Peace in the Holy Land
God of Comfort, send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine. You are the Advocate of the oppressed and the One whose eye is on the sparrow. Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression. Let hearts mourn rather than militarize. God […]
Importance of Sacrifice in African Culture
Every religion has some form of sacrifice. In fact, sacrifice is the most universal of all rituals. Most rituals imply an offering and quite often a blood sacrifice. A blood sacrifice is a displacement of mystical forces made possible by God himself, thanks to the intercession of a spirit, divinity or ancestor and the mediation […]
Oral Literature. The King Elephant
At the beginning of time, before people lived on the earth, all the animals of the bush lived together under one king. That king was Elephant. King Elephant was fair to his subjects. He was able to maintain his authority without too much grumbling from them. There were, of course, several characters on whom Elephant […]
Bolivia. Elegance in the Costumes of the Chacobos
The Chacobos are an indigenous people living on the banks of the Benicito River in Northeastern Bolivia. Let’s get to know them through their clothing. The clothing of the Chacobos is made with material that Mother Nature gives them, mainly strips of bark from leafy trees. They like to adorn themselves with seed bracelets. Chacobo […]
Chad. Koupor. Mission of Hope
In a remote corner of Chad, three missionaries of the Immaculate Conception give a simple Christian testimony. Walking alongside people. Hilda, Shephali, and Irene are three Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception present in Koupor, in the south-west of Chad, on the border with Cameroon, where they arrived in February 2019. In the past, there […]
Mali. The Art of Painting with Clay
The Groupe Bogolan Kasobané, from Mali, revolutionized the art scene in their country when they abandoned Western painting techniques and, for the first time, applied to contemporary art a traditional Malian technique, Bogolan, which uses clay to paint on fabrics. The word ‘Bogolan’ in the Bambara language means ‘made from the earth’. It refers to […]
Oral Literature. The Spider, the Elephant and The Hippo
Because there was a famine in the land, the spider and his family grew thinner and thinner and hungrier and hungrier. In his desperation, the spider said to his wife: “Here we are, starving, while the elephant and hippo have stored away much grain for these lean times. The big ones have, the little ones […]
Bolivia: the Q’Owaku Ritual
The Q’Owaku ritual is performed as a blessing for workers or builders in the cities of Bolivia. But what does q’owaku mean? What is the difference between the q’owaku of the ancient Andean communities and the ritual of the bricklayers of the city of Cochabamba? Let’s find out. The q’owaku is an ancient ritual of […]
The Sahel. The Elegance of Nomads
For desert shepherds, elegance and grace are antidotes to the desolation and hostility of the environment. Their cult of beauty has an identity value that hides profound social implications, as demonstrated by the significance of the turbans and Saharan makeup. Although they live in the desert, or arid lands, the Tuareg and the Peul, nomads […]
Kenya. The Institute for Social Transformation. Preparing Future Entrepreneurs
The Institute for Social Transformation (IST) in Nairobi is a leader in social entrepreneurship training in Africa. Founded by the Comboni Missionaries within the Catholic University of Tangaza, it hosts more than 330 students of various nationalities eager to contribute to the improvement of society. On 25 August 1986, Tangaza University College (TUC) was born […]