South Sudan: Dinka Culture
em>Though known for centuries as the Dinka, they actually call themselves Moinjaang, ‘People of the People’. The Dinka are around 3.2 million people, constituting about 25% of the population of South Sudan, and they are also the largest ethnic group in the country. We look at some cultural aspect of this ethnic group. According to […]
Latin America: The Feast For The Dead
“The daily experience of the peoples of Mesoamerica is that life exists because there is death. Corn, sown in the fields, dies like all the other seeds, to give birth to a new generation of plants. Death is a part of human existence and of the cosmos.” Unlike Western societies, which greatly fear death and […]
Kenya: From The Street To New Life
Napenda Kuishi Rehabilitation is a rehabilitation programme for Nairobi street children, which is run by Comboni Missionaries. It is based in the shanty towns of Korogocho, Dandora, and Huruma in the eastern outskirts of Nairobi. The director of the project talked to us. Kenny was seventeen when he first came to one of our centres […]
Uganda: Marriage As A Clan Affair Among The Buganda
Marriage is one of the most important aspects in the life of Buganda. The role of the in-laws. If the time changed, some characteristics steps are to always remain. Buganda kingdom is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda’s Central region. Almost 52 clans make up the Kingdom […]
Senegal: Living The Encounter
Father Jacques Seck continues his lifelong vocation – promoting understanding between Christians and Moslems. As for the extremists, he says “Let no one try to divide us”. Despite his 83 years, he walks steadily through the streets of Dakar. People of all ages greet him as he passes with smiles and affection. With his long […]
Sudan: Expecting Nothing
In Nyala, in South Darfur in the south-west of Sudan, mission is just a presence and silent witness; a mission without much visibility or spectacle, in quietness; a mission where one cannot expect great personal gratification. A testimony of a Comboni Missionary. I knew him by sight. He is seen daily in the city of […]
African Music: The Sounds Of Soul
African music is strictly linked to the cultural, economic, social, and magical-religious aspects of society in the continent, and one must listen to it carefully to capture the wide range of symbolic meanings. African musical instruments are a means to communicate with the human and the divine. In some cases, they have the power to […]
Arabic World: The Choices In Life
A Comboni Missionary, who has been living in the Arabic world for almost 25 years, talks about his origin and how he feels working among Christians and Muslims. “My missionary experience changed from trying to proclaim values and to enlighten, into asking questions and accompanying people to reflect about realistic choices in life. A life […]
World Mission Day: Mission At The Heart Of The Christian Faith
This year’s World Mission Day was be celebrated on Sunday the 22nd October 22, under the theme “Mission at the heart of the Christian faith”. In his message, Pope Francis asked ‘What is the basis of our mission? What is the heart of our mission? What are the essential approaches we need to take in […]
Mexico: The Mesoamerican Ball Game
Archaeologists have identified more than 1,500 ball courts to date. These prehistoric buildings were specifically created for the practice of the Mesoamerican ball game show, a game which is a thousand-year old form of sport. It was more than just a game, however, it also played a ritual, political and economic role among Mesoamerican populations. […]