Oral Literature. Inca. The Island of the Sun
At that time Viracocha, the creator God, looked down upon the earth. He saw it was bare, shrouded in impenetrable darkness, for daylight did not yet exist. Taguapac, his woman, and her children, the only human creatures, had found refuge under a rock in the heart of the Andes. They led a life of hardship, […]
Rwanda. The Power of the Beat
Ingoma Nshya is the country’s first female percussion troupe. Reconciliation, healing and peace are part of the group journey. We went to meet them. About 125 kilometres south of Kigali, and after an endless sequence of hills, is Huye. With nearly 320,000 inhabitants, until 2013 it housed the oldest university in the country. Here you […]
Ecuador. June Festivals
During the month of June, various traditional festivals are celebrated, including Inti Raymi, thanksgiving to the sun and the earth, for the abundance of crops. The history of these festivals dates to the Inca empire when they were established to venerate the Sun King and Mother Earth (Pachamama) for the favours received in the harvests. […]
India. At School with a Look of Love
Sister Nancy Thomas recounts her experience at Nirmala Bhavan, an institution for blind girls in the Indian state of Karnataka. The school where Sister Nancy Thomas, missionary of the Immaculate in India, has been working for twenty years is special: it is called Nirmala Bhavan and welcomes blind girls and young ladies aged 10 to […]
Bible & Mission. Mission is Salvation for all
After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come. (Luke 10: 1). The first verse of Luke’s last discourse about mission tells us the meaning of mission: it brings salvation to all people. Salvation is […]
Oral Literature. How the Hare Helped the Civet
Lion and Civet were great friends. One day Civet said to Lion: “Look. It is true that we have a very good life. But there’s one thing that we lack. And that’s cattle! You know very well how important it is to own cattle. So, let’s go out and get some.” The two of them […]
The Egungun cult among the Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest in West Africa: they live in southern Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a refined culture, at the centre of which is a religious world rich in symbols, mythologies and ceremonies. One of the most characteristic aspects of the Yoruba religion is the masks. One of these […]
Peru. The Asheninka Calendar
Although the Asheninka, an indigenous ethnic group, who live in the central forest of the Ucayali department in the Atalaya province of eastern Peru, follow the Western calendar, they give an Amazonian meaning to each month. The year begins in January, when the waters of the rivers overflow due to the heavy rains, the tangerine […]
DR Congo. A Light at the End of the Tunnel
Thousands of children are deprived of a future in the cobalt mines of the Congo. The commitment of a group of Sisters is giving them hope. Denise feels her way down the stony slope. Close to a huge mine runs a stream. The ten-year-old girl looks around shyly. Women immerse themselves in muddy brown water […]
Pope to WYD participants: Lisbon 2023 a chance to grow in hope
Pope Francis has sent a video message to young people registered for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, on 1-6 August, and urges them to prepare themselves to encounter others and grow in hope. In his video message, the Pope praised the excitement the young Catholics must feel as they prepare to travel. “I can […]