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Africa

Sudan. The forgotten catastrophe.

While the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are attracting most media and Western attention, a potentially greater tragedy is threatening Sudan where a civil war has been raging since April 2023 with no peace in sight. For more than ten months Sudan has been torn apart by a civil war that has already made 12,000…

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Africa. The Drone Market.

South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt produce their own. However, around twenty African countries are purchasing unmanned aircraft for military purposes. China and Turkey lead the way among foreign exporters. Meanwhile, the arsenals of jihadist and criminal groups are also growing. The control of land borders and coasts, combating illicit trafficking such as drugs, weapons…

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Kenya. Preparing Future Entrepreneurs.

The Institute for Social Transformation (IST) in Nairobi is a leader in social entrepreneurship training in Africa. It was founded 30 years ago by the Comboni Missionaries within the Catholic University of Tangaza. Today, it hosts more than 330 students of various nationalities eager to contribute to the improvement of society. On 25 August 1986,…

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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…

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From Rumba to Sapeurs.

Walking around the neighbourhoods of Lemba or Matete in Kinshasa or Bacongo and Makélékélé in Brazzaville, you are immediately taken by music that instinctively invites you to join in the dancing. In the evening in the many bars on the outskirts of the two capitals, people move to the rhythm of the rumba. A music…

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Africa. Insecurity and Fear.

If the current dynamics in the security field continue, and there are no signs of a reversal of the trend, there will be no shortage of crisis in Africa in 2024. Some countries will be particularly concerned, but insecurity will have consequences also in those nations that will be spared by terrorism and coups. The…

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Kinshasa-Brazzaville: Separated Twins.

The Congo River flows between Kinshasa and Brazzaville. The distance between the two capitals is so small that they seem like a single city. With a common history, they have not grown at the same rate. At the end of the 19th century, the European powers divided the African continent between them. The Congo region…

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Africa. Political forecast 2024.

The ongoing jihadist expansion in the Sahel region and attempts to stop it, the aftermath of the general elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the projected decline of the ANC in the South African polls, are the main trends expected for this year. In 2024, the main concern in West Africa will be whether…

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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…

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A Bridge in 2028?

“Ebale ya Congo ezali lopango te, ezali nzela” (The Congo River is not a barrier, it is a road), sang the famous Congolese musician Joseph Kabasele. Today this statement must be taken with a pinch of salt. People have strong cultural and linguistic ties, but access to capital is no longer automatic. Over time, the…

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The face of the two cities.

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is experiencing a demographic explosion due to a still high birth rate and migratory flows encouraged by rural poverty and the insecurity of war zones. Today, Kinshasa has 17.07 million inhabitants. It is currently the third most populous city in…

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Leadership in African Culture. Between Fear and Respect.

African traditional political leaders cover both the temporal and the religious spheres. They represent the exigencies of the ancestors before the community of the living and the exigencies of the same community before the ancestors. This double responsibility before the people and before the ancestors confer on them both authority and power. The Congolese philosopher…

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Advocacy

Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari. A Steward of the Marañón…

The river is sacred to the Kukama people, who believe that their ancestors reside on the river floor.  They are ready to protect the Marañón…

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Baobab

A Wise Grandmother.

Like the other farmers, Taro also grew rice, wheat, and vegetables, living in peace and contentment. However, things never remain the same. One time, there was no rainfall,…

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Youth & Mission

Comboni Youth Jubilee. To live is to hope.

From 24 to 27 July, hundreds of young people from the Comboni youth movements across Europe will gather in Milan, Verona, and Florence, Italy, in preparation…

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