Kigelia Africana. A medicinal plant with a cosmetic potential
Kigelia africana (Lam), Benth (Bignoniaceae family), is a highly valuable medicinal plant that is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. The name ‘Africana’ reflects that the tree is African. Although there are several species of the genus ‘Kigelia’, Kigelia Africana is the major species that is found across a large part of Africa. The tree is commonly […]
Oral Literature. Why the cheetahs’ cheeks are spotted
Long ago a wicked and lazy hunter was sitting under a tree. He was thinking that it was too hot to be bothered with the arduous task of stalking prey through the bushes. Below him, in the clearing on the grassy veld, there were fat springbok grazing. But this hunter couldn’t be bothered, so lazy […]
African arms imports drop while European imports double
Over the last decade, imports of major arms by African states have fallen by half, mainly due to big decreases by Algeria and Morocco, while China has been taking a greater share of the continental market from Russia. This is according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which has just released new data […]
Mission Diary. Sr. Maria Reina: “There is always a reason”
After her first missionary experience in Peru, she was appointed to Tapachula, in Chiapas, in southern Mexico, to work with migrants who arrive mainly from Central America and Haiti. Sr. Maria Reina Ametepé, a Togolese Comboni Sister, talks to us about her missionary experience and the new challenges she must face. I am originally from […]
South Africa. A Century of Faith and Commitment
The Comboni Missionaries celebrate 100 years of their presence in the country. In 1924, the Comboni Missionaries arrived in South Africa, a vast land of diverse peoples. Only a few hundred were Catholic, and they were primarily European gold-diggers and adventurers. Charged with establishing the Catholic faith in the region then known as Eastern Transvaal, […]
Herbs & Plants. Centella asiatica
It is one of the most unique medicinal plants that has been in use since prehistoric times. It continues to draw worldwide attention for its roles in the treatment of mild and chronic diseases. It is a perennial, slender, creeping herb found mostly in damp areas up to an altitude of about 1800m. It has […]
Oral Literature. The pig, the hyena and the hare
Once upon a time, the pig and the hyena were very close friends. They were inseparable. They shared everything. They shared every secret. They did everything and anything together. Their close friendship became the envy of many other animals in the animal village. Some animals tried hard to break that friendship but failed. They tried […]
Nike, ambassador of contemporary Nigerian art
Recycled material reigns supreme in Nike’s modern art galleries in Lagos and Abuja. It brings together, on crowded walls, sculptures, textiles, jewellery, amulets and paintings that lay claim to another Nigeria. It’s not easy to keep up with Nike Okundaye, founder of the Nike Art Gallery art centres in Lagos, Abuja, Òsogbo and Ogídi-Ìjúmi. Known […]
Mission Diary. In Good Hands
Father Deogratias Nyumu, a Comboni missionary from Congo, talks to us about his experience in Mozambique. “Being missionaries means learning to live with the bare minimum.” I arrived in Mozambique in 2017, shortly after my ordination. After a period of introduction to the language, culture and socio-pastoral reality of the Church, I was assigned to […]
Haiti. A Better Future Through Education
Sister Paësie Phillipe had been a missionary in Haiti for twenty-five years when she founded the Kizito Family in 2017, a community that cares for, protects and educates vulnerable children living on the streets of the violent and dangerous slums of the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Sister Paësie Phillipe who is originally from Nancy, France felt […]