs. Sr. María Presentación López of the Congregation […]
Ethiopia: Hope for a small People
The Menjas live in the south-west of Ethiopia. They are marginalised and discriminated by other ethnic groups. Two Catholic sisters stand up for them. In the shadow of the giant jungle trees, Kenito Atumo squats on the ground, plucking out every green stalk that sprouts from the ground near his little coffee plant. “Weeds are the […]
Ethiopia: Hope for a small People
The Menjas live in the south-west of Ethiopia. They are marginalised and discriminated by other ethnic groups. Two Catholic sisters stand up for them. In the shadow of the giant jungle trees, Kenito Atumo squats on the ground, plucking out every green stalk that sprouts from the ground near his little coffee plant. “Weeds are the […]
Ethiopia: Hope for a Small People
The Menjas live in the south-west of Ethiopia. They are marginalised and discriminated by other ethnic groups. Two Catholic sisters stand up for them. In the shadow of the giant jungle trees, Kenito Atumo squats on the ground, plucking out every green stalk that sprouts from the ground near his little coffee plant. “Weeds are the […]
Wax: The Pan African Cloth
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 […]
Bolivia: Rituals for a Qechua marriage
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 […]
Ethiopia: Timket: The Feast of the two Testaments
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 […]
Kenya: People with a future in their hands.
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 […]
