There are more than two hundred radio, from Angola to Zambia reaching millions of people. They promote peace, human rights, education, health, and development. They endeavour to heal the wounds of traumas. They are the voice of the voiceless, though sometimes silenced. Three stories of resilience and success: Radio Sol Mansi, in Guinea-Bissau; Catholic Radio…
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Approaching the market of any African city, the visitor is immediately involved. The eyes are struck by the gaudy colours of thousands of objects, clothes, fruit of all kinds piled up everywhere, the continual sounds of people speaking or shouting, pleasant and obnoxious odours all mixed together, people bumping into each other, brushing by or…
Read moreChristians and Muslims work together to prevent Islamic radicalism from taking hold in the country. We met some religious leaders. Abdoulaye Ouasselegue, currently Imam of the Petevo mosque in Bangui, quoted the prophet Muhammad during a Friday prayer sermon and exhorted his faithful to keep their teeth clean. I had heard that Muslims revere the…
Read moreIn some rural areas of the Sahel such as the Mossi plateau in the north of Burkina Faso, or in the region of Atakora in northern Benin, one has the impression of never coming across a village. There is nothing but dwellings scattered throughout the bush, apparently independent of each other; the country people live…
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Johannesburg, often associated with skyscrapers, insecurity, crime, begging, and in some areas, difficult access to basic services such as electricity or water, boasts more than 10,000 street stalls and shops selling books. The Bridge Books bookstore, characterised by a wooden door, is located at 98 Commissioner Street, a major street in the Central Business District of Johannesburg, where one can admire…
Read moreIt is still dark when Esther rises. The children are still asleep and her husband murmurs something inaudible. Today is market day. She fills a large basket with produce from her field. She hopes to sell it and buy something for the house. Whatever the husband earns is his own and what she earns is…
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After the expropriations of the lands of the white ranchers during the Mugabe era, the aristocratic von Pezold family is on the trail of compensation and new deals. Thanks to the policy change by President Mnangagwa who wants to end international sanctions and re-launch the economy. An immense villa is perched on a huge granite…
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In the Congolese capital, as in the rest of the country, cultural spaces are almost non-existent. Kin ArtStudio is therefore an exception with its aim of stimulating and creating a place where various artists can express themselves. We paid a visit to the Centre. Located in Kinshasa, the Kin ArtStudio was opened in 2011 by…
Read moreSymbol of non-violent resistance to apartheid and the creation of a new nation, Tutu (1931-2021, Nobel Peace prize-winner for 1984) took the path of dialogue and forgiveness. Right to the end, he was the guardian of human values. On 26 December last year, at the age of 90, Desmond Tutu died. He was one of…
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One of the greatest feasts among the Guji – an Oromo ethnic group – is that of name-giving. Like all other great feasts, it is sealed with the sacrifice of a bull, dancing and youthful games. In speaking of the maqbasa or name-giving ceremony, we must first mention the gadaa system which divides life from…
Read moreOn the last 19 November, President Joe Biden created shock and indignation among human rights activists after he signed an executive order to lift sanctions against Burundian officials which were imposed by Barrack Obama in 2015. During the Obama administration, the State Department said that the late President Pierre Nkurunziza’s pursuit of a third term…
Read moreIt is a medicinal plant used for treatment of a number of diseases among them that of peptic ulcer disease. But also for the treatment of stomach complications, malaria and mouth infections in children. It is a flowering herbaceous plant which is widely distributed in the sub-Saharan Africa including in Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda,…
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“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…
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Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…
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Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…
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