By Luka Biong Deng
The people of South Sudan and the marginalized people of Sudan will remember their great leader, Dr John Garang de Mabior, on July 30, the day he died in a plane crash seven years ago.
Garang, a thinker, a freedom fighter, a military officer and an intellectual, will be remembered for generations to come as a leader who laid the foundation for the new nation of South Sudan and set the agenda for transforming Sudan. Certainly during his entire life of struggle, Garang has left unforgettable and positive marks and memories with many people of South, Sudan, the continent and the world at large. During the last seven years, I came to value the profound impact and legacy our great leader left behind. His name has become almost synonymous with the struggle of the marginalized people of Sudan.
Although there are people who knew Dr Garang better than others, I strongly believe that every South Sudanese has come to know our great leader in different ways.
Based on my personal recollection, I would describe Garang as the African icon of visionary leadership. Yasir Arman described Dr Garang as a gift to humanity and the most influential Sudanese leader in the twentieth century. We, the people of the South, should be exceptionally proud that we produced such a charismatic leader during the final stage of our liberation struggle that resulted in the birth of our new nation. The seventh anniversary of the commemoration of his death is special as it came at the time when we celebrated the first anniversary of our independence. As we struggle to build an effective and successful new nation, we need to reflect on the virtues and thinking of the founding father, which can inspire and enrich our efforts for building a prosperous and peaceful South Sudan.
I came to know Dr Garang as a strategic thinker and politician when I was at the final year in the University of Khartoum in the early 1980s. We organized ourselves as students into secret cells to disseminate and popularize the political agenda of the SPLM. I was struck by his diagnosis of the problem of Sudan as a problem of the centre and not the problem of the peripheries. Garang remarkably shifted the dominant thinking about the Southern problem to the Sudan problem. He did not only diagnose the problem well but he also skillfully prescribed a solution in the context of the New Sudan vision. By doing so, he managed to mobilize all Sudanese behind the goal of the New Sudan, regardless of region, religion or race.
Garang looked at the bigger picture rather than being bogged down by the Southern problem which he saw as a symptom. Without this strategic thinking, the South would not have gained its independence. In fact, the political agenda of the New Sudan is also useful for building our new nation. Building a cohesive and tolerant nation, as well as meeting the aspirations of rural communities and move the towns to the people, are valid points for building our new nation. My nephew, Daniel Francis Deng, always reminds me whenever we discuss any issue of “The Eagle Wisdom”. The eagle lifts itself high in the sky to see better and then swiftly comes to the ground with clear targets and it avoids muddling itself on the ground where it cannot see well. Garang used this wisdom well. It is even relevant to our daily life and in building our new nation.
Sometimes we waste our energies with past and trivial issues without looking at the bigger picture.
It is that bigger picture and vision we need to see for a better future of our new nation.
I came to know Garang also as a people-centred developmentalist when he designated me to be in charge of the SPLM National Economic Commission for Western Equatoria in 1991, after it was liberated by the SPLM. It was the first time he shared with me face-to-face his vision of how the SPLM can develop Western Equatoria during the war. He asked me to make the Nzara agro- industrial complex work and engage farmers in supplying cotton for the Nzara textile industry. He was passionate about rural agro-industry and saw it as the most effective way to economically empower rural communities and take services to the people. Garang articulated his vision of development around his popular statements of “taking the town to the people” and “using oil to fuel agriculture”. This agenda will continue to be the economic path through which we can build a prosperous and peaceful South Sudan. We are still a long way from realizing these commitments as our people are paradoxically attracted to towns where there are services and agriculture is being neglected.
I came to know Garang also as a skillful and shrewd negotiator in 2003 during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) negotiations in Kenya. Garang excelled in showing leadership and knowledge, and managed to incorporate most aspects of his vision of a New Sudan in the CPA.
Without his leadership, the CPA would not have been signed. I remember the time when he was receiving a lot of pressure from the international community and even some SPLM leaders to abandon the issue of Abyei and the two areas since the South got the right of self-determination.
But Garang stood firmly behind the cause of the people of Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. Garang was also very humorous. He used different stories and jokes with his counterpart, Ustaz Ali Osman, to create a conducive environment for negotiations.
Sometimes we could be waiting impatiently outside the room where they were meeting and were surprised to hear only laughter. Although the South got its independence, we should not abandon our solidarity with the marginalized people of Sudan. It would be ethically and morally a crime and a betrayal if we turned our back to our people and comrades in the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, eastern Sudan and Darfur.
I also came to know Garang as a religious and meticulous leader when he gave me his own Bible, printed in his name, for his swearing-in as the First Vice President on July 9, 2005. I was shocked going over the Holy Book to realize how deeply he read it. When I informed the Minister of Presidential Affairs that Dr. Garang would use this Bible for his swearing in, he tried to argue that the Palace had its own bibles. I argued how some Southerners were made to falsely swear in using the Quran instead of the Bible. This simple act showed how Garang was meticulous. He paid attention to details, which is necessary in leadership. I observed this also during the peace talks. He followed in detail the drafting of all protocols of the CPA and read carefully the entire CPA before it was finally signed.
Dr Garang traced the history of the people of Sudan in the Holy Bible and started with ancient Kush. He often referenced the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 18, where the prophet addresses “an aggressive nation” of “people tall and smooth skinned” in a “land divided by rivers.” Ominously, Isaiah foresaw events that the whole world would “hear” and “see,” when the people of Kush would die in droves, their corpses consumed by birds of prey and wild beasts. However, Isaiah goes on to call this period “the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape,” and the gardener must “cut off the shoots with pruning knives and cut down and take away the spreading branches.” Garang situated the greatest tragedy of South Sudan's war in a bigger picture of renewal and birth. Like the Phoenix, the destiny of the people of the South is to prosper in a time of peace after having been born again from the ashes of war.
These are few examples of my interaction with Dr Garang as a leader whom I admired and I looked up to as a model for visionary leadership. When he suddenly died in a plane crush on July 30, 2005, I was in Rumbek with a committee that was drafting the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan, whom Dr. Garang met three days earlier. I have never seen a nation mourn the way it did for Dr. Garang. It showed how he touched the heart of every citizen in Sudan, particularly in the South. When his body was brought to Rumbek, I was at the airport, where I came across a 10-year-old boy crying. I sat down with him and asked why he was crying. He said:
“As he has died, I don’t know who will look after our education”.
During these difficult times, I was exceptionally moved by the courage of his wife, Rebecca de Mabior. She emerged as a true mother to the nation and her words greatly consoled the people. One would have wished Comrade Rebecca to continue to play the role of mother for all the people of the South while paying due attention to the issues of Twic, Bor and Jongeli.
There were, however, people who paradoxically enjoyed the death of Dr Garang. One of my colleagues of the Constitutional Drafting Committee and who holds now a key position in our government told me in Rumbek and without remorse immediately after the sad news of the death of our Great Leader that “Luka you are now orphaned and your time is gone with the death of Dr Garang”. As we will remember our great leader, the only way we can mark such event is by working to realise his unfinished business. President Salva did a lot, not only in attaining independence and protecting the territorial integrity but also in building the mausoleum and honouring him by having his feature on our new currency.
However, the biggest challenge is how to realise the dreams of Dr Garang of “taking the town to the people” and “using oil to fuel our agriculture”. The other challenge is to look after the families of our martyrs. We should honour their selfless sacrifices that made us what we are today. The birth of South Sudan marks our increasing responsibilities for economic governance and accountability, human rights and the rule of law, and socio-economic development.
Without these and visionary leadership, the fruit in Isaiah’s vision, which Dr Garang saw early on, will be bitter and elusive. With them, however, the sweet fruit of the people of Kush will be enjoyed not only in our lifetimes, but also for many generations to come.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
OPINION: Third Mombasa Counter Human Trafficking Symposium
“To address the continuing problem of human trafficking in Kenya, authorities recently announced the banning of domestic workers moving to Saudi Arabia.” (Saturday Nation, June 23rd 2012)
The Third Mombasa Counter Human Trafficking symposium took place on 21st to 23rd June 2012 in Wesley Methodist Hall, in Tononoka. It was organized by Consolation East Africa (CEA) a Nairobi based NGO that works to build the capacity of the grassroots and faith based organizations to address the challenge of human trafficking through the support of Koinonia Advisory Research Service (KARDS), a community based consultancy, Trace-Kenya a Mombasa based organization working to prevent and protect children and young persons from trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.
Other partners for the symposium were Solidarity With Women in Distress (SOLWODI) an organization that provides support to women and children driven into the commercial sex industry in Mombasa; Arise and Shine youth group (A&SYG), an organization working to build linkages between the isolated anti trafficking groups across the coastal region; the Cradle Foundation of Kenya, non-governmental organization committed to the protection, promotion and enhancement of the rights of the child through court representation, advocacy and law reform, and the Kenya Blue Heart Grassroots Initiative (KBHGI) which is a network of performing and visual art groups whose mission is to educate the society on human rights and civic responsibilities through art and performance.
The symposium focused on ‘engendering the Kenyan electioneering process through grassroots mainstreaming’. Organizations present explored various challenges brought about by election violence both at national and grassroots levels.
Strategies aimed at minimizing electoral violence have to be seen to involve all the societal micro-cosms. A crucial level to start propagating the messages of peace is the family. Messages on meaningful civic participation should be designed to target families during the community mobilizations and trainings.
Grassroots organizations have a responsibility to reach out to families within their vicinity as important agents in promoting a harmonious electioneering process. Families to have power over the youth and can ensure that they are not used for purposes of meting violence. Electioneering violence has a negative effect on families as they risk loosing their members, loosing properties and hence be condemned to poverty and ultimate exploitation, and also separations when families are on the run looking for solace.
The symposium attracted thirty four participants most of them actors in the field of countering human trafficking. Organizations represented were RECI, Phoenix, Kuimiriria Child Rights, COPDEC-Taveta, CWSK-Mombasa, MTG, Mahali Pa Usalama, Kenya Methodist University and A rise and Shine. Other attendees were from Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam who came to also share and learn from the symposium.
Facilitators included Millicent Agutu a development consultant with KARDS, Nairobi; Ruth Lewa the Director of Solwodi, Mombasa; Constantine Deus MA in the University of Dar es Salaam and an organizational consultant working with Youth Initiative Tanzania (YITA) in Dar es Salaam; Paul Adhoch the executive director of Trace-Kenya, Mombasa; Amos Nalianya the secretary of A rise and Shine Youth Group, Kwale and Sammy Mwangi Coordinator of Consolation East Africa.
Millicent Agutu, facilitated the first session on engendering the Kenyan electioneering process 2012/2013. She said that violence during and after election pushes many people to poverty and as a result many become vulnerable to exploitation. She added that the greatest sufferers of electioneering process were women and children. To solve this problem there is a great need to engender the electioneering process and introduce the concept of gender responsive campaigning and ultimately leadership. Millicent added, that there is a great need to empower women on their rights so as they may defend themselves and speak loudly against any acts of violence meted against them during the electioneering time.
In reality, politicians hire young people to unleash violence to the supporters of their opponents. This has been a common practice and seems to have been accepted across the board. Civil societies have to ensure that the youth are educated against accepting to be used to propagate negative outcomes on their fellow citizens. On the other hand mechanisms have to be sought to ensure good behavior during the electioneering process and that mechanisms instituted to ensure that all politicians campaign in a civil manner and desist from acts of violence against their opponents’ supporters.
Amos Nalianya facilitated on the reintegration challenges faced by the trafficked victims. He looked at various dimensions of these challenges such as economic, psychosocial, spiritual and legal. Through shared experiences it was revealed that sometimes the families of the victims of human trafficking tend to accept the situation they were in. This happens mostly in case the family is benefitting from the current situation of the victim financially and materially.
Reintegration is also made hard on one hand by the surviving victim who finds it hard to explain the ordeal she has passed through. On the other hand, reintegration becomes difficult because of the community and family stigma; where the surviving victim may be seen as a loser. Hence organizations working to help in reintegrating the surviving victims of human trafficking are usually placed in complex dynamics. At times they may not have adequate resources to ensure that the pains of the surviving victim are addressed adequately.
Legal perspectives proves a big challenge to the people who are willing to assist the victims (especially children) since one is required to get a letter from District Officer before reporting to the police station. In case that is lacking one is taken as a suspect; this poses a threat to those who would like to assist and rescue children who are trafficked. In addition involving legal procedures were said to be the stumbling block for many people in coming out to report besides being harassed by the authority. Churches and Mosques were seen to the first places the victims of human trafficking seek for refuge and therefore despite being given spiritual accompaniment the institutions should come up with more ways of assisting the victims.
Ruth Lewa facilitated the third session on trauma counseling for the trafficking survivors. She indicated that the greatest challenge is that many a times the victims of human trafficking do not realize that they are being exploited. She added that, all trafficked people be they working as domestic workers or as prostitutes, believe they are working off to pay a debt. In some instances the survivors facing the prospects of freedom from exploitation may desire to negotiate with their former captors, for fear of the fact there may not be better opportunities where they have come from.
By choosing this they accept to continue being degraded, exploited and always to be in the situation they have always been. Situations like these may occur in cases where the former victims believe that the family and community are not able to providing a good integration environment which enables the individual survivor deal with experiences such as loss, grief, trauma, self-conflict and anxiety. Full reintegration back to the family and society requires a heavy investment of time, energy and resources. Hence rescuing a victim is simply not enough but understands her needs after the rescue process is quite important.
It is therefore important that counseling is also to be extended to the family to be able to understand the survivor well. Counseling should also take cognizance of the main factors that may have pushed the survivor to a human trafficking situation such as better life syndrome, lack of employment, ignorance, lack of information and culture. It must also be noted that not many people are willing to talk about the ‘promised opportunities’ for fear of being ‘discouraged’ by their relatives and friends resulting them to being trafficked.
Citing the enactment of the Kenya Anti Trafficking in Persons Law-2010, Paul Adhoch, indicated that the implementation has not been very successful. This can be clearly seen by the fact that the USA report of 2012 degraded Kenya from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List - due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2011 estimates up to 20,000 Somali and Ethiopian immigrants are smuggled into the country evading the Kenyan security machinery heading to South Africa every year. A 2011 report by International Peace Institute holds that the girls mainly from Somalia are trafficked from North Eastern Kenya to Nairobi or Mombasa for prostitution and forced labor.
According to the two organizations, vehicles that transport miraa (khat) from Kenya to Somalia return with young girls and women who end up in brothels and some are shipped to other parts of the world. Locally there are many cases of young girls and children being taken from their rural homes in the promise of being taken to school and then ending up in slavery. The situation is not made any better due to the fact that there are a number of orphan children is also quite high and these children have no advocates to follow up their treatment.
Also there have been serious problems mainly facing the Kenyan domestic workers abroad which have included sexual violence, severe brutalities and in some cases deaths. This violent trend against Kenyan and workers from other parts of Africa in the Middle East has been on the rising scale with the civil society in Kenya asking questions such as; how could this happen? Are there no human rights organizations in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and other Middle East Countries concerned with the treatment of migrant workers in their countries? What about the laws in those countries-are they so insensitive to the plight of migrant workers?
Are there no foreign embassies that can raise a voice for the poor migrant workers from Kenya and other poor countries of the world in these host countries? Locally in Kenya organizations need to raise awareness so as many people may get correct information and not fall prey to human trafficking. In June 2012, the government of Kenya coincidentally banned the movement of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia as a way of addressing these brutalities.
The symposium called for network reinforcement amongst the actors working to combat human trafficking. Constantine Deus encouraged Counter Human tracking organizations to go for strategic social networking and not aimless social networking. Strategic social networking focuses on mutual interests on one hand and on the other finding collective ways in which organizations assist each other work towards achieving their individual organizational objectives.
Constantine Deus from the University of Dar es Salaam emphasized that counter trafficking actors in Kenya ought also to mainstream a civic awareness agenda during 2012/2013 electioneering period based on promotion of peaceful elections. Civic participation amongst the counter human trafficking actors will disseminate the message of peace far and wide and ensure that the negative results arising from electioneering violence are reduced and that people of all genders are happy and at peace through-out the electioneering process. Electioneering violence will not only create internally displaced persons, refugees, many deaths and property destruction but it will also generate vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking in Kenya.
According to Constantine, grassroots organizations ought to transcend their normal mission in providing rehabilitation and reintegration to promoting a peaceful 2012/2013. This task cannot be achieved only by one organization but by a unity of all actors. In promoting this networking actors need to ask themselves questions, such as who to form network with? Why networking with some organizations and not others? What goals are going to be realized through such networks? How does the social networking take place among the actors in the field? Does it need a task force or a clear strategy?”
These questions enable the building of social networks that are stronger and helpful among organization to succeed in strengthening efforts for reintegration and peaceful elections in Kenya.
According to Sammy Mwangi the Coordinator of CEA, facilitating on knowledge management, media is the best mode of transferring knowledge, information and experiences from the actors, survivors of trafficking to reach people of different languages. An effective media can raise the awareness level and can also bring reduced vulnerability to human trafficking and other crimes. Media enables marginalized communities to speak about issues that concern them at the local level, creating linkages between development, democracy and media.
This was realized as a snap-shot of community needs and aspirations and allows a community to map its future using the bottom-up approach. An ideal philosophy of media is to use this medium as the voice of the voiceless, and the mouthpiece of oppressed people, or by communities that have not been served by conventional communication structures. More so, media offers space for creativity and is also a tool for empowerment. Besides this, media is able to integrate different mediums of communication e.g. drama, song and dance, storytelling, puppetry, radio listenership groups and community radio stations.
The symposium proposed to form a cluster system which will enhance the exchange of knowhow and experiences and also promote collaboration and peer reviews for better results. The symposium brought together actors and survivors of human trafficking. The survivors shared of their experiences as victims in foreign countries and also domestically.
The real life experiences cases shared created an impact to the participants who had little or no knowledge about human trafficking. Fear of coming out as survivor was demystified as many cases came up from the participants relating their situations they went through or observed from other. The symposium called on other people who may have been rescued from the slavery/trafficking to be able to come out and condemn the inhuman acts of violation of their rights.
For the proper healing of the survivors, the families, communities were also urged to accept, love and encourage them to take life positively despite what they went through. In most cases it proves to be hard to change one’s view when he/she is a victim and did it in his/her own desires and it takes lots of persuasion and patience to make one accept to change.
Lastly the government was put into task by coming up with policies to guide the operations of the employment agencies as many agencies were said to be uncaring which has led to many people suffer in the hands of their employers. It was noted that it was right for the agents to find employment for the people anywhere as far as they were not exploited, abused or dehumanized in any way.
A call was made for the Kenyan embassies abroad to always be approachable and be of assistance to the Kenyans who are in need and be alerted incase one get into those countries.
The Third Mombasa Counter Human Trafficking symposium took place on 21st to 23rd June 2012 in Wesley Methodist Hall, in Tononoka. It was organized by Consolation East Africa (CEA) a Nairobi based NGO that works to build the capacity of the grassroots and faith based organizations to address the challenge of human trafficking through the support of Koinonia Advisory Research Service (KARDS), a community based consultancy, Trace-Kenya a Mombasa based organization working to prevent and protect children and young persons from trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.
Other partners for the symposium were Solidarity With Women in Distress (SOLWODI) an organization that provides support to women and children driven into the commercial sex industry in Mombasa; Arise and Shine youth group (A&SYG), an organization working to build linkages between the isolated anti trafficking groups across the coastal region; the Cradle Foundation of Kenya, non-governmental organization committed to the protection, promotion and enhancement of the rights of the child through court representation, advocacy and law reform, and the Kenya Blue Heart Grassroots Initiative (KBHGI) which is a network of performing and visual art groups whose mission is to educate the society on human rights and civic responsibilities through art and performance.
The symposium focused on ‘engendering the Kenyan electioneering process through grassroots mainstreaming’. Organizations present explored various challenges brought about by election violence both at national and grassroots levels.
Strategies aimed at minimizing electoral violence have to be seen to involve all the societal micro-cosms. A crucial level to start propagating the messages of peace is the family. Messages on meaningful civic participation should be designed to target families during the community mobilizations and trainings.
Grassroots organizations have a responsibility to reach out to families within their vicinity as important agents in promoting a harmonious electioneering process. Families to have power over the youth and can ensure that they are not used for purposes of meting violence. Electioneering violence has a negative effect on families as they risk loosing their members, loosing properties and hence be condemned to poverty and ultimate exploitation, and also separations when families are on the run looking for solace.
The symposium attracted thirty four participants most of them actors in the field of countering human trafficking. Organizations represented were RECI, Phoenix, Kuimiriria Child Rights, COPDEC-Taveta, CWSK-Mombasa, MTG, Mahali Pa Usalama, Kenya Methodist University and A rise and Shine. Other attendees were from Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam who came to also share and learn from the symposium.
Facilitators included Millicent Agutu a development consultant with KARDS, Nairobi; Ruth Lewa the Director of Solwodi, Mombasa; Constantine Deus MA in the University of Dar es Salaam and an organizational consultant working with Youth Initiative Tanzania (YITA) in Dar es Salaam; Paul Adhoch the executive director of Trace-Kenya, Mombasa; Amos Nalianya the secretary of A rise and Shine Youth Group, Kwale and Sammy Mwangi Coordinator of Consolation East Africa.
Millicent Agutu, facilitated the first session on engendering the Kenyan electioneering process 2012/2013. She said that violence during and after election pushes many people to poverty and as a result many become vulnerable to exploitation. She added that the greatest sufferers of electioneering process were women and children. To solve this problem there is a great need to engender the electioneering process and introduce the concept of gender responsive campaigning and ultimately leadership. Millicent added, that there is a great need to empower women on their rights so as they may defend themselves and speak loudly against any acts of violence meted against them during the electioneering time.
In reality, politicians hire young people to unleash violence to the supporters of their opponents. This has been a common practice and seems to have been accepted across the board. Civil societies have to ensure that the youth are educated against accepting to be used to propagate negative outcomes on their fellow citizens. On the other hand mechanisms have to be sought to ensure good behavior during the electioneering process and that mechanisms instituted to ensure that all politicians campaign in a civil manner and desist from acts of violence against their opponents’ supporters.
Amos Nalianya facilitated on the reintegration challenges faced by the trafficked victims. He looked at various dimensions of these challenges such as economic, psychosocial, spiritual and legal. Through shared experiences it was revealed that sometimes the families of the victims of human trafficking tend to accept the situation they were in. This happens mostly in case the family is benefitting from the current situation of the victim financially and materially.
Reintegration is also made hard on one hand by the surviving victim who finds it hard to explain the ordeal she has passed through. On the other hand, reintegration becomes difficult because of the community and family stigma; where the surviving victim may be seen as a loser. Hence organizations working to help in reintegrating the surviving victims of human trafficking are usually placed in complex dynamics. At times they may not have adequate resources to ensure that the pains of the surviving victim are addressed adequately.
Legal perspectives proves a big challenge to the people who are willing to assist the victims (especially children) since one is required to get a letter from District Officer before reporting to the police station. In case that is lacking one is taken as a suspect; this poses a threat to those who would like to assist and rescue children who are trafficked. In addition involving legal procedures were said to be the stumbling block for many people in coming out to report besides being harassed by the authority. Churches and Mosques were seen to the first places the victims of human trafficking seek for refuge and therefore despite being given spiritual accompaniment the institutions should come up with more ways of assisting the victims.
Ruth Lewa facilitated the third session on trauma counseling for the trafficking survivors. She indicated that the greatest challenge is that many a times the victims of human trafficking do not realize that they are being exploited. She added that, all trafficked people be they working as domestic workers or as prostitutes, believe they are working off to pay a debt. In some instances the survivors facing the prospects of freedom from exploitation may desire to negotiate with their former captors, for fear of the fact there may not be better opportunities where they have come from.
By choosing this they accept to continue being degraded, exploited and always to be in the situation they have always been. Situations like these may occur in cases where the former victims believe that the family and community are not able to providing a good integration environment which enables the individual survivor deal with experiences such as loss, grief, trauma, self-conflict and anxiety. Full reintegration back to the family and society requires a heavy investment of time, energy and resources. Hence rescuing a victim is simply not enough but understands her needs after the rescue process is quite important.
It is therefore important that counseling is also to be extended to the family to be able to understand the survivor well. Counseling should also take cognizance of the main factors that may have pushed the survivor to a human trafficking situation such as better life syndrome, lack of employment, ignorance, lack of information and culture. It must also be noted that not many people are willing to talk about the ‘promised opportunities’ for fear of being ‘discouraged’ by their relatives and friends resulting them to being trafficked.
Citing the enactment of the Kenya Anti Trafficking in Persons Law-2010, Paul Adhoch, indicated that the implementation has not been very successful. This can be clearly seen by the fact that the USA report of 2012 degraded Kenya from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List - due to a lack of evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2011 estimates up to 20,000 Somali and Ethiopian immigrants are smuggled into the country evading the Kenyan security machinery heading to South Africa every year. A 2011 report by International Peace Institute holds that the girls mainly from Somalia are trafficked from North Eastern Kenya to Nairobi or Mombasa for prostitution and forced labor.
According to the two organizations, vehicles that transport miraa (khat) from Kenya to Somalia return with young girls and women who end up in brothels and some are shipped to other parts of the world. Locally there are many cases of young girls and children being taken from their rural homes in the promise of being taken to school and then ending up in slavery. The situation is not made any better due to the fact that there are a number of orphan children is also quite high and these children have no advocates to follow up their treatment.
Also there have been serious problems mainly facing the Kenyan domestic workers abroad which have included sexual violence, severe brutalities and in some cases deaths. This violent trend against Kenyan and workers from other parts of Africa in the Middle East has been on the rising scale with the civil society in Kenya asking questions such as; how could this happen? Are there no human rights organizations in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and other Middle East Countries concerned with the treatment of migrant workers in their countries? What about the laws in those countries-are they so insensitive to the plight of migrant workers?
Are there no foreign embassies that can raise a voice for the poor migrant workers from Kenya and other poor countries of the world in these host countries? Locally in Kenya organizations need to raise awareness so as many people may get correct information and not fall prey to human trafficking. In June 2012, the government of Kenya coincidentally banned the movement of domestic workers to Saudi Arabia as a way of addressing these brutalities.
The symposium called for network reinforcement amongst the actors working to combat human trafficking. Constantine Deus encouraged Counter Human tracking organizations to go for strategic social networking and not aimless social networking. Strategic social networking focuses on mutual interests on one hand and on the other finding collective ways in which organizations assist each other work towards achieving their individual organizational objectives.
Constantine Deus from the University of Dar es Salaam emphasized that counter trafficking actors in Kenya ought also to mainstream a civic awareness agenda during 2012/2013 electioneering period based on promotion of peaceful elections. Civic participation amongst the counter human trafficking actors will disseminate the message of peace far and wide and ensure that the negative results arising from electioneering violence are reduced and that people of all genders are happy and at peace through-out the electioneering process. Electioneering violence will not only create internally displaced persons, refugees, many deaths and property destruction but it will also generate vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking in Kenya.
According to Constantine, grassroots organizations ought to transcend their normal mission in providing rehabilitation and reintegration to promoting a peaceful 2012/2013. This task cannot be achieved only by one organization but by a unity of all actors. In promoting this networking actors need to ask themselves questions, such as who to form network with? Why networking with some organizations and not others? What goals are going to be realized through such networks? How does the social networking take place among the actors in the field? Does it need a task force or a clear strategy?”
These questions enable the building of social networks that are stronger and helpful among organization to succeed in strengthening efforts for reintegration and peaceful elections in Kenya.
According to Sammy Mwangi the Coordinator of CEA, facilitating on knowledge management, media is the best mode of transferring knowledge, information and experiences from the actors, survivors of trafficking to reach people of different languages. An effective media can raise the awareness level and can also bring reduced vulnerability to human trafficking and other crimes. Media enables marginalized communities to speak about issues that concern them at the local level, creating linkages between development, democracy and media.
This was realized as a snap-shot of community needs and aspirations and allows a community to map its future using the bottom-up approach. An ideal philosophy of media is to use this medium as the voice of the voiceless, and the mouthpiece of oppressed people, or by communities that have not been served by conventional communication structures. More so, media offers space for creativity and is also a tool for empowerment. Besides this, media is able to integrate different mediums of communication e.g. drama, song and dance, storytelling, puppetry, radio listenership groups and community radio stations.
The symposium proposed to form a cluster system which will enhance the exchange of knowhow and experiences and also promote collaboration and peer reviews for better results. The symposium brought together actors and survivors of human trafficking. The survivors shared of their experiences as victims in foreign countries and also domestically.
The real life experiences cases shared created an impact to the participants who had little or no knowledge about human trafficking. Fear of coming out as survivor was demystified as many cases came up from the participants relating their situations they went through or observed from other. The symposium called on other people who may have been rescued from the slavery/trafficking to be able to come out and condemn the inhuman acts of violation of their rights.
For the proper healing of the survivors, the families, communities were also urged to accept, love and encourage them to take life positively despite what they went through. In most cases it proves to be hard to change one’s view when he/she is a victim and did it in his/her own desires and it takes lots of persuasion and patience to make one accept to change.
Lastly the government was put into task by coming up with policies to guide the operations of the employment agencies as many agencies were said to be uncaring which has led to many people suffer in the hands of their employers. It was noted that it was right for the agents to find employment for the people anywhere as far as they were not exploited, abused or dehumanized in any way.
A call was made for the Kenyan embassies abroad to always be approachable and be of assistance to the Kenyans who are in need and be alerted incase one get into those countries.
Friday, March 23, 2012
OPINION: A Priest in Egypt
Father Orazio Patrone Gives an Outsider's View of Christian Life
Father Orazio Patrone, 33, originally from Salerno, Italy, has for three years been a priest of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt.
He talks to ZENIT in this interview about his experience and the situation of Christians in that country.
ZENIT: Father Orazio, what is the situation of the Catholic Church in Egypt?
Father Patrone: The Catholic Church in Egypt is quite a complex reality: as in the whole of the Middle East region, it has always lived in a religiously pluralistic situation. In Egypt, in addition to the Latin Church, there are several rites (Coptic, Armenian, Syriac, Greek). The largest church is the Orthodox Coptic, with about 10% of the total population. The Catholic faithful are close to 400,000 or 0.3%.
There are also many Copts overseas, and after the latest events of the revolution, and above all the political situation that has been unfolding, migration has increased, after being already high in the last decades.
ZENIT: How do Christians live their faith?
Father Patrone: Christians have difficulties living in a country where Muslim fundamentalism is gaining ever more ground and they are strongly attracted by the idea of being able to live more tranquilly in other countries, especially Canada and Australia, but also Europe. Although persecutions are only sporadic, one experiences a strong discrimination of a social more than an ideological nature. It’s not a generalized situation yet and there are places with a peaceful relationship between Muslims and Christians.
ZENIT: How is it that a young Italian priest is called to carry out his service precisely in such a place? Can you tell us about your personal experience?
Father Patrone: I came following my involvement with the Neo-Catechumenal Way through which I felt the call to rediscover the richness of my baptism by means of a journey of faith in a community. During this period I discovered my vocation to the priesthood and I entered the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. The inter-ritual diocesan seminary forms priests for the New Evangelization with vocations to serve in the Eastern Churches. After the course of formation of close to nine years, during which I was able to have, in addition to my studies, pastoral experience in Tunisia, Sudan, and the Holy Land, I was incardinated by the Coptic Church of Egypt. And now, for three years, I have been in a parish in Cairo.
ZENIT: Have you had difficulties?
Father Patrone: Difficulties have certainly not been lacking, and are still not lacking: cultural differences, difficulties with the language, countries that suffer profound conflicts; but I have been able to face them thanks to the fact of having seen the Lord’s fidelity in the past. A bit like Abraham who started out without knowing where he was going, led by the Word and a promise, learning day by day to trust God and experiencing his presence in history.
ZENIT: Returning to the situation of Christians in Egypt. What is their relationship with the other religions, in particular, with Muslims?
Father Patrone: The relationship between Christians and Muslims is increasingly undermined by fundamentalism, even if the Coptic Church has an age-old experience of coexistence with the Muslim tradition, which has had highs and lows in history.
ZENIT: How are intense times, such as Lent and Easter, lived?
Father Patrone: The season of Lent is lived very intensely, with strict fasting, lived devotionally more than as an occasion of preparation for Easter. Perhaps this is dictated also by the strong influence of the Muslim month of Ramadan. As well, the sacrificial aspect of Good Friday is stressed more than the fundamental importance of the Easter Resurrection.
In fact, the funeral of the Lord is celebrated with a very long liturgy as was the custom of the pre-conciliar Latin Churches. Its importance is seen in the fact that participation in worship on Good Friday is almost double that of what it is on Easter Sunday.
ZENIT: What do you intend to do for the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization?
Father Patrone: The Church in Egypt is very tied to her traditions, especially those in the liturgy, and has difficulty in entering the dynamism of the New Evangelization desired by Vatican II. On the other hand, there are attempts and openings especially by the Catholic side, which is attentive to and relatively involved in what happens in the West. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the opening, though slow, to charisms that emerged after the Council. In parishes there are now groups such as the Focolares and the Neo-Catechumenal Way, and other movements born in Egypt with the intention of a renewal in the sense of a New Evangelization.
ZENIT: What are the prospects, therefore?
Father Patrone: There seems to be a time of trial and purification for the Churches, as is happening almost everywhere, because of the processes of secularization and globalization, challenges that call the Christian community to seek its own identity and to deepen its faith. We are going towards a form of Christianity that is certainly different from that lived in the modern period in Europe, towards a Christianity in which the Church is perhaps called to accustom herself to live as a small flock, to journey with other religious realities and, from this point of view, the experience of the Eastern communities is very relevant.
Father Orazio Patrone, 33, originally from Salerno, Italy, has for three years been a priest of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt.
He talks to ZENIT in this interview about his experience and the situation of Christians in that country.
ZENIT: Father Orazio, what is the situation of the Catholic Church in Egypt?
Father Patrone: The Catholic Church in Egypt is quite a complex reality: as in the whole of the Middle East region, it has always lived in a religiously pluralistic situation. In Egypt, in addition to the Latin Church, there are several rites (Coptic, Armenian, Syriac, Greek). The largest church is the Orthodox Coptic, with about 10% of the total population. The Catholic faithful are close to 400,000 or 0.3%.
There are also many Copts overseas, and after the latest events of the revolution, and above all the political situation that has been unfolding, migration has increased, after being already high in the last decades.
ZENIT: How do Christians live their faith?
Father Patrone: Christians have difficulties living in a country where Muslim fundamentalism is gaining ever more ground and they are strongly attracted by the idea of being able to live more tranquilly in other countries, especially Canada and Australia, but also Europe. Although persecutions are only sporadic, one experiences a strong discrimination of a social more than an ideological nature. It’s not a generalized situation yet and there are places with a peaceful relationship between Muslims and Christians.
ZENIT: How is it that a young Italian priest is called to carry out his service precisely in such a place? Can you tell us about your personal experience?
Father Patrone: I came following my involvement with the Neo-Catechumenal Way through which I felt the call to rediscover the richness of my baptism by means of a journey of faith in a community. During this period I discovered my vocation to the priesthood and I entered the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon. The inter-ritual diocesan seminary forms priests for the New Evangelization with vocations to serve in the Eastern Churches. After the course of formation of close to nine years, during which I was able to have, in addition to my studies, pastoral experience in Tunisia, Sudan, and the Holy Land, I was incardinated by the Coptic Church of Egypt. And now, for three years, I have been in a parish in Cairo.
ZENIT: Have you had difficulties?
Father Patrone: Difficulties have certainly not been lacking, and are still not lacking: cultural differences, difficulties with the language, countries that suffer profound conflicts; but I have been able to face them thanks to the fact of having seen the Lord’s fidelity in the past. A bit like Abraham who started out without knowing where he was going, led by the Word and a promise, learning day by day to trust God and experiencing his presence in history.
ZENIT: Returning to the situation of Christians in Egypt. What is their relationship with the other religions, in particular, with Muslims?
Father Patrone: The relationship between Christians and Muslims is increasingly undermined by fundamentalism, even if the Coptic Church has an age-old experience of coexistence with the Muslim tradition, which has had highs and lows in history.
ZENIT: How are intense times, such as Lent and Easter, lived?
Father Patrone: The season of Lent is lived very intensely, with strict fasting, lived devotionally more than as an occasion of preparation for Easter. Perhaps this is dictated also by the strong influence of the Muslim month of Ramadan. As well, the sacrificial aspect of Good Friday is stressed more than the fundamental importance of the Easter Resurrection.
In fact, the funeral of the Lord is celebrated with a very long liturgy as was the custom of the pre-conciliar Latin Churches. Its importance is seen in the fact that participation in worship on Good Friday is almost double that of what it is on Easter Sunday.
ZENIT: What do you intend to do for the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization?
Father Patrone: The Church in Egypt is very tied to her traditions, especially those in the liturgy, and has difficulty in entering the dynamism of the New Evangelization desired by Vatican II. On the other hand, there are attempts and openings especially by the Catholic side, which is attentive to and relatively involved in what happens in the West. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the opening, though slow, to charisms that emerged after the Council. In parishes there are now groups such as the Focolares and the Neo-Catechumenal Way, and other movements born in Egypt with the intention of a renewal in the sense of a New Evangelization.
ZENIT: What are the prospects, therefore?
Father Patrone: There seems to be a time of trial and purification for the Churches, as is happening almost everywhere, because of the processes of secularization and globalization, challenges that call the Christian community to seek its own identity and to deepen its faith. We are going towards a form of Christianity that is certainly different from that lived in the modern period in Europe, towards a Christianity in which the Church is perhaps called to accustom herself to live as a small flock, to journey with other religious realities and, from this point of view, the experience of the Eastern communities is very relevant.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
OPINION: The Dire Situation in Isiolo
By Fr Makau Nicholas IMC
For the past five months Isiolo County has experienced nasty episodes. Despite being a natural disaster county, it has now turned to a human designed disaster. To many, the problem is invented so as to answer to some personal or particular group’s interest. The recent conflict between the Borana who are searching for pasture for their animals and the Turkana has left many wondering. The clash has left about 30 people dead and many displaced. It has returned the development stride to the scratch as property was reduced to ashes and potential income generating people maimed and incapacitated. Disheartening is the fact that the dispute has not been given any sensible attention.
A councilor was arrested and accused of inciting the Turkanas. There is a calculated move to ignore the plight of the victims. Reasons are given that the land in dispute is trust land and no one can claim ownership. The constitution is quoted to defend the position of Borana’s entry to the place saying that everyone has a right to live anywhere in Kenya. But they deliberately avoid quoting the clause that defends the freedom and right against invasion, forceful eviction and the right to ownership. In defending the right of the Borana to graze their camels anywhere, it is to accuse the Turkanas for farming or erecting their houses which bars the presence of the animals.
One is forced to repeat the question the Turkana community is asking; What is the motive of the Boranas keeping so many animals if there is scarcity of grazing land? Why did the Borana move to Camp Garba at this moment of the year? If they are only after food for their animals, why kill people and burn houses? The church and the school destruction, lingers very serious questions; is it a tribal clash or a religious conflict, is it a fight over resources or fight over chiefdom dominance, is it power wrangle or it is economic strength, is to tell who is the host community or the newcomer? Is it a way to prepare who will own the resource city that Isiolo is being designed to be?
Who is responsible and who can help avert it? The local leaders and particularly the area MP has been absent from the area. Very little has been done to call for a resolution. Now is the time to seek an equitable justice. Further delay will escalate the conflict. It has been explained, “it is the culture of the Borana people to keep animals”. But is it their culture also to be hostile and violent? Their neighbors also have their culture. Now is the time to develop a new culture of coexistence. Let the Borana elders be summoned by the state law and be forced to acknowledge that their culture is not in isolation and that it is not just to promote their own haven without care of the others’. Let culture and tradition not be used to justify or explain a conflict that has claimed lives and destroyed properties. Validating such culture and tradition is only a limping pretext that does not pass the test of credibility.
March 14, 2012, I visited the catholic mission at Camp Garba which hosts over 600 people in the open ground in very dire circumstances. I visited Kiwanja, Eremet and mashambani villages where they had escaped from. The villages of Bulagadud and LMD were also empty as people had run away for their safety. I was saddened by the ugly incident which I found. The catholic Consolata missionaries, Fr Tallone and Fr Wambua have opened doors to the children and mothers as other women and men are spread across the compound. Fr Wambua guided me through the compound; crowded, with dusty, torn mattress, blankets, worn out sheets and all sorts of house hold goods are scattered all over. The demarcation of occupancy space is the far the mattress can reach. Given that the cemented corridors of the clergy house, the sisters’ convent and those of the school are not enough, others find space along the fence and under the trees. Since the school is still on, they have to vacate the place before 7.00 am before pupils come and return at 5.00pm when the school day is over.
This is the most painful moment that I have witnessed. I stood near the police post and 200m away I could see small children, women with babies on their back, and men carrying their items packed in polythene bags or sacks coming to the mission for the night. At arrival it is still painful to see them rushing to get water or collecting grass for firewood to cook something. The mosquitoes sting leaving pimples. Children are crying as they scratch themselves all over due to irritation. One can hear the alternating cry of babies across the compound. As I visit groups am overwhelmed by fear as I see small bonfires scattered in the entire mission compound. “hawa wote ni waturu (Turkana’s) tulichomewa mahome zetu na waboraana” (all this are Turkanas, our houses were burned by the Boranas) a teenager told us.
As I look at the thickets, I could imagine of the invasion of snakes, scorpions or other crawling creatures. I see the same place has become a toilet. It is a nightmare to walk as one will be stepping on the excrement or surprise an adult at the call of nature. Cooking is done on the open. For those who have sick, aged or small babies in their family, they suffer a double tragedy. As the cooking items are not enough or conducive, there is also the danger of an accident and diseases.
March 15, 2012, I could see people going out of the church compound. They want to provide room to the school that is about to start. Majority are eligible to school, but theirs is far away. “our school is not here, it was there (pointing the direction), we ran away when camels came in and the owners were shooting us” a standard three girl at mashambani primary school told me, as I walked her and her family out to nowhere in particular. It was heart breaking to see families leave only to go out of the fence, gather in groups as they had nothing to do. Their village is across but they cannot dare return. They spend whole day in the same routine waiting for any hope. They are on their own; no one comes to speak to them except the catholic missionaries. The police who are expected to come to tell them to go back are silent.
As I talk to them I understand there is another group who went to camp at the Isiolo police station as a way to draw attention to their cause. But they are not wanted there. “This is my home and I can’t allow strangers to stay in. I don’t know who is who” the OCPD told me in asking him why he wanted the people to vacate the only place that looked securer. In the police station there are another 450 people who are living behind the post. It is a pain and nuisance to the police officers, it is a matter of their reputation and rank “but supposing something happens when they are here, who will be responsible” one of the police officer tells me. But an exchange ensures as one of the elders answers back very bitterly “it is better we die here and someone can report and be held responsible than being burned in the village”.
I discover that the police have arranged for two Lorries to take the people back to the villages they had run away from.
Things are in disarray. It is purported that the police station wasn’t secure. The people do not want to go back in fear of a possible attack and fear that they will be forgotten and they had nothing to sustain themselves, since all their belongs had been burned down or vandalized by the Borana invaders. As I tried to engage the OCPD to a negotiation, we reached a deal that men will go first to survey the situation accompanied by a contingent of police men. I opted to drive down the villages with them as a way of solidarity.
THE CAMELS OF ISIOLO THAT SHOOT AND BURN
Heaven broke loose. The village was ashes. No house is standing. No sooner had we reached the first village, the people jumped out of the vehicles crying “look here was my house, look this was my kitchen. Oh! Here, here they caught up my brother, here they killed him” the people scattered, each trying to trace their homestead that was no longer there. The exercise was guarded by Kenya police. Visible were exercise books, metallic and steel items that the fire could not reduce to complete ashes. The tears and the lamentations were so painful. The journalists who had kept a distance now came closer.
I noticed a young police officer wiping tears and shaking his head vigorously and this hurt me the more. You can only discover there were homesteads when you see bricks, some spared iron sheets, some other household goods that had now been turned black. Before the houses were torched some were vandalized and properties were scattered outside. The Catholic Church had not been burnt. But it had been seriously profaned. The doors had been broken, the windows smashed and the glass spread all over. The holy of holiness, the altar, the tabernacle the most sacred places had been tampered with and cut into pieces. I could not understand the motive of destroying and disfiguring the statue of Mary. The poster bearing the image of Pope Benedict XVI had been badly pierced and there was disorder in the church. Rosaries were cut into pieces.
A man was able to identify a rosary that belonged to his mother. I blessed it and let him carry it to her. In the school, everything was in total mess spread all over. The furniture was damaged, cut into pieces or simply scattered out of place. At the head teacher’s office, there was no place to step in. The desks and the shelves had been destroyed and all the materials sprinkled on the floor. Text books, exercise books, packets of chalk had been littered. A similar dreadful face confronted us at the teachers’ staffroom. We toured the village collecting various items; chairs, books, spoons either lifted from the school, the church or homesteads and abandoned in the forest.
I had never seen search a massive herd of camels at one place at one given time. They filled the whole place. They exceeded 20,000 camels. The police men had pushed an equal number across the mountains in the previous day. The men in seeing the camels were agitated, they became irate. The village elder explains “we saw the camels first, as we wondered due to their number, there was shooting and our houses began to burn”. He narrated how it all started. “We had not seen the owners, but the camels. When we reported, we were ridiculed by the police officers; can camels shoot or torch a house?” a heated discussion ensured as policemen tried to explain to the elders’ dissatisfaction.
The situation was getting out of control; I invited the OCPD and his team for a meeting with the elders and probably invite some groups from the camel herders who were not far. The officers and Turkana elders accepted but to bring a Borana on board was not viable. After a fruitless hour of consultation the OCPD declared; “you will not go back to the backyard of the police station, you either remain here or I will take you to the stadium” Roma locuata causa finita. At this time as we sought the next move, the police officers jumped into their vehicles and sped off.
As the dust calmed down, only the camels that earlier we had known to “shoot and torch” and six police officers are visible. We are at the middle of the camels at the battle field. I called the group for a prayer. At the end of it, I could not only read my own tension but it was in all the faces in front me. How can we get out of here? Are we safe? “Hapa kuna njama, wametudanganya tuingie kwa magari yao na sasa wametuleta hapa na kutuachia adui. Hatuna silaha kama wao, tena tuko wachache. Hata ka nikubaki, hatuna chakula. Kwanini wanatufanyia hivi” Complained one man.
Two hours later, two GK Lorries brought back the women and children. Dumped them and went back. It was assumed that shelters like tents, food, water will be provided but all in vain. People remained in darkness, the night was unusually chilly and dark perhaps to celebrate the misfortune. Men organized themselves to remain awake guarding their families till the following day.
All looked exhausted. They appeared a people without a future and hopeless. Some mothers had given up the struggle and they complained kwanini wasitumalize badala ya kutuangaisha hivi. Hata hawa askari siwana bunduki, siwatuue, waenda wakapumzike? I got disturbed and disappointed. Where is the rule of law? Where are the executors of law? Who are the leaders of Isiolo who should intervene to restore hope to these displaced residents? Where is the conscience of the government officers?
Fr Makau is the chair of the Consolata Missionaries Justice and Peace Commission.
For the past five months Isiolo County has experienced nasty episodes. Despite being a natural disaster county, it has now turned to a human designed disaster. To many, the problem is invented so as to answer to some personal or particular group’s interest. The recent conflict between the Borana who are searching for pasture for their animals and the Turkana has left many wondering. The clash has left about 30 people dead and many displaced. It has returned the development stride to the scratch as property was reduced to ashes and potential income generating people maimed and incapacitated. Disheartening is the fact that the dispute has not been given any sensible attention.
A councilor was arrested and accused of inciting the Turkanas. There is a calculated move to ignore the plight of the victims. Reasons are given that the land in dispute is trust land and no one can claim ownership. The constitution is quoted to defend the position of Borana’s entry to the place saying that everyone has a right to live anywhere in Kenya. But they deliberately avoid quoting the clause that defends the freedom and right against invasion, forceful eviction and the right to ownership. In defending the right of the Borana to graze their camels anywhere, it is to accuse the Turkanas for farming or erecting their houses which bars the presence of the animals.
One is forced to repeat the question the Turkana community is asking; What is the motive of the Boranas keeping so many animals if there is scarcity of grazing land? Why did the Borana move to Camp Garba at this moment of the year? If they are only after food for their animals, why kill people and burn houses? The church and the school destruction, lingers very serious questions; is it a tribal clash or a religious conflict, is it a fight over resources or fight over chiefdom dominance, is it power wrangle or it is economic strength, is to tell who is the host community or the newcomer? Is it a way to prepare who will own the resource city that Isiolo is being designed to be?
Who is responsible and who can help avert it? The local leaders and particularly the area MP has been absent from the area. Very little has been done to call for a resolution. Now is the time to seek an equitable justice. Further delay will escalate the conflict. It has been explained, “it is the culture of the Borana people to keep animals”. But is it their culture also to be hostile and violent? Their neighbors also have their culture. Now is the time to develop a new culture of coexistence. Let the Borana elders be summoned by the state law and be forced to acknowledge that their culture is not in isolation and that it is not just to promote their own haven without care of the others’. Let culture and tradition not be used to justify or explain a conflict that has claimed lives and destroyed properties. Validating such culture and tradition is only a limping pretext that does not pass the test of credibility.
March 14, 2012, I visited the catholic mission at Camp Garba which hosts over 600 people in the open ground in very dire circumstances. I visited Kiwanja, Eremet and mashambani villages where they had escaped from. The villages of Bulagadud and LMD were also empty as people had run away for their safety. I was saddened by the ugly incident which I found. The catholic Consolata missionaries, Fr Tallone and Fr Wambua have opened doors to the children and mothers as other women and men are spread across the compound. Fr Wambua guided me through the compound; crowded, with dusty, torn mattress, blankets, worn out sheets and all sorts of house hold goods are scattered all over. The demarcation of occupancy space is the far the mattress can reach. Given that the cemented corridors of the clergy house, the sisters’ convent and those of the school are not enough, others find space along the fence and under the trees. Since the school is still on, they have to vacate the place before 7.00 am before pupils come and return at 5.00pm when the school day is over.
This is the most painful moment that I have witnessed. I stood near the police post and 200m away I could see small children, women with babies on their back, and men carrying their items packed in polythene bags or sacks coming to the mission for the night. At arrival it is still painful to see them rushing to get water or collecting grass for firewood to cook something. The mosquitoes sting leaving pimples. Children are crying as they scratch themselves all over due to irritation. One can hear the alternating cry of babies across the compound. As I visit groups am overwhelmed by fear as I see small bonfires scattered in the entire mission compound. “hawa wote ni waturu (Turkana’s) tulichomewa mahome zetu na waboraana” (all this are Turkanas, our houses were burned by the Boranas) a teenager told us.
As I look at the thickets, I could imagine of the invasion of snakes, scorpions or other crawling creatures. I see the same place has become a toilet. It is a nightmare to walk as one will be stepping on the excrement or surprise an adult at the call of nature. Cooking is done on the open. For those who have sick, aged or small babies in their family, they suffer a double tragedy. As the cooking items are not enough or conducive, there is also the danger of an accident and diseases.
March 15, 2012, I could see people going out of the church compound. They want to provide room to the school that is about to start. Majority are eligible to school, but theirs is far away. “our school is not here, it was there (pointing the direction), we ran away when camels came in and the owners were shooting us” a standard three girl at mashambani primary school told me, as I walked her and her family out to nowhere in particular. It was heart breaking to see families leave only to go out of the fence, gather in groups as they had nothing to do. Their village is across but they cannot dare return. They spend whole day in the same routine waiting for any hope. They are on their own; no one comes to speak to them except the catholic missionaries. The police who are expected to come to tell them to go back are silent.
As I talk to them I understand there is another group who went to camp at the Isiolo police station as a way to draw attention to their cause. But they are not wanted there. “This is my home and I can’t allow strangers to stay in. I don’t know who is who” the OCPD told me in asking him why he wanted the people to vacate the only place that looked securer. In the police station there are another 450 people who are living behind the post. It is a pain and nuisance to the police officers, it is a matter of their reputation and rank “but supposing something happens when they are here, who will be responsible” one of the police officer tells me. But an exchange ensures as one of the elders answers back very bitterly “it is better we die here and someone can report and be held responsible than being burned in the village”.
I discover that the police have arranged for two Lorries to take the people back to the villages they had run away from.
Things are in disarray. It is purported that the police station wasn’t secure. The people do not want to go back in fear of a possible attack and fear that they will be forgotten and they had nothing to sustain themselves, since all their belongs had been burned down or vandalized by the Borana invaders. As I tried to engage the OCPD to a negotiation, we reached a deal that men will go first to survey the situation accompanied by a contingent of police men. I opted to drive down the villages with them as a way of solidarity.
THE CAMELS OF ISIOLO THAT SHOOT AND BURN
Heaven broke loose. The village was ashes. No house is standing. No sooner had we reached the first village, the people jumped out of the vehicles crying “look here was my house, look this was my kitchen. Oh! Here, here they caught up my brother, here they killed him” the people scattered, each trying to trace their homestead that was no longer there. The exercise was guarded by Kenya police. Visible were exercise books, metallic and steel items that the fire could not reduce to complete ashes. The tears and the lamentations were so painful. The journalists who had kept a distance now came closer.
I noticed a young police officer wiping tears and shaking his head vigorously and this hurt me the more. You can only discover there were homesteads when you see bricks, some spared iron sheets, some other household goods that had now been turned black. Before the houses were torched some were vandalized and properties were scattered outside. The Catholic Church had not been burnt. But it had been seriously profaned. The doors had been broken, the windows smashed and the glass spread all over. The holy of holiness, the altar, the tabernacle the most sacred places had been tampered with and cut into pieces. I could not understand the motive of destroying and disfiguring the statue of Mary. The poster bearing the image of Pope Benedict XVI had been badly pierced and there was disorder in the church. Rosaries were cut into pieces.
A man was able to identify a rosary that belonged to his mother. I blessed it and let him carry it to her. In the school, everything was in total mess spread all over. The furniture was damaged, cut into pieces or simply scattered out of place. At the head teacher’s office, there was no place to step in. The desks and the shelves had been destroyed and all the materials sprinkled on the floor. Text books, exercise books, packets of chalk had been littered. A similar dreadful face confronted us at the teachers’ staffroom. We toured the village collecting various items; chairs, books, spoons either lifted from the school, the church or homesteads and abandoned in the forest.
I had never seen search a massive herd of camels at one place at one given time. They filled the whole place. They exceeded 20,000 camels. The police men had pushed an equal number across the mountains in the previous day. The men in seeing the camels were agitated, they became irate. The village elder explains “we saw the camels first, as we wondered due to their number, there was shooting and our houses began to burn”. He narrated how it all started. “We had not seen the owners, but the camels. When we reported, we were ridiculed by the police officers; can camels shoot or torch a house?” a heated discussion ensured as policemen tried to explain to the elders’ dissatisfaction.
The situation was getting out of control; I invited the OCPD and his team for a meeting with the elders and probably invite some groups from the camel herders who were not far. The officers and Turkana elders accepted but to bring a Borana on board was not viable. After a fruitless hour of consultation the OCPD declared; “you will not go back to the backyard of the police station, you either remain here or I will take you to the stadium” Roma locuata causa finita. At this time as we sought the next move, the police officers jumped into their vehicles and sped off.
As the dust calmed down, only the camels that earlier we had known to “shoot and torch” and six police officers are visible. We are at the middle of the camels at the battle field. I called the group for a prayer. At the end of it, I could not only read my own tension but it was in all the faces in front me. How can we get out of here? Are we safe? “Hapa kuna njama, wametudanganya tuingie kwa magari yao na sasa wametuleta hapa na kutuachia adui. Hatuna silaha kama wao, tena tuko wachache. Hata ka nikubaki, hatuna chakula. Kwanini wanatufanyia hivi” Complained one man.
Two hours later, two GK Lorries brought back the women and children. Dumped them and went back. It was assumed that shelters like tents, food, water will be provided but all in vain. People remained in darkness, the night was unusually chilly and dark perhaps to celebrate the misfortune. Men organized themselves to remain awake guarding their families till the following day.
All looked exhausted. They appeared a people without a future and hopeless. Some mothers had given up the struggle and they complained kwanini wasitumalize badala ya kutuangaisha hivi. Hata hawa askari siwana bunduki, siwatuue, waenda wakapumzike? I got disturbed and disappointed. Where is the rule of law? Where are the executors of law? Who are the leaders of Isiolo who should intervene to restore hope to these displaced residents? Where is the conscience of the government officers?
Fr Makau is the chair of the Consolata Missionaries Justice and Peace Commission.
Friday, March 16, 2012
ZIMBABWE: Pastoral Letter: “Proclaiming a Gospel of Life”
The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference have issued an extensive and wide-ranging Pastoral Letter, on upholding the dignity of human life. Reflecting on the debate preparing for Zimbabwe's new Constitution, the letter focuses particularly on capital punishment, abortion and same sex unions, with extensive references to Scripture, Papal and other documents. It is also interspersed with pauses for reflection.
Introduction:
In November 2011 Pope Benedict XVI visited Benin so as to hand over the Apostolic Exhortation 'Africae Munus’ (Africa’s Commitment). This was the fruit of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops held in October 2009. The theme of the Synod had been: The Church in Africa at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace, and it sought to encourage the Catholic Church on the continent of Africa to become 'salt of the earth and light of the world’ (Mt 5:13, 14); a true sign of the redeeming presence of Christ in our world today.
How best can we as Catholics be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace in Zimbabwe today? The Holy Father suggests in Africae Munus that if we are to be true witnesses to the power of Christ then we need to transform what we believe into concrete pastoral actions.
1. We are shaped by our faith and in turn our faith shapes and informs the choices we make. To be light and salt will involve living the truth of the Gospel in the daily choices and circumstances of our lives.
2. This is particularly important for us as we have begun the debate concerning a new Constitution for our nation. Writing a new Constitution is one thing but the words that are written need to be a serious reflection of the values we as people of Zimbabwe long to live by. We need a Constitution that is grounded and rooted in a living faith that bears witness to human and spiritual values. A Constitution that has a profound respect for the dignity of each human life and that takes us into the future confident that it will promote good governance and the lasting well-being of our country.
Among the many topics that have arisen in discussion in recent months have been issues surrounding capital punishment, abortion and same sex unions, these are all matters that touch the very core of our Christian values. We believe as Catholics that each person has been created in the image of God (Gen1:26f). It is therefore the responsibility of every society to ensure that every human life is protected and respected from the moment of conception until natural death. This is a basic principle of Catholic social teaching and so this is an opportune moment for us to reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches about the value and dignity of human life.
We do so because we have a responsibility to facilitate the formation of a genuinely informed Catholic conscience that can be salt and light in Zimbabwean society today. We do so in order 'to offer the faithful’ a 'catechesis which leads...to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.'
3. We do so to encourage all of us to take the path that proclaims the great value of our God given life.
Choose Life not death:
Addressing the Israelites, Moses put before them a clear choice, life or death (Deut 30: 15-20). Of course given the choice none of us would willingly choose death. We desire to live. Indeed in his encyclical, 'Evangelium Vitae’ (The Gospel of Life), Blessed John Paul II reminds us that at the very heart of Jesus' message is a 'Gospel of Life'. His entire mission can be summed up in the words: 'I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly' (Jn10:10).
4. We are made for life, because we are made by 'life' itself and we share God's life and have been given the seed of eternal life through Baptism. The word 'life' is thus rich in meaning.
Yet we do not always choose life, why? In the passage from St John's gospel mentioned above, where Jesus invites us to embrace life he also points out that the sheep that belong to him 'listen to his voice' (John 10: 27-30). Perhaps here we meet the reason for our failure to live our faith fully. Are we always sure that it is the voice of Jesus we are following in the choices we make?
We are surrounded by many conflicting and seductive voices. We live in a world that at times seems to have grown tired or deaf to the voice of God and Christians too seem to chase after and absorb the most popular opinions of the day regardless of whether they reflect gospel values. We need to take to heart the plea made by Pope Benedict XVI when speaking to political and religious leaders in Benin. He invited them to adopt 'a courageous ethical approach' to their responsibilities and to become 'promoters of your people’s future...true servants of hope.'
5. It is not only political and religious leaders who should be 'servants of hope’, and 'promoters of the future’. Rather all who follow Jesus Christ should strive through their witness to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity divinely given to every person. As Christians we have been given a mission to promote and defend life. When the Holy Trinity decided to enter creation through the incarnation, human beings became sharers in the very life of God hence every human being has immense value. The gospel of God's love for each person, the gospel of the dignity of each human being, and the gospel of life are therefore a single and indestructible gospel.
6. In the light of this we invite you to choose life and to be genuine catalysts of hope and life.
Pause for reflection: Pope Benedict has declared October 11, 2012 – Christ the King 2013 a ‘Year of Faith’. How does your faith challenge and affect the choices you make? What challenges to human dignity and respect of life do you encounter?
St Paul in Rom12: 1-4 invites us to not be conformed to the pattern of this present world but to be transformed by the ‘renewal of our minds’. Where have your own ideas about moral issues been influenced by the media and popular opinion?
Justice and peace have embraced:
Discussion surrounding the issue of capital punishment calls for careful and prayerful reflection because it deals with values of utmost importance: respect for the sanctity and protection of life, the preservation of law and order in society so as to provide a safe environment for our citizens and the dispensation of true justice. As Bishops we are aware that there are no simple solutions to these complex issues. Yet we recognise that our Catholic tradition has much to contribute to the current debate.
7. The teaching of the Catholic Church, as expressed in the Catechism, explains clearly the principles that are fundamental to understanding the issues surrounding the death penalty.
8. The Church has accepted that a State has a duty to protect its citizens from harm. Thus on this basis the death penalty has, in the past, been justified. The question for our present consideration is whether capital punishment is truly the most humane and Christian way of attending to the problem of criminal behaviour. Does depriving an individual of life change society?
Traditionally three arguments have been put forward to justify capital punishment: retribution, deterrence and reform. In reality it is doubtful whether the threat of capital punishment actually deters people from committing serious criminal acts.
Indeed there are strong arguments to suggest that people who are going to commit crime rarely consider the consequences. Reform likewise cannot be used as a justification since the person who is deprived of life is also deprived of the possibility of reform. As for retribution, of course it is true that people should pay for their crimes, but nothing is gained by taking the life of another as the person executed has no opportunity of making amends or reforming their character. Punishment for crimes, therefore, must be determined by moral objectives which go beyond the mere infliction of injury on the guilty person.
In the context of the gospel message of life, justice is always at the service of mercy.
9. It is only the mercy of God that establishes justice and without mercy there can be no justice. Therefore the question of justice, mercy and forgiveness
(Africa Munus, 83; Evengelium Vitae 56-57 8 CCC2265-2266 9 Dives in Misericordia 12; Deus Caritas Ets 26 are intimately related to the debate surrounding capital punishment.)
10. Indeed faced with the teaching and example of Jesus we are confronted with the fundamental question: What is the prime purpose of our penal system? If we answer that prison is concerned with punishment, then logically we can take someone's life for a serious crime. On the other hand, if we consider prison to be a place of reform, then we see it also as a means of redemption.
Clearly people who commit crimes need to take responsibility for their action and that will require them to serve a prison sentence but the reformation of their character is the ultimate purpose of incarceration and taking their life does not in fact restore to others what has been taken from them. Prison does not address the problem of criminal behaviour unless it involves a genuine program of rehabilitation. We believe that the punishment that any State imposes upon those who have broken the law needs careful monitoring and 'ought not to go to the extreme of executing' another human being.
11. Sacred Scripture makes clear, we do not have the right to deprive someone of life, even if they themselves have committed this crime. Life is sacred, God takes '... no pleasure in the death of anyone...' rather he wants everyone to live (Ezk18:32). The message of the gospel of life began with creation when human beings were given dignity because they were bearers of the image and likeness of God (Gen1:26; 9:6) Thus the very blood of Cain cried out against the crime of murder (Gen 4:9-12). Through the experience of the exodus God reveals that he is the sole giver of life and saves rather than destroys (Ex 1:15-22). As the Lord and giver of life God alone has the right to take away the gift that has been given. In fact he teaches through his revelation that life is sacred by proclaiming: 'You shall not kill' (Exd20:13). The deepest desire of God is to protect life and thus requires that we follow him by showing reverence and love for each person (Wis 2:33).
This culminates in the teaching of Jesus. 'An eye for an eye' is radically changed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:21-26; 38-42). He declares himself to be the 'way the truth and life' (Jn15:6). 'To believe in him is to have eternal life' (Jn11:25f) and his very personal experience of torture and crucifixion leads him to ask for forgiveness for the perpetrators (Lk23:34). On this basis we firmly believe that the abolition of the death penalty would send a clear message to the citizens of Zimbabwe concerning our deep belief in the worth and dignity of each person, no matter what they have done. Indeed it reminds us that the destructive cycle of violence can be broken, that the taking of another person's life ultimately solves nothing. More humane methods of responding to serious crimes can be envisioned.
We are clear, that the death penalty goes against God's law of life and the revelation that each person is unique. As Blessed John Paul II has written: Evangelium Vitae 56 “..to kill a human being, in whom the image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the master of life!”
12. Furthermore capital punishment is open to mistakes and misuse. People can and have been wrongly accused, and sentenced for crimes that they have not committed. To have deprived an innocent person of life is a moral evil. There is no justice system throughout the world that is totally free from error and to continue along the path of capital punishment is to inflict deep emotional as well as physical harm upon a creature made by God, upon their families and upon those who must carry out this tragic order as servants of the State. Zimbabwe is one of the few remaining nations in Africa that has retained capital punishment.
If we proclaim Jesus‟ respect for life then we do not have the right to deny life to anyone. This is why the Catholic Church speaks out in defence of the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Capital punishment should be abolished because it is God alone who can give and take away life. By standing for the abolition of the death penalty in our country we are not unaware of the need to offer sympathy and support to victims of violent crime and their families. We know that reform of our prison system is not an easy task but we are convinced that it is necessary so that we can become agents of genuine reform and rehabilitation of convicted criminals. Rather than maintaining the death penalty let us look towards a more creative and pastorally fruitful way of empowering people to choose to live life in the way God intends.
Pause for reflection: Read carefully Gen1; Ezk18: Jn19. Do these passages and the reflections above change your thoughts concerning the death penalty? If so how? If not, why?
In what one or two practical ways could the Catholic Church improve its pastoral care of those in prison and those newly released?
13. The Right to life: If we are truly to be at the service of justice then it is important to recognise that the first victim of abortion is the unborn child whose life has been deliberately ended. Taking the life of a child in the womb is as unjust as taking the life of any human being. The Catholic Church speaks out against abortion because it acknowledges the human rights and dignity of all people. To wilfully destroy life is an “unspeakable crime” against an innocent and defenceless gift from God.
14. The Church’s defence of life is based on the intrinsic value and inalienable rights that each individual has.
15. Because, as we mentioned above, we are made in the image and likeness of God, this gives to each life a divine property. Human life is thus untouchable and those who destroy this gift are attacking the creator
12 Evangelium Vitae 55 14 Gaudium Et Spes 51; EV 53, 73 CDF: Declaration on Procured Abortion, 1974, 1 Himself.
16. From the first to the last the message of scripture is unambiguous, the very foundation of human dignity and human rights is to be found in God's creative plan and purpose. The Catholic Church has thus a duty to incarnate this message in every culture and in every constitutional and social system.
The logic of abortion begins in the mentality that underpins the concept of contraception, abortion becomes yet another form of contraception, and a means of disposing of what is considered inconvenient and challenging. This naturally leads to a move to dispense with the sick, disabled and the elderly. With the willing complicity of many governments throughout the world colossal means have been used against people, at the dawn of their life or when thought to be a burden on national medical resources. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church has consistently stood against abortion because it degrades human rights and dignity.
What the Church teaches is consistent with the whole Christian teaching about the rights of the innocent to live. Without it, no other human rights are secure. Long before science was able to reveal the stages of development within the womb the Catholic Church has regarded the unborn, at all stages of pregnancy, as possessed of a distinct new life which no one could willingly choose to destroy.
17. As our understanding increased the Church began to defend life from the moment of conception. From the moment the father fertilizes a living cell from the mother„ the adventure of a human life begins’.
18. This is an important principle: Each new life is the life not of a potential human being, but of a human being with potential. It is impossible to point to the actual week of pregnancy and say that this is the time when the foetus suddenly becomes a human being.
19. The moment of conception begins the life story of each person and so is to be protected.
20. No human law can thus legislate for the deliberate killing of a human being and 'there is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws’.
21. If we speak of human rights then the child in the womb has rights no matter whether we choose to call this child a neonate (newly born) a foetus or embryo (child within the womb). The Catholic Church is clear, human rights are not arbitrary and there should be no interference with the natural development of the child in its mother's womb. Not even the parents have this right since the child is an independent life.
22 To go against this teaching and to procure an abortion is to put oneself outside the Church and incur the penalty of excommunication. This can only be lifted through the sacrament of reconciliation with a special dispensation of the Bishop.
We acknowledge that people find themselves facing difficult and confusing situations. Young girls find themselves used sexually by older youths or men and deserted when found to be pregnant. There are cases of rape and occasions when the pregnancy could injure the mothers‟ health. These are real life situations. The pressure to terminate can be great but we cannot use murder of the innocent as a solution to an unwanted problem.
Acting justly and facilitating reconciliation and peace in these tragic situations will involve us as Catholics in upholding the teaching of the Church concerning the sanctity of life.
23. A possible response to this pastoral letter is for parish communities and religious congregations to evaluate how best we can give practical support to women in their choice for life. Pre-abortion counselling, practical guidance and medical help during pregnancy, a safe place to deliver and the appropriate adoption advice are all concrete measures that we as the Catholic Church ought to see as our contribution to eradicate a culture of death.
Teaching the sanctity of life is one thing but we need to minimise the stress and confusion of those who find themselves with difficult life choices to make.
It is crucial that no matter how traumatic the conception of the child, no matter whether the woman intended to get pregnant or not, the newly conceived life cannot be blamed for its existence, the child surely has a right to life. This child is not to be labelled as an inconvenience, an obstacle, a problem; ultimately it is a human being who has a right to life. When we acknowledge the basic principle of the sanctity of life, the unique value of every person made in the image of God and the dominion of God over each life, we then see that abortion can never be in the plan of God. As Jesus said the golden rule is to be found in the way we treat one another: “What you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me!” (Matt 25:31-46) Human life not only has its origin in the manner of its creation but it carries within itself the promise of eternal life.
24. We simply have no right to destroy the gift of God.
Pause for Reflection: In what ways could we better understand the Church’s teaching on the value of each human being so as to promote a culture of life? What practical steps could we take so as to assist married couples and single mothers to choose life rather than abort?
Created to Love as God loves:
We come now to the issue of homosexuality, which is certainly not unconnected with human dignity and respect for life. Increasingly over the years homosexuality has become an accepted 'alternative lifestyle' in many societies.
Indeed many national Constitutions have enshrined the acceptance and protection of same-sex unions as another form of liberation and safeguard
(Gaudium et Spes, December 1965, 51 24 ibid, 39; Spe Salvi 10 against discrimination. While we must uphold and work for the human rights and respect of each person created by God, while we cannot tolerate discrimination, prejudice and violence against any sector of our society because of gender, age, political views or sexual orientation.
25. We must equally be clear what the Church teaches concerning sexual orientation and sexual acts.
As we approach this issue we do so recognising that we are not dealing with an academic topic for debate, a question of personal likes or dislikes, rather we are touching the lives of real people, men and women who struggle daily with an orientation that they have not freely or at times willingly chosen. There is, however, a deep and profound meaning in our sexual orientation, human sexuality and sexual activity go to the very core of who we are as human beings.
When it comes to homosexuality the Catholic Church has seen a distinction between tendency and behaviour. What we might call sexual desire and sexual expression. Our sexuality points to who we are as male or female, it is something we have no choice about, we are simply born male or female. Sexual expression on the other hand is a choice.
Consider for example those who struggle with alcohol abuse or eating disorders. They have a strong desire to drink or eat in excess or starve themselves. These desires are not a matter of sin, but that does not mean that they can freely indulge their desires. When God created us male and female our sexuality became inseparable from our call to a life-giving communion in the image and likeness of God. Original sin has obscured this call and we do not therefore see one another in the way that God intended. Hence one could validly say that all sexual desire, whether it is heterosexual or homosexual, suffers from a distortion because of the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3).26
Written into the very fabric of our bodies is a 'nuptial' meaning, we are made for marriage, (Gen2:24f)
27. Because marriage expresses God’s original purpose for creation. If someone experiences a strong attraction towards the same sex then this attraction, real as it is, cannot be said to be in accordance with God's original plan. It departs radically from God’s creation of the complementary nature of male and female.
It is in this sense that the Catholic Church speaks of homosexual orientation as 'disordered'
28. Which sounds harsh but what in reality is being said is that homosexuality is not the intended mode of sexual attraction and expression given by God. But disordered is not the same as saying that homosexuals are evil or sinful and beyond redemption. Homosexuality simply departs, as does so much of what passes as sexual expression among heterosexuals, from the original order established by God.
29. (Personae humanae: Declaration On Certain Problems of Sexual Ethics (1975) 8 See the Documents The Pastoral Care of Homosexuals, CDF on Sexual issues)
To experience true freedom in the area of human sexuality we all need redemption and must allow our sexual desires to be transformed by Christ. In this way we can begin to express ourselves sexually in the way God intended. To love as Christ loves, calls us to learn the true meaning of ourselves as male and female. It calls for conversion of heart. When God created human beings the invitation was to love either through marriage or celibacy.
30. This is what Adam and Eve discovered when they looked at each other for the first time. What they saw was the plan of love, the plan of God inscribed in their bodies. What they desired was to love as God loves in and through their bodies.
31. Sexuality and sexual activity unite us to the love of God. It is therefore not about mere physical pleasure or satisfying our curiosity.
True sexual union is union between a man and a woman, a union that is open to the possibility of children. It is simply impossible for members of the same sex to engage in the kind of sexual act that God had in mind.
32. Homosexuals are to be treated justly but the Catholic Church could never sanction a legal category such as 'same sex marriage'. This would be a contradiction, as marriage can only be between a man and woman. This however is not the same as 'civil partnerships' which is a legal acceptance of a bond of friendship, by the State, for matters of insurance, funeral arrangements, medical care, rights of inheritance etc.
People struggle with same-sex attraction and while we must never do anything that contributes to their being alienated or discriminated against, we must do everything in our power to help them, and ourselves, work towards a true redemption of our human sexuality in conformity to Christ.
33. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear; chastity is the only acceptable expression of love for those who experience themselves as homosexual. Abstaining from our disordered sexual desires is the true path to justice, peace and reconciliation for all of us no matter what our sexual orientation.
34. Pause for Reflection: How best could we create a deeper understanding of the beauty of human sexuality in our schools and Church groups?
As agents of reconciliation, justice and peace how can we provide pastoral care to those who are homosexual while upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman?
Conclusion:
(30 Familiaris Consortio 11;16 31 Theology of the Body For Beginners, Christopher West 26 32
CDF: Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons (1986) 6 33
See Christopher West’s book: Good News About Sex and Marriage (2000), Servant Publications, USA) On his return to Rome from Benin Pope Benedict said: "In Africa, I saw freshness in the 'yes' to life...a freshness of hope."
35. It is to that Gospel of Life, that 'yes' to life, that we have tried to point in this pastoral letter. As we reflect on 'Africae Munus' and seek to implement its fundamental guidelines we offer this pastoral letter as a step towards becoming 'salt to the earth and light to the world'. We need to grow deeper into our faith so that we can 'bear witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit.....while holding fast to the values of the Gospel.'
36. We need to create opportunities where we can reflect more deeply upon the great gift God has given through the Gospel of life. We need to be promoters of respect for life at all stages and in all ages and conditions. We need to integrate into our daily faith-filled living the teaching that we are not, as human beings, mere accidents of history. We are at root windows into the very heart of God and it is from that theological context that all discussion and understanding of capital punishment, abortion, and same sex unions should begin and find their fulfilment.
May our Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the life of the world, help us to be people who choose life not death.
+Angel Floro, Bishop of Gokwe (ZCBC President)
+Robert C Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare
+Alex Thomas, Archbishop of Bulawayo
+Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (ZCBC Vice President)
+Michael D Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo
+Martin Munyanyi, Bishop of Gweru (ZCBC Secretary/Treasurer)
+Dieter B Scholz SJ, Bishop of Chinhoyi
+Albert Serrano, Bishop of Hwange
+Patrick M Mutume, Auxiliary Bishop of Mutare
Introduction:
In November 2011 Pope Benedict XVI visited Benin so as to hand over the Apostolic Exhortation 'Africae Munus’ (Africa’s Commitment). This was the fruit of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops held in October 2009. The theme of the Synod had been: The Church in Africa at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace, and it sought to encourage the Catholic Church on the continent of Africa to become 'salt of the earth and light of the world’ (Mt 5:13, 14); a true sign of the redeeming presence of Christ in our world today.
How best can we as Catholics be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace in Zimbabwe today? The Holy Father suggests in Africae Munus that if we are to be true witnesses to the power of Christ then we need to transform what we believe into concrete pastoral actions.
1. We are shaped by our faith and in turn our faith shapes and informs the choices we make. To be light and salt will involve living the truth of the Gospel in the daily choices and circumstances of our lives.
2. This is particularly important for us as we have begun the debate concerning a new Constitution for our nation. Writing a new Constitution is one thing but the words that are written need to be a serious reflection of the values we as people of Zimbabwe long to live by. We need a Constitution that is grounded and rooted in a living faith that bears witness to human and spiritual values. A Constitution that has a profound respect for the dignity of each human life and that takes us into the future confident that it will promote good governance and the lasting well-being of our country.
Among the many topics that have arisen in discussion in recent months have been issues surrounding capital punishment, abortion and same sex unions, these are all matters that touch the very core of our Christian values. We believe as Catholics that each person has been created in the image of God (Gen1:26f). It is therefore the responsibility of every society to ensure that every human life is protected and respected from the moment of conception until natural death. This is a basic principle of Catholic social teaching and so this is an opportune moment for us to reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches about the value and dignity of human life.
We do so because we have a responsibility to facilitate the formation of a genuinely informed Catholic conscience that can be salt and light in Zimbabwean society today. We do so in order 'to offer the faithful’ a 'catechesis which leads...to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.'
3. We do so to encourage all of us to take the path that proclaims the great value of our God given life.
Choose Life not death:
Addressing the Israelites, Moses put before them a clear choice, life or death (Deut 30: 15-20). Of course given the choice none of us would willingly choose death. We desire to live. Indeed in his encyclical, 'Evangelium Vitae’ (The Gospel of Life), Blessed John Paul II reminds us that at the very heart of Jesus' message is a 'Gospel of Life'. His entire mission can be summed up in the words: 'I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly' (Jn10:10).
4. We are made for life, because we are made by 'life' itself and we share God's life and have been given the seed of eternal life through Baptism. The word 'life' is thus rich in meaning.
Yet we do not always choose life, why? In the passage from St John's gospel mentioned above, where Jesus invites us to embrace life he also points out that the sheep that belong to him 'listen to his voice' (John 10: 27-30). Perhaps here we meet the reason for our failure to live our faith fully. Are we always sure that it is the voice of Jesus we are following in the choices we make?
We are surrounded by many conflicting and seductive voices. We live in a world that at times seems to have grown tired or deaf to the voice of God and Christians too seem to chase after and absorb the most popular opinions of the day regardless of whether they reflect gospel values. We need to take to heart the plea made by Pope Benedict XVI when speaking to political and religious leaders in Benin. He invited them to adopt 'a courageous ethical approach' to their responsibilities and to become 'promoters of your people’s future...true servants of hope.'
5. It is not only political and religious leaders who should be 'servants of hope’, and 'promoters of the future’. Rather all who follow Jesus Christ should strive through their witness to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity divinely given to every person. As Christians we have been given a mission to promote and defend life. When the Holy Trinity decided to enter creation through the incarnation, human beings became sharers in the very life of God hence every human being has immense value. The gospel of God's love for each person, the gospel of the dignity of each human being, and the gospel of life are therefore a single and indestructible gospel.
6. In the light of this we invite you to choose life and to be genuine catalysts of hope and life.
Pause for reflection: Pope Benedict has declared October 11, 2012 – Christ the King 2013 a ‘Year of Faith’. How does your faith challenge and affect the choices you make? What challenges to human dignity and respect of life do you encounter?
St Paul in Rom12: 1-4 invites us to not be conformed to the pattern of this present world but to be transformed by the ‘renewal of our minds’. Where have your own ideas about moral issues been influenced by the media and popular opinion?
Justice and peace have embraced:
Discussion surrounding the issue of capital punishment calls for careful and prayerful reflection because it deals with values of utmost importance: respect for the sanctity and protection of life, the preservation of law and order in society so as to provide a safe environment for our citizens and the dispensation of true justice. As Bishops we are aware that there are no simple solutions to these complex issues. Yet we recognise that our Catholic tradition has much to contribute to the current debate.
7. The teaching of the Catholic Church, as expressed in the Catechism, explains clearly the principles that are fundamental to understanding the issues surrounding the death penalty.
8. The Church has accepted that a State has a duty to protect its citizens from harm. Thus on this basis the death penalty has, in the past, been justified. The question for our present consideration is whether capital punishment is truly the most humane and Christian way of attending to the problem of criminal behaviour. Does depriving an individual of life change society?
Traditionally three arguments have been put forward to justify capital punishment: retribution, deterrence and reform. In reality it is doubtful whether the threat of capital punishment actually deters people from committing serious criminal acts.
Indeed there are strong arguments to suggest that people who are going to commit crime rarely consider the consequences. Reform likewise cannot be used as a justification since the person who is deprived of life is also deprived of the possibility of reform. As for retribution, of course it is true that people should pay for their crimes, but nothing is gained by taking the life of another as the person executed has no opportunity of making amends or reforming their character. Punishment for crimes, therefore, must be determined by moral objectives which go beyond the mere infliction of injury on the guilty person.
In the context of the gospel message of life, justice is always at the service of mercy.
9. It is only the mercy of God that establishes justice and without mercy there can be no justice. Therefore the question of justice, mercy and forgiveness
(Africa Munus, 83; Evengelium Vitae 56-57 8 CCC2265-2266 9 Dives in Misericordia 12; Deus Caritas Ets 26 are intimately related to the debate surrounding capital punishment.)
10. Indeed faced with the teaching and example of Jesus we are confronted with the fundamental question: What is the prime purpose of our penal system? If we answer that prison is concerned with punishment, then logically we can take someone's life for a serious crime. On the other hand, if we consider prison to be a place of reform, then we see it also as a means of redemption.
Clearly people who commit crimes need to take responsibility for their action and that will require them to serve a prison sentence but the reformation of their character is the ultimate purpose of incarceration and taking their life does not in fact restore to others what has been taken from them. Prison does not address the problem of criminal behaviour unless it involves a genuine program of rehabilitation. We believe that the punishment that any State imposes upon those who have broken the law needs careful monitoring and 'ought not to go to the extreme of executing' another human being.
11. Sacred Scripture makes clear, we do not have the right to deprive someone of life, even if they themselves have committed this crime. Life is sacred, God takes '... no pleasure in the death of anyone...' rather he wants everyone to live (Ezk18:32). The message of the gospel of life began with creation when human beings were given dignity because they were bearers of the image and likeness of God (Gen1:26; 9:6) Thus the very blood of Cain cried out against the crime of murder (Gen 4:9-12). Through the experience of the exodus God reveals that he is the sole giver of life and saves rather than destroys (Ex 1:15-22). As the Lord and giver of life God alone has the right to take away the gift that has been given. In fact he teaches through his revelation that life is sacred by proclaiming: 'You shall not kill' (Exd20:13). The deepest desire of God is to protect life and thus requires that we follow him by showing reverence and love for each person (Wis 2:33).
This culminates in the teaching of Jesus. 'An eye for an eye' is radically changed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:21-26; 38-42). He declares himself to be the 'way the truth and life' (Jn15:6). 'To believe in him is to have eternal life' (Jn11:25f) and his very personal experience of torture and crucifixion leads him to ask for forgiveness for the perpetrators (Lk23:34). On this basis we firmly believe that the abolition of the death penalty would send a clear message to the citizens of Zimbabwe concerning our deep belief in the worth and dignity of each person, no matter what they have done. Indeed it reminds us that the destructive cycle of violence can be broken, that the taking of another person's life ultimately solves nothing. More humane methods of responding to serious crimes can be envisioned.
We are clear, that the death penalty goes against God's law of life and the revelation that each person is unique. As Blessed John Paul II has written: Evangelium Vitae 56 “..to kill a human being, in whom the image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the master of life!”
12. Furthermore capital punishment is open to mistakes and misuse. People can and have been wrongly accused, and sentenced for crimes that they have not committed. To have deprived an innocent person of life is a moral evil. There is no justice system throughout the world that is totally free from error and to continue along the path of capital punishment is to inflict deep emotional as well as physical harm upon a creature made by God, upon their families and upon those who must carry out this tragic order as servants of the State. Zimbabwe is one of the few remaining nations in Africa that has retained capital punishment.
If we proclaim Jesus‟ respect for life then we do not have the right to deny life to anyone. This is why the Catholic Church speaks out in defence of the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Capital punishment should be abolished because it is God alone who can give and take away life. By standing for the abolition of the death penalty in our country we are not unaware of the need to offer sympathy and support to victims of violent crime and their families. We know that reform of our prison system is not an easy task but we are convinced that it is necessary so that we can become agents of genuine reform and rehabilitation of convicted criminals. Rather than maintaining the death penalty let us look towards a more creative and pastorally fruitful way of empowering people to choose to live life in the way God intends.
Pause for reflection: Read carefully Gen1; Ezk18: Jn19. Do these passages and the reflections above change your thoughts concerning the death penalty? If so how? If not, why?
In what one or two practical ways could the Catholic Church improve its pastoral care of those in prison and those newly released?
13. The Right to life: If we are truly to be at the service of justice then it is important to recognise that the first victim of abortion is the unborn child whose life has been deliberately ended. Taking the life of a child in the womb is as unjust as taking the life of any human being. The Catholic Church speaks out against abortion because it acknowledges the human rights and dignity of all people. To wilfully destroy life is an “unspeakable crime” against an innocent and defenceless gift from God.
14. The Church’s defence of life is based on the intrinsic value and inalienable rights that each individual has.
15. Because, as we mentioned above, we are made in the image and likeness of God, this gives to each life a divine property. Human life is thus untouchable and those who destroy this gift are attacking the creator
12 Evangelium Vitae 55 14 Gaudium Et Spes 51; EV 53, 73 CDF: Declaration on Procured Abortion, 1974, 1 Himself.
16. From the first to the last the message of scripture is unambiguous, the very foundation of human dignity and human rights is to be found in God's creative plan and purpose. The Catholic Church has thus a duty to incarnate this message in every culture and in every constitutional and social system.
The logic of abortion begins in the mentality that underpins the concept of contraception, abortion becomes yet another form of contraception, and a means of disposing of what is considered inconvenient and challenging. This naturally leads to a move to dispense with the sick, disabled and the elderly. With the willing complicity of many governments throughout the world colossal means have been used against people, at the dawn of their life or when thought to be a burden on national medical resources. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church has consistently stood against abortion because it degrades human rights and dignity.
What the Church teaches is consistent with the whole Christian teaching about the rights of the innocent to live. Without it, no other human rights are secure. Long before science was able to reveal the stages of development within the womb the Catholic Church has regarded the unborn, at all stages of pregnancy, as possessed of a distinct new life which no one could willingly choose to destroy.
17. As our understanding increased the Church began to defend life from the moment of conception. From the moment the father fertilizes a living cell from the mother„ the adventure of a human life begins’.
18. This is an important principle: Each new life is the life not of a potential human being, but of a human being with potential. It is impossible to point to the actual week of pregnancy and say that this is the time when the foetus suddenly becomes a human being.
19. The moment of conception begins the life story of each person and so is to be protected.
20. No human law can thus legislate for the deliberate killing of a human being and 'there is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws’.
21. If we speak of human rights then the child in the womb has rights no matter whether we choose to call this child a neonate (newly born) a foetus or embryo (child within the womb). The Catholic Church is clear, human rights are not arbitrary and there should be no interference with the natural development of the child in its mother's womb. Not even the parents have this right since the child is an independent life.
22 To go against this teaching and to procure an abortion is to put oneself outside the Church and incur the penalty of excommunication. This can only be lifted through the sacrament of reconciliation with a special dispensation of the Bishop.
We acknowledge that people find themselves facing difficult and confusing situations. Young girls find themselves used sexually by older youths or men and deserted when found to be pregnant. There are cases of rape and occasions when the pregnancy could injure the mothers‟ health. These are real life situations. The pressure to terminate can be great but we cannot use murder of the innocent as a solution to an unwanted problem.
Acting justly and facilitating reconciliation and peace in these tragic situations will involve us as Catholics in upholding the teaching of the Church concerning the sanctity of life.
23. A possible response to this pastoral letter is for parish communities and religious congregations to evaluate how best we can give practical support to women in their choice for life. Pre-abortion counselling, practical guidance and medical help during pregnancy, a safe place to deliver and the appropriate adoption advice are all concrete measures that we as the Catholic Church ought to see as our contribution to eradicate a culture of death.
Teaching the sanctity of life is one thing but we need to minimise the stress and confusion of those who find themselves with difficult life choices to make.
It is crucial that no matter how traumatic the conception of the child, no matter whether the woman intended to get pregnant or not, the newly conceived life cannot be blamed for its existence, the child surely has a right to life. This child is not to be labelled as an inconvenience, an obstacle, a problem; ultimately it is a human being who has a right to life. When we acknowledge the basic principle of the sanctity of life, the unique value of every person made in the image of God and the dominion of God over each life, we then see that abortion can never be in the plan of God. As Jesus said the golden rule is to be found in the way we treat one another: “What you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me!” (Matt 25:31-46) Human life not only has its origin in the manner of its creation but it carries within itself the promise of eternal life.
24. We simply have no right to destroy the gift of God.
Pause for Reflection: In what ways could we better understand the Church’s teaching on the value of each human being so as to promote a culture of life? What practical steps could we take so as to assist married couples and single mothers to choose life rather than abort?
Created to Love as God loves:
We come now to the issue of homosexuality, which is certainly not unconnected with human dignity and respect for life. Increasingly over the years homosexuality has become an accepted 'alternative lifestyle' in many societies.
Indeed many national Constitutions have enshrined the acceptance and protection of same-sex unions as another form of liberation and safeguard
(Gaudium et Spes, December 1965, 51 24 ibid, 39; Spe Salvi 10 against discrimination. While we must uphold and work for the human rights and respect of each person created by God, while we cannot tolerate discrimination, prejudice and violence against any sector of our society because of gender, age, political views or sexual orientation.
25. We must equally be clear what the Church teaches concerning sexual orientation and sexual acts.
As we approach this issue we do so recognising that we are not dealing with an academic topic for debate, a question of personal likes or dislikes, rather we are touching the lives of real people, men and women who struggle daily with an orientation that they have not freely or at times willingly chosen. There is, however, a deep and profound meaning in our sexual orientation, human sexuality and sexual activity go to the very core of who we are as human beings.
When it comes to homosexuality the Catholic Church has seen a distinction between tendency and behaviour. What we might call sexual desire and sexual expression. Our sexuality points to who we are as male or female, it is something we have no choice about, we are simply born male or female. Sexual expression on the other hand is a choice.
Consider for example those who struggle with alcohol abuse or eating disorders. They have a strong desire to drink or eat in excess or starve themselves. These desires are not a matter of sin, but that does not mean that they can freely indulge their desires. When God created us male and female our sexuality became inseparable from our call to a life-giving communion in the image and likeness of God. Original sin has obscured this call and we do not therefore see one another in the way that God intended. Hence one could validly say that all sexual desire, whether it is heterosexual or homosexual, suffers from a distortion because of the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3).26
Written into the very fabric of our bodies is a 'nuptial' meaning, we are made for marriage, (Gen2:24f)
27. Because marriage expresses God’s original purpose for creation. If someone experiences a strong attraction towards the same sex then this attraction, real as it is, cannot be said to be in accordance with God's original plan. It departs radically from God’s creation of the complementary nature of male and female.
It is in this sense that the Catholic Church speaks of homosexual orientation as 'disordered'
28. Which sounds harsh but what in reality is being said is that homosexuality is not the intended mode of sexual attraction and expression given by God. But disordered is not the same as saying that homosexuals are evil or sinful and beyond redemption. Homosexuality simply departs, as does so much of what passes as sexual expression among heterosexuals, from the original order established by God.
29. (Personae humanae: Declaration On Certain Problems of Sexual Ethics (1975) 8 See the Documents The Pastoral Care of Homosexuals, CDF on Sexual issues)
To experience true freedom in the area of human sexuality we all need redemption and must allow our sexual desires to be transformed by Christ. In this way we can begin to express ourselves sexually in the way God intended. To love as Christ loves, calls us to learn the true meaning of ourselves as male and female. It calls for conversion of heart. When God created human beings the invitation was to love either through marriage or celibacy.
30. This is what Adam and Eve discovered when they looked at each other for the first time. What they saw was the plan of love, the plan of God inscribed in their bodies. What they desired was to love as God loves in and through their bodies.
31. Sexuality and sexual activity unite us to the love of God. It is therefore not about mere physical pleasure or satisfying our curiosity.
True sexual union is union between a man and a woman, a union that is open to the possibility of children. It is simply impossible for members of the same sex to engage in the kind of sexual act that God had in mind.
32. Homosexuals are to be treated justly but the Catholic Church could never sanction a legal category such as 'same sex marriage'. This would be a contradiction, as marriage can only be between a man and woman. This however is not the same as 'civil partnerships' which is a legal acceptance of a bond of friendship, by the State, for matters of insurance, funeral arrangements, medical care, rights of inheritance etc.
People struggle with same-sex attraction and while we must never do anything that contributes to their being alienated or discriminated against, we must do everything in our power to help them, and ourselves, work towards a true redemption of our human sexuality in conformity to Christ.
33. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear; chastity is the only acceptable expression of love for those who experience themselves as homosexual. Abstaining from our disordered sexual desires is the true path to justice, peace and reconciliation for all of us no matter what our sexual orientation.
34. Pause for Reflection: How best could we create a deeper understanding of the beauty of human sexuality in our schools and Church groups?
As agents of reconciliation, justice and peace how can we provide pastoral care to those who are homosexual while upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman?
Conclusion:
(30 Familiaris Consortio 11;16 31 Theology of the Body For Beginners, Christopher West 26 32
CDF: Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons (1986) 6 33
See Christopher West’s book: Good News About Sex and Marriage (2000), Servant Publications, USA) On his return to Rome from Benin Pope Benedict said: "In Africa, I saw freshness in the 'yes' to life...a freshness of hope."
35. It is to that Gospel of Life, that 'yes' to life, that we have tried to point in this pastoral letter. As we reflect on 'Africae Munus' and seek to implement its fundamental guidelines we offer this pastoral letter as a step towards becoming 'salt to the earth and light to the world'. We need to grow deeper into our faith so that we can 'bear witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit.....while holding fast to the values of the Gospel.'
36. We need to create opportunities where we can reflect more deeply upon the great gift God has given through the Gospel of life. We need to be promoters of respect for life at all stages and in all ages and conditions. We need to integrate into our daily faith-filled living the teaching that we are not, as human beings, mere accidents of history. We are at root windows into the very heart of God and it is from that theological context that all discussion and understanding of capital punishment, abortion, and same sex unions should begin and find their fulfilment.
May our Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the life of the world, help us to be people who choose life not death.
+Angel Floro, Bishop of Gokwe (ZCBC President)
+Robert C Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare
+Alex Thomas, Archbishop of Bulawayo
+Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (ZCBC Vice President)
+Michael D Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo
+Martin Munyanyi, Bishop of Gweru (ZCBC Secretary/Treasurer)
+Dieter B Scholz SJ, Bishop of Chinhoyi
+Albert Serrano, Bishop of Hwange
+Patrick M Mutume, Auxiliary Bishop of Mutare
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Book for Man or the Man for the Book
By Nigerian Bishop Emeritus of Ekiti Catholic Diocese, Michael Olatunji Fagun.
The opinion expressed in Much ado about Qur’an burning by Disu Kamor, Director of Media and Communications Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) in the Wednesday March 7, 2012, edition of The Guardian, page 51 makes a good defense of the sacred and due respect for cultural values and personal feelings of others, making reference to the age old saying in every religion – treat others as you would like to be treated.
But the expressed opinion of Kamor, as good and convincing as it was, fails to see the other side of the problem beyond the sacrilege of burning holy books. That is, the sacrilege of wanton destruction of human life at the least provocation of Muslim religious sentiment.
Every sound religion condemns murder and culprits are decisively dealt with. Two wrongs do not make a right. In fact, in honest opinion, human life is more sacred than any holy book, for the book, whatever its source, is made for man and not man for the book.
Though Kamor, in his socio-political harangue against the Western world, referred to Pope Benedict’s reference to what an emperor said about Islam without truly meaning any harm, but seemed to have closed his eyes on the wanton killings of unconnected people by some irate fanatical Muslims on that occasion, as if it did not matter. Let me limit this intervention to our problems with Muslim fanaticism in Nigeria.
The wisdom of our people advises that while you lash out on the thief, you should caution the robbed to be security conscious. Right thinking Nigerians would expect the enlightened members of the Islamic religion to caution and do something positive to stop the excesses of the so called radical or fanatical Muslims from desecrating human life in Nigeria as it is customary of them, even without any provocation, except for the existence of people of different faiths living where Muslims are in the majority. This is evidenced in our history as shown below.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, jihads fought by Uthman Dan Fodio and others led to the forced conversion, enslavement or killing of traditional believers he overcame in Nigeria. Victims of this episode are still licking their wounds and nursing their grudge in the Plateau area of Nigeria.
An offshoot of Islam called the Yan Tatsine violently rebelled against the authorities and non-members. These radical Muslims were inspired by Maitatsine in 1972 using Qur’anic students called almajiri or gardawa and unemployed migrants to lash out havoc on the Nigerian populace.
During the 1980s, Islamic religious riots were very prominent in Nigeria. They occurred in and around the cities of Kano in 1980, Kaduna in 1982, Jimeta in 1984 and in Gombe in 1985 involving gory killings of human beings.
There were clashes in October 1982 when Muslim zealots in Kano were able to enforce their power to keep the Anglican House Church from expanding its size and power base, as they saw it as a threat to the nearby Mosque, even though the Anglican House Church had been there forty years prior to the building of the Mosque.
The sad practice of not granting land for church building in the Muslim north of Nigeria is still prevalent.
Also, there were two student associations in Nigeria who came into conflict, the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) and the Muslim Students Society (MSS). On one occasion there was an evangelical campaign organized by the FCS and brought into question why one sect should dominate the campus of the Kafanchan College of Education, Kaduna State.
This quarrel accelerated to the point where the Muslim students organized protests around the city that culminated in the burning of a Church at the college. The Christian majority at the college retaliated on March 9, 1982 when twelve people died and several Mosques were burnt.
The most worrisome today is the Boko Haram movement that has also been connected to the Al-Qaeda movement who claim to be promoting the cause of Islam. They want to implement Sharia law across some six Northern States of Nigeria through the bombing of Christian Churches and indiscriminate killings of innocent Nigerians currently. No right thinking person would accept this infernal ideology and practice.
These occurrences do not speak well of any religious body. Enough is enough. Let our good Muslims redeem the name of Islam in Nigeria from the hands of its spoilers. There should be no more of the proverbial swallowing of the camel and spitting the gnat. The book is made for man and not man for the book. Both should be held sacred. There should be no more human sacrifice at the altar of any sacred object.
The opinion expressed in Much ado about Qur’an burning by Disu Kamor, Director of Media and Communications Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) in the Wednesday March 7, 2012, edition of The Guardian, page 51 makes a good defense of the sacred and due respect for cultural values and personal feelings of others, making reference to the age old saying in every religion – treat others as you would like to be treated.
But the expressed opinion of Kamor, as good and convincing as it was, fails to see the other side of the problem beyond the sacrilege of burning holy books. That is, the sacrilege of wanton destruction of human life at the least provocation of Muslim religious sentiment.
Every sound religion condemns murder and culprits are decisively dealt with. Two wrongs do not make a right. In fact, in honest opinion, human life is more sacred than any holy book, for the book, whatever its source, is made for man and not man for the book.
Though Kamor, in his socio-political harangue against the Western world, referred to Pope Benedict’s reference to what an emperor said about Islam without truly meaning any harm, but seemed to have closed his eyes on the wanton killings of unconnected people by some irate fanatical Muslims on that occasion, as if it did not matter. Let me limit this intervention to our problems with Muslim fanaticism in Nigeria.
The wisdom of our people advises that while you lash out on the thief, you should caution the robbed to be security conscious. Right thinking Nigerians would expect the enlightened members of the Islamic religion to caution and do something positive to stop the excesses of the so called radical or fanatical Muslims from desecrating human life in Nigeria as it is customary of them, even without any provocation, except for the existence of people of different faiths living where Muslims are in the majority. This is evidenced in our history as shown below.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, jihads fought by Uthman Dan Fodio and others led to the forced conversion, enslavement or killing of traditional believers he overcame in Nigeria. Victims of this episode are still licking their wounds and nursing their grudge in the Plateau area of Nigeria.
An offshoot of Islam called the Yan Tatsine violently rebelled against the authorities and non-members. These radical Muslims were inspired by Maitatsine in 1972 using Qur’anic students called almajiri or gardawa and unemployed migrants to lash out havoc on the Nigerian populace.
During the 1980s, Islamic religious riots were very prominent in Nigeria. They occurred in and around the cities of Kano in 1980, Kaduna in 1982, Jimeta in 1984 and in Gombe in 1985 involving gory killings of human beings.
There were clashes in October 1982 when Muslim zealots in Kano were able to enforce their power to keep the Anglican House Church from expanding its size and power base, as they saw it as a threat to the nearby Mosque, even though the Anglican House Church had been there forty years prior to the building of the Mosque.
The sad practice of not granting land for church building in the Muslim north of Nigeria is still prevalent.
Also, there were two student associations in Nigeria who came into conflict, the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) and the Muslim Students Society (MSS). On one occasion there was an evangelical campaign organized by the FCS and brought into question why one sect should dominate the campus of the Kafanchan College of Education, Kaduna State.
This quarrel accelerated to the point where the Muslim students organized protests around the city that culminated in the burning of a Church at the college. The Christian majority at the college retaliated on March 9, 1982 when twelve people died and several Mosques were burnt.
The most worrisome today is the Boko Haram movement that has also been connected to the Al-Qaeda movement who claim to be promoting the cause of Islam. They want to implement Sharia law across some six Northern States of Nigeria through the bombing of Christian Churches and indiscriminate killings of innocent Nigerians currently. No right thinking person would accept this infernal ideology and practice.
These occurrences do not speak well of any religious body. Enough is enough. Let our good Muslims redeem the name of Islam in Nigeria from the hands of its spoilers. There should be no more of the proverbial swallowing of the camel and spitting the gnat. The book is made for man and not man for the book. Both should be held sacred. There should be no more human sacrifice at the altar of any sacred object.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
OPINION: In Africa’s ‘Warm Heart'
Bishop Tells of Church in Malawi Growing and in Need of Priests
The southeast African country of Malawi is largely agricultural and known as the "warm heart of Africa," since hospitality is an essential custom in Malawi. The population, over 10 million, is 80% Christian and 14% Muslim. The Archdiocese of Blantyre is in the southern part of the country, extending from east to west and bordered by Mozambique on both sides.
Where God Weeps in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need spoke with Bishop Monfort Stima, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Blantyre.
Q: How would you describe the population distribution in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: Malawi is composed of isolated villages often linked by only dirt roads. During the rainy season one can hardly reach the people. A motorcycle is sometimes the only transportation with which one is able to get to the people. I rode a motorcycle for eight years as a young priest, but as I was getting older, I managed to get a car, which I now use on those dirt roads.
Q: You have been recently ordained a bishop. What was your reaction when you heard of your appointment?
Bishop Stima: I was surprised because I never thought that I would be appointed the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Blantyre. I am 52 and I thought that I'm old enough now simply to continue working as a priest. It was a shock. I had to pray about it. For the past 10 years I have been involved in the administration, I have been the Vicar General and I knew what it means to be in a position of leadership, but being a bishop was something different because now I become the father of the priests and my fellow Christians.
Q: Your name is Montfort Stima. Can you give us a history of your unique name?
Bishop Stima: The name Montfort comes from Louis Montfort, a priest from France. He started the congregation of the Montfort Fathers. The Montfort Fathers were the first to come to our diocese to evangelize. The name Montfort is often used in the villages. My parents thought that such a name was good to give to me.
Q: Did they have aspirations for a future religious life?
Bishop Stima: Definitely not, they did not know anything. My parents never went to school so they did not know anything [about the religious life]. They had no idea.
Q: What is your episcopal motto and why did you choose it?
Bishop Stima: My episcopal motto is "Feed My Sheep." Throughout my ministry as a priest, I had a passion for pastoral work. I had a calling to be a pastor and immediately after I became a bishop-elect I thought: "I have always done this and I have this passion. What would be the best motto and immediately 'Feed My Sheep' came to my mind."
Q: Most Malawians are dependent on agriculture and yet Malawi struggles with food security. Can you tell us a little bit about this challenge of poverty and food security?
Bishop Stima: Malawi depends on agriculture. We do have the resources but when you are dependent on agriculture, you also depend on God gracing you with a lot of rain. We are not yet into the technology of irrigation. There have been years where, indeed, we have been challenged by drought. The current government has been working hard to find alternatives and they have encouraged people to get into some form of irrigation projects, though still not much. What has helped, now and over the past three years is the government subsidy for fertilizers for some poor families. This has helped a lot.
Q: Another challenge, which has an impact on agricultural policy, is the growth of the urban centers. Why is the urban center growing so rapidly? What is the impact of this growth on agricultural lands?
Bishop Stima: People who have no formal education, particularly those from the villages, seek a better life in the urban centers. This contributes to their expansion. It is, however, the duty of the government to set up a system to allow the villagers to stay where they are by creating an environment for the villagers to earn an income and by creating a market for the village produce allowing the villagers to earn some income without them migrating to the urban centers.
Q: There is, of course a further challenge, when these people go to the cities without skills: they find themselves on the streets.
Bishop Stima: Exactly, and some people then commit crimes to get food.
Q: In Malawi over 80% are Christians and approximately 5% belong to traditional African religions. What do we understand about traditional African religion in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: They believe in one God but also believe in spirits; spirits of their parents and forefathers. These spirits act as intercessors to the one God. Most of them have shrines where they offer sacrifices. Most Malawians know something about the Christian God, apart from the Muslims, but there is a small group who are not converted to Christianity. They still believe in ancestral worship, traditional gods and beliefs. If you are a pagan and want to be Christian, you have to give up this life, although sometimes you will find a good Christian who goes to church, prays, and is perhaps an elder but if something bad happens to them they immediately think someone has caused it. They then rush to the traditional beliefs and try to find out who has done that. That is a kind of syncretism. They should simply go and pray to God.
Q: …and not to seek revenge…
Bishop Stima: Exactly. That is the kind of belief we are fighting for -- that people should know that nobody causes [bad things] in terms of witchcraft. You have to believe in God who will protect you. Similarly when a person gets sick, people also rush to traditional healers or witchcraft practices…
Q: Catholics make up four million of Malawi's 13 million. The Catholic Church is growing. How many baptisms would you have, for example in a year?
Bishop Stima: In most of the parishes in which I have been, there are over a thousand baptisms a year. These are just children. For adults, most likely around 200 to 300 -- and this is once they finish their instructions as catechumens after which they are baptized. I have been helping the bishop, even when I was still a vicar general, with the confirmations and I have sometimes had 1,300 people a day confirmed. This translates to a large number of Christians per year.
Q: Malawi has one of the highest divorce rates in all of Africa. I think about one-third of all Malawians are get divorced. Why?
Bishop Stima: The problem, at the moment, is that we have not established a research center where you can go and do a systematic research for the reasons for divorce. So this is just a guess. If you ask me, because I have witnessed this working in the parish, I would say that preparation is lacking. In the past, when we had the missionaries, there was a very good preparation. The families before they got into marriage were trained and formed into this lifelong commitment, but today, particularly the young people, just find each other in schools or wherever and decide to get married without a proper preparation. So what do you expect from them? It is unfortunate that in Malawi the family value, particularly in the urban areas, is diminished but it is still highly valued in the villages.
Q: Your Excellency, we have covered issues from the landscape, religious situation, and the growth of the Catholic Church. What are your greatest needs now in your diocese and for the Catholic Church in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: Our greatest need is to catechize the people, to deepen their faith. I believe that out of the deepening of faith every good will come out, whether development, [resolving] the problems of people, the question of hunger and food security, everything; if people deepen their faith, I feel the answers will be there.
Q: …and enough vocations and priests.
Bishop Stima: In Malawi, we do not have enough priests. I have been to a parish that has 80,000 Christians and there wer just the two of us.
* * *
This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
The southeast African country of Malawi is largely agricultural and known as the "warm heart of Africa," since hospitality is an essential custom in Malawi. The population, over 10 million, is 80% Christian and 14% Muslim. The Archdiocese of Blantyre is in the southern part of the country, extending from east to west and bordered by Mozambique on both sides.
Where God Weeps in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need spoke with Bishop Monfort Stima, the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Blantyre.
Q: How would you describe the population distribution in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: Malawi is composed of isolated villages often linked by only dirt roads. During the rainy season one can hardly reach the people. A motorcycle is sometimes the only transportation with which one is able to get to the people. I rode a motorcycle for eight years as a young priest, but as I was getting older, I managed to get a car, which I now use on those dirt roads.
Q: You have been recently ordained a bishop. What was your reaction when you heard of your appointment?
Bishop Stima: I was surprised because I never thought that I would be appointed the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Blantyre. I am 52 and I thought that I'm old enough now simply to continue working as a priest. It was a shock. I had to pray about it. For the past 10 years I have been involved in the administration, I have been the Vicar General and I knew what it means to be in a position of leadership, but being a bishop was something different because now I become the father of the priests and my fellow Christians.
Q: Your name is Montfort Stima. Can you give us a history of your unique name?
Bishop Stima: The name Montfort comes from Louis Montfort, a priest from France. He started the congregation of the Montfort Fathers. The Montfort Fathers were the first to come to our diocese to evangelize. The name Montfort is often used in the villages. My parents thought that such a name was good to give to me.
Q: Did they have aspirations for a future religious life?
Bishop Stima: Definitely not, they did not know anything. My parents never went to school so they did not know anything [about the religious life]. They had no idea.
Q: What is your episcopal motto and why did you choose it?
Bishop Stima: My episcopal motto is "Feed My Sheep." Throughout my ministry as a priest, I had a passion for pastoral work. I had a calling to be a pastor and immediately after I became a bishop-elect I thought: "I have always done this and I have this passion. What would be the best motto and immediately 'Feed My Sheep' came to my mind."
Q: Most Malawians are dependent on agriculture and yet Malawi struggles with food security. Can you tell us a little bit about this challenge of poverty and food security?
Bishop Stima: Malawi depends on agriculture. We do have the resources but when you are dependent on agriculture, you also depend on God gracing you with a lot of rain. We are not yet into the technology of irrigation. There have been years where, indeed, we have been challenged by drought. The current government has been working hard to find alternatives and they have encouraged people to get into some form of irrigation projects, though still not much. What has helped, now and over the past three years is the government subsidy for fertilizers for some poor families. This has helped a lot.
Q: Another challenge, which has an impact on agricultural policy, is the growth of the urban centers. Why is the urban center growing so rapidly? What is the impact of this growth on agricultural lands?
Bishop Stima: People who have no formal education, particularly those from the villages, seek a better life in the urban centers. This contributes to their expansion. It is, however, the duty of the government to set up a system to allow the villagers to stay where they are by creating an environment for the villagers to earn an income and by creating a market for the village produce allowing the villagers to earn some income without them migrating to the urban centers.
Q: There is, of course a further challenge, when these people go to the cities without skills: they find themselves on the streets.
Bishop Stima: Exactly, and some people then commit crimes to get food.
Q: In Malawi over 80% are Christians and approximately 5% belong to traditional African religions. What do we understand about traditional African religion in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: They believe in one God but also believe in spirits; spirits of their parents and forefathers. These spirits act as intercessors to the one God. Most of them have shrines where they offer sacrifices. Most Malawians know something about the Christian God, apart from the Muslims, but there is a small group who are not converted to Christianity. They still believe in ancestral worship, traditional gods and beliefs. If you are a pagan and want to be Christian, you have to give up this life, although sometimes you will find a good Christian who goes to church, prays, and is perhaps an elder but if something bad happens to them they immediately think someone has caused it. They then rush to the traditional beliefs and try to find out who has done that. That is a kind of syncretism. They should simply go and pray to God.
Q: …and not to seek revenge…
Bishop Stima: Exactly. That is the kind of belief we are fighting for -- that people should know that nobody causes [bad things] in terms of witchcraft. You have to believe in God who will protect you. Similarly when a person gets sick, people also rush to traditional healers or witchcraft practices…
Q: Catholics make up four million of Malawi's 13 million. The Catholic Church is growing. How many baptisms would you have, for example in a year?
Bishop Stima: In most of the parishes in which I have been, there are over a thousand baptisms a year. These are just children. For adults, most likely around 200 to 300 -- and this is once they finish their instructions as catechumens after which they are baptized. I have been helping the bishop, even when I was still a vicar general, with the confirmations and I have sometimes had 1,300 people a day confirmed. This translates to a large number of Christians per year.
Q: Malawi has one of the highest divorce rates in all of Africa. I think about one-third of all Malawians are get divorced. Why?
Bishop Stima: The problem, at the moment, is that we have not established a research center where you can go and do a systematic research for the reasons for divorce. So this is just a guess. If you ask me, because I have witnessed this working in the parish, I would say that preparation is lacking. In the past, when we had the missionaries, there was a very good preparation. The families before they got into marriage were trained and formed into this lifelong commitment, but today, particularly the young people, just find each other in schools or wherever and decide to get married without a proper preparation. So what do you expect from them? It is unfortunate that in Malawi the family value, particularly in the urban areas, is diminished but it is still highly valued in the villages.
Q: Your Excellency, we have covered issues from the landscape, religious situation, and the growth of the Catholic Church. What are your greatest needs now in your diocese and for the Catholic Church in Malawi?
Bishop Stima: Our greatest need is to catechize the people, to deepen their faith. I believe that out of the deepening of faith every good will come out, whether development, [resolving] the problems of people, the question of hunger and food security, everything; if people deepen their faith, I feel the answers will be there.
Q: …and enough vocations and priests.
Bishop Stima: In Malawi, we do not have enough priests. I have been to a parish that has 80,000 Christians and there wer just the two of us.
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This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
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