GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS AND ORGANISMS AND THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER
We talk of genetic modification, genetic engineering or transgenic plants when there is a combination of genes from different organisms (recombinant DNA). The current debate in Kenya on importation of genetically modified maize to curb the problem of hunger is not without foundation.
Benefits from biological experiments has an advantage of increased production, formation of new vegetal species for the benefit of all and especially for the most in need. Since God the creator has mandated man to take care and govern the created, we can not but ask Him to direct the application of scientific research to produce new food supplies in order to combat the tragedy of hunger of the poor people in our country and other places in the world. Power of man to govern over the created and over nature proves his divine origin and thus he becomes a steward of God by developing and modifying nature in an honest, responsible manner and in solidarity with the present and future generations.
Most of us agree that fighting hunger is one of the common grounds of understanding among the world religions and other institutions. However, none of these can effectively address this problem alone without cooperation.
Breeding methods whether natural like cross pollination or manipulated ones like genetic engineering lead to a selection of crops with higher yields and higher nutritional values, thanks to DNA techniques. As population expands, new technology develops to improve food security in a manner that sees decreased labour intensiveness, decreased maturation, decreased pesticide use and increased production and income among others. While this can improve crop properties such as improved health of the plant itself, it is not automatic that there is such improved health or risk elimination to human beings who consume them.
Plant biotechnology has great potentiality to improve productivity, but can have setbacks in the developing countries due to purchasing costs, poor infrastructure and lack of capacity building. The so called developed countries have a duty (in the name of solidarity) to help the developing countries to attain sustainability of these technologies on their own soil.
As we talk of importing GMF (genetically modified foods) like maize, one wonders why we cannot be assisted to produce the same in our country by making available the seeds or by improving the already existing traditional methods. What is the point of helping somebody only to make him or her a beggar and perpetual dependant while there is a possibility to make him/her self reliant and independent.
Just to give an example of malaria which existed in some European countries some years back, and has since then been eliminated. Why should the poor African countries not be assisted to eliminate the mosquitoes transmitting the parasite. Is it genuine to continue producing mosquito nets, malaria drugs, researching for vaccines instead of revealing the secrets behind its eradication if this can work in Africa? The World Food Summit needs to revisit the strategies of food security by empowering local communities to manage for instance the seeds and water banks. If this technology is to serve man, the seeds produced in the laboratory should be made to reproduce even after harvest.
There could be economic motives behind intentionally making the seeds sterile to reproduction to ensure that farmers have to buy them every new season.
While the developed countries have solved the problem of fundamental right to food, our country (not poor as such in terms of resources) still lacks this stability. While some members of parliament want to deny the government revenue from taxes, the poor is struggling to get a meal, leave a lone a balanced diet which may only be attained after a whole week and in un even pattern. The government of Kenya should be the first to solve this problem by having equal distribution of recourses and wealth. And now that we have the new constitution, it is the government’s duty to educate people on their rights and corresponding duties, while the civil servants should be the first to respect the law.
The so called “Golden Rice” is an example of GE (genetically engineered) product which can make an important contribution to fight against serious eye diseases, respiratory and intestinal problems mostly affecting children and women. This rice is inserted with genes and bacterium to modify the grain with sufficient vitamin A potentials and irons. If this rice is approved, then nutrition is improved and mortality rates of the affected groups can be lowered. Apparently there has been a delay to its approval due to the regulation of such products not just for safety, but for other bureaucratic reasons too. The resistance to approve GE products has also to do with the war between GMO and products not modified genetically (organic products). Those producing and selling the organic ones fear loosing market since with high productivity of the GMO the prices go down. The rising cost and campaigns for the advantages of the organic products are justified for the labour/cost of production, originality and nutritional values especially the traditional and indigenous ones. Nevertheless, not all the products portrayed as such in the market are truly organic.
The rejection of GMO is not only in Kenya, but in other places too. In Europe there are restrictions to the importation of GMO not more so for the risks, but for absence of direct benefits to the continent unlike in Africa. In Africa there are more farmers even though the productivity is low while in Europe there are few farmers, but with high productivity. Resisting GMO in Africa is more costly since the effects due malnutrition, hunger and poverty are worse. Over regulation for a long period of time is disadvantageous to the poor and hungry. Those responsible for pre-market safety review for food products should use a reasonable amount of time to assure consumers before deploying the products for consumption. Although regulation is important, some modifications caused by combination of genes are unpredictable. The long term effects may also not be available at the moment. There is however a need to take a lot of precaution when it comes to the use of such products like maize by human beings. High risks must be avoided, zero risk may be almost impossible. However, no damage should be done to human values like health or life due to the unnecessary delays.
Although GMOs are feared for the potential harm to human health, damage to environment, negative impact on traditional farming practices, excessive corporate dominance and lack of free expression of preferences by farmers to employ the technology; it is nevertheless a threat to some politicians and the power elite. In developing countries despite chronic food shortage and poverty the above mentioned are concerned about protecting their export markets of organic products which supply them with money in stable countries, thus protecting their wealth and power. The debate on GMO therefore needs a wider view than we may imagine.
It could be useful to consider the new possibilities that are opening up through proper use of traditional as well as innovative farming techniques, always assuming that these have been judged, after sufficient testing, to be appropriate, safe for human health, respectful of environment and attentive to the needs of the most deprived peoples.
Fr Pascal Mwambi Mwakio
Holds a Masters for Bioethics
Rome, Italy.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
OPINION: Celebration of Independence
CELEBRATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
OPENING INVOCATION
AT FREEDOM SQUARE, RUMBEK
Honorable Leaders of Governments, Members of the Diplomatic Core, Non Government representatives, Dear Visitors and all of you my brothers and Sisters, I Invite you to collect your hearts in prayer.
LET US PRAY:
God of all Mercies , on this Independence Day of the new Republic of South Sudan, we humbly lift to you the loud supplications of Psalm 51 , Sung long ago by the chosen leader of your people, King David. LISTEN WITH PITY LORD, TO HIS AND OUR WORDS OF PRAYER:
“HAVE MERCY ON US , O GOD, IN YOUR KINDNESS.
GIVE HEALING SIGNS TO OUR NATION THAT YOU ARE NOT A GOD
WHO TAKES DELIGHT IN SACRIFICE BUT RATHER,
A GOD CALLING US YOUR PEOPLE TO NURTURE A HUMBLED
AND CONTRITE HEART, A PEOPLE THAT LISTENS AND OBEYS YOUR WORD.
GOD OF MERCY, IN YOUR GOODNESS, STAY WITH US
AND MAKE US ABLE TO REBUILD THE WALLS OF OUR JERUSALEM
WHICH IS OUR NEW REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN.”
We first of all CRY OUT TO YOU with David your King and all the Sudanese Martyrs, Patriots and Heroes:” Lord, You are not a God who takes delight in sacrifice. Yes, Lord, we have had enough sacrifices and blood poured in our land: 2 million Sudanese people killed in 22 long years of war, Hundreds and thousands of heroes, patriots and martyrs whose blood we lift to you today. Merciful GOD, bring all this inhuman sacrifice to an end. Sacrifice you do not want, BUT there is still dying , hunger, displacement and great human atrocities CAUSING PAIN in our land TODAY.
Enough suffering and sacrifice. As in the Old Testament you, Our God, have seen the pain of your people and had mercy on them. Once again, have mercy on your Sudanese people today and bring our suffering to an end. This is our beginning prayer.
Secondly, Lord, we surrender to you our contrite hearts. We sincerely repent for we are people in conflict, divided by greed, selfishness, revenge and violence toward your gift of life. YOU NEED TO TOUCH OUR SPIRITS WITH YOUR COMPASSIONATE DIVINE HAND “TO CHANGE OUR HEARTS FROM HEARTS OF STONES TO HEARTS OF FLESH”…. To make us able to forgive, as your Son has forgiven us, to make us become a people of reconciliation, because a divided nation cannot stand. Unite your Sudanese people in ONE NATION from every tongue, tribe and people.
With humble and contrite hearts our nation pledges TODAY to listen and obey your word, so that thegovernance our leaders, the WORDS AND THE SPIRIT of our Constitution AS WELL AS THE VOICE OF the conscience of every Sudanese will RECOGNIZE, RESPECT AND FULFILL Your Divine Law in our land.
And now,Lord, comes OUR commitment. With joy we thank you on Independence Day for the Grace of a New Nation and a wonderful motherland. We join hands with you our Father and with one another in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem , which IS our South Sudan.
We believe that: ”unless the Lord builds the house, in vain will the laborers build it” and therefore, WE VOW TO BUILD our new nation with TOTAL TRUST IN you, OUR GOD. At the same time we are aware that you have entrusted South Sudan to the work of our hands.
Therefore, make us love our country the way our patriots loved it and gave their life for it . Give us courage and wisdom to do honest and hard work. Make us able to work with the other nations of the world with true solidarity for our greater growth. We are indeed grateful for what other people and nations might do for us.
HOWEVER PLANT DEEPLY IN OUR SUDANESE SOULS THAT what really counts FOR THE BIRTH OF A NEW NATION is what we, as individual Sudanese, will do for our country. So, WE SHOULD not first ask what OTHERS will do FOR US, but what WE, SOUTH SUDANESE, will do for South Sudan. Likewise, WE SHOULD NOT FIRST DEPEND on what OTHERS will provide for US, but depend on the hard work of our hands, hearts and minds to provide what we need for OUR families and FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF OUR NATION.
AND THEN THE PROPHETIC WORDS of psalm 85 will come true for South Sudan:”
“Prosperity will be in our land. Justice and Peace shall kiss
Truth will spring from the earth, Justice will look down from heaven.
The Lord will surely give us abundance, And our land will yield its increase.
Prosperity will march before the Lord, And good fortune will follow behind’.”
Psalm 85
And May the Blessing of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit come upon all of us here united to celebrate the Independence of the New Nation of South Sudan. AMEN
+ Bishop Caesar Mazzolari,
Bishop of Rumbek – Republic of South Sudan
OPENING INVOCATION
AT FREEDOM SQUARE, RUMBEK
Honorable Leaders of Governments, Members of the Diplomatic Core, Non Government representatives, Dear Visitors and all of you my brothers and Sisters, I Invite you to collect your hearts in prayer.
LET US PRAY:
God of all Mercies , on this Independence Day of the new Republic of South Sudan, we humbly lift to you the loud supplications of Psalm 51 , Sung long ago by the chosen leader of your people, King David. LISTEN WITH PITY LORD, TO HIS AND OUR WORDS OF PRAYER:
“HAVE MERCY ON US , O GOD, IN YOUR KINDNESS.
GIVE HEALING SIGNS TO OUR NATION THAT YOU ARE NOT A GOD
WHO TAKES DELIGHT IN SACRIFICE BUT RATHER,
A GOD CALLING US YOUR PEOPLE TO NURTURE A HUMBLED
AND CONTRITE HEART, A PEOPLE THAT LISTENS AND OBEYS YOUR WORD.
GOD OF MERCY, IN YOUR GOODNESS, STAY WITH US
AND MAKE US ABLE TO REBUILD THE WALLS OF OUR JERUSALEM
WHICH IS OUR NEW REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN.”
We first of all CRY OUT TO YOU with David your King and all the Sudanese Martyrs, Patriots and Heroes:” Lord, You are not a God who takes delight in sacrifice. Yes, Lord, we have had enough sacrifices and blood poured in our land: 2 million Sudanese people killed in 22 long years of war, Hundreds and thousands of heroes, patriots and martyrs whose blood we lift to you today. Merciful GOD, bring all this inhuman sacrifice to an end. Sacrifice you do not want, BUT there is still dying , hunger, displacement and great human atrocities CAUSING PAIN in our land TODAY.
Enough suffering and sacrifice. As in the Old Testament you, Our God, have seen the pain of your people and had mercy on them. Once again, have mercy on your Sudanese people today and bring our suffering to an end. This is our beginning prayer.
Secondly, Lord, we surrender to you our contrite hearts. We sincerely repent for we are people in conflict, divided by greed, selfishness, revenge and violence toward your gift of life. YOU NEED TO TOUCH OUR SPIRITS WITH YOUR COMPASSIONATE DIVINE HAND “TO CHANGE OUR HEARTS FROM HEARTS OF STONES TO HEARTS OF FLESH”…. To make us able to forgive, as your Son has forgiven us, to make us become a people of reconciliation, because a divided nation cannot stand. Unite your Sudanese people in ONE NATION from every tongue, tribe and people.
With humble and contrite hearts our nation pledges TODAY to listen and obey your word, so that thegovernance our leaders, the WORDS AND THE SPIRIT of our Constitution AS WELL AS THE VOICE OF the conscience of every Sudanese will RECOGNIZE, RESPECT AND FULFILL Your Divine Law in our land.
And now,Lord, comes OUR commitment. With joy we thank you on Independence Day for the Grace of a New Nation and a wonderful motherland. We join hands with you our Father and with one another in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem , which IS our South Sudan.
We believe that: ”unless the Lord builds the house, in vain will the laborers build it” and therefore, WE VOW TO BUILD our new nation with TOTAL TRUST IN you, OUR GOD. At the same time we are aware that you have entrusted South Sudan to the work of our hands.
Therefore, make us love our country the way our patriots loved it and gave their life for it . Give us courage and wisdom to do honest and hard work. Make us able to work with the other nations of the world with true solidarity for our greater growth. We are indeed grateful for what other people and nations might do for us.
HOWEVER PLANT DEEPLY IN OUR SUDANESE SOULS THAT what really counts FOR THE BIRTH OF A NEW NATION is what we, as individual Sudanese, will do for our country. So, WE SHOULD not first ask what OTHERS will do FOR US, but what WE, SOUTH SUDANESE, will do for South Sudan. Likewise, WE SHOULD NOT FIRST DEPEND on what OTHERS will provide for US, but depend on the hard work of our hands, hearts and minds to provide what we need for OUR families and FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF OUR NATION.
AND THEN THE PROPHETIC WORDS of psalm 85 will come true for South Sudan:”
“Prosperity will be in our land. Justice and Peace shall kiss
Truth will spring from the earth, Justice will look down from heaven.
The Lord will surely give us abundance, And our land will yield its increase.
Prosperity will march before the Lord, And good fortune will follow behind’.”
Psalm 85
And May the Blessing of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit come upon all of us here united to celebrate the Independence of the New Nation of South Sudan. AMEN
+ Bishop Caesar Mazzolari,
Bishop of Rumbek – Republic of South Sudan
Friday, July 8, 2011
OPINION: Survivor!
WHEN DISASTER STRUCK!
Like a time bomb, it flamed up
With a simple spot
So small and petite
The noxious power in it was so enormous
Biopsy and histology interpreted
Benign or malignant, so they wondered
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Oh what a catastrophic Monday!
So the canto went
‘MJ’ the surgeon said
‘We are apt to heave out the entire breast’
The voice thundered!
So my life had to change and to change for good.
‘Oh Jesus No!’ I cried to the designer of my being
‘So my life has to change!’ I exclaimed
That brilliant day turned to peach dark
Life seemed to have stopped
Prayers vanished from my memory
Words from my mouth vanished
My tummy rumbled
Joy disappeared
Sadness took over the sovereignty of my life
No one, no comment, no love, no pal
Could quench the agony deep in my heart
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Immediately to hospital we rushed
My eyes remained blank
Darkness shrouded everything
I searched for tears
But the wells of my eyes deserted me
To scream I wished
But my energies were far exhausted
And I kept examining my heart
For suspicions I still existed
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Less than 24 hours later
Let me scream for the world to hear
Into your hands Lord I comment my life
On that cold surgery table I helplessly lay
Surgical blades on my skin
Lacerated into the risky, toxic, killer - lump
Deep into my fleshy tissues plus nodes they dug
As if probing for hidden fortune
My frail wounds they stitched
So my life had to change and change for good.
Once from the land of the departed I rose
Feeble and dozy was I
A merciless heartbreaking pain set in
Controlled my pain was
Little by little I improved
So my life had to change and to change for good.
As if pain was a joy to celebrate
Radiation! Radiation! Radiation! Medics advised
30 days under that assassin machine I lay
Daily, soundless, with none but my God
And when this was through
A more overwhelming prescription
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Chemo!
Six cycles they prescribed
Courage!
Everyone seemed to say
Exhausted, I lamented, I cried, I wailed
But the only line of attack was to face it bravely
Optimistic and pessimistic words
From innocent and educated, I listened
Yet my cross - I have to bear to Calvary my destiny
For my life has changed never to be the same again.
Then, when all was over
While I anticipated relief and strength
Complications showed their ugly face
Insulin and labetalol became my friends
From Physician to the next I went
But at last all was well again
My hair shot up, tinted nails began to clear
For my life had changed never to be the same again.
At the eve of my first birthday
A Survivor of this monster disease
I’m scripting this Testimony
Optimistic about life
Courage! Courage! Courage!
Those in a state such as mine
Life is more than Pain
Far gone is Yesterday
Celebrate the Present,
Tomorrow may be too late
Though life has changed never to be the same again.
A Blissful New Born am I
Active and Joyful
Though I’ll Never Be the Same Again
I Know My Redeemer Lives
For God has Transformed My Life
NEVER WILL I BE THE SAME AGAIN!
By Sr Marie Joe
A CANCER SURVIVOR.
Like a time bomb, it flamed up
With a simple spot
So small and petite
The noxious power in it was so enormous
Biopsy and histology interpreted
Benign or malignant, so they wondered
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Oh what a catastrophic Monday!
So the canto went
‘MJ’ the surgeon said
‘We are apt to heave out the entire breast’
The voice thundered!
So my life had to change and to change for good.
‘Oh Jesus No!’ I cried to the designer of my being
‘So my life has to change!’ I exclaimed
That brilliant day turned to peach dark
Life seemed to have stopped
Prayers vanished from my memory
Words from my mouth vanished
My tummy rumbled
Joy disappeared
Sadness took over the sovereignty of my life
No one, no comment, no love, no pal
Could quench the agony deep in my heart
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Immediately to hospital we rushed
My eyes remained blank
Darkness shrouded everything
I searched for tears
But the wells of my eyes deserted me
To scream I wished
But my energies were far exhausted
And I kept examining my heart
For suspicions I still existed
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Less than 24 hours later
Let me scream for the world to hear
Into your hands Lord I comment my life
On that cold surgery table I helplessly lay
Surgical blades on my skin
Lacerated into the risky, toxic, killer - lump
Deep into my fleshy tissues plus nodes they dug
As if probing for hidden fortune
My frail wounds they stitched
So my life had to change and change for good.
Once from the land of the departed I rose
Feeble and dozy was I
A merciless heartbreaking pain set in
Controlled my pain was
Little by little I improved
So my life had to change and to change for good.
As if pain was a joy to celebrate
Radiation! Radiation! Radiation! Medics advised
30 days under that assassin machine I lay
Daily, soundless, with none but my God
And when this was through
A more overwhelming prescription
So my life had to change and to change for good.
Chemo!
Six cycles they prescribed
Courage!
Everyone seemed to say
Exhausted, I lamented, I cried, I wailed
But the only line of attack was to face it bravely
Optimistic and pessimistic words
From innocent and educated, I listened
Yet my cross - I have to bear to Calvary my destiny
For my life has changed never to be the same again.
Then, when all was over
While I anticipated relief and strength
Complications showed their ugly face
Insulin and labetalol became my friends
From Physician to the next I went
But at last all was well again
My hair shot up, tinted nails began to clear
For my life had changed never to be the same again.
At the eve of my first birthday
A Survivor of this monster disease
I’m scripting this Testimony
Optimistic about life
Courage! Courage! Courage!
Those in a state such as mine
Life is more than Pain
Far gone is Yesterday
Celebrate the Present,
Tomorrow may be too late
Though life has changed never to be the same again.
A Blissful New Born am I
Active and Joyful
Though I’ll Never Be the Same Again
I Know My Redeemer Lives
For God has Transformed My Life
NEVER WILL I BE THE SAME AGAIN!
By Sr Marie Joe
A CANCER SURVIVOR.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
OPINION: Communiqué of the AMECEA 17th Plenary Assembly
AMECEA FAMILY OF GOD CELEBRATING THE GOLDEN
JUBILEE OF EVANGELISATION IN SOLIDARITY
The AMECEA plenary convened in Nairobi, Kenya from 27 June to 6 July, 2011
The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), comprising the Episcopal Conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and the affiliate members of Djibouti and Somalia met for their regular triennial Plenary Assembly to celebrate 50 years under the theme AMECEA: Family of God celebrating the Golden Jubilee of evangelization in solidarity, Nairobi, Kenya at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).
Preamble:
To all Catholics in the AMECEA region and people of good will:
We, the Catholic Bishops in the AMECEA region, together with our AMECEA Patrons, their Eminences the Cardinals greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom!
CELEBRATING our Golden Jubilee with profound gratitude to God for His grace bestowed on AMECEA in the last 50 years;
APPRECIATING with prayerful thanksgiving the 60th anniversary of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI’s Priestly ordination;
ENCOURAGED by the presence, at our Plenary Assembly, of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples through the Secretary, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, who also came as a special delegate of the Holy See;
AWARE of our failings and shortcomings in meeting our call to holiness as a Church leaders;
MINDFUL of the challenges ensuing from the First and the Second Synods for Africa;
INSPIRED by the deep insight of the AMECEA founding fathers both living and deceased;
HAPPY that the processes on the cause for the beatification of the Servants of God Maurice Cardinal Otunga, Bishop Vincent McCauley, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere have advanced;
EARGERLY awaiting the Apostolic Exhortation on the Church in Africa being at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace;
DETERMINED to forge ahead with confidence and solidarity in our mission of evangelization;
The 17th AMECEA Plenary Assembly hereby affirms the following:
1. A Word of Gratitude
As AMECEA Catholic Bishops, we express our sincere appreciation to the people of Kenya and acknowledge with deep gratitude the hospitality of the Kenyan people and in particular the welcome extended to us by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki who also invited us to continue fulfilling our prophetic role in society notwithstanding negative responses that our messages sometime receive.
The constant presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya during this Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee Celebrations reminded us of our communion and solidarity with the Holy Father. We are grateful for this.
We appreciate the efforts of the Kenyan Government, the security wings and other political and civic organs who contributed to the success of our Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee Celebrations. We thank our AMECEA Secretariat, the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC), staff and students of CUEA, the alumni of CUEA, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, Blessed Bakanja seminary, the choirs and parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi. In a special way, we acknowledge the support of the Holy See demonstrated through the delegates who attended the Golden Jubilee ceremonies. We are grateful to His Eminence John Cardinal Njue who hosted us in his Archdiocese and to His Grace Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai for gracing these AMECEA events.
The presence and contributions of our local and AMECEA region facilitators, guest speakers, priests, religious sisters and brothers, the laity and all those who came to pray with us during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations added substance and colour to the events of the last few days.
We do not forget to thank the missionaries, those living and deceased. They brought us the faith and we are what we are today because of them.
2. Solidarity With The New State of the Republic of South Sudan
We are grateful to God that the Sudanese comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 has ushered-in the new state of the Republic of South Sudan. We join our brothers and sisters in the Republic of South Sudan as they celebrate this milestone in their history. We pray that all categories of people and groups in the new Republic of South Sudan will lay down arms, embrace peace and work towards nation building. The new Republic of South Sudan should be a model of tolerance and unity in diversity.
As AMECEA Bishops we appeal to all member countries and Catholic religious congregations to translate their solidarity with the Republic of South Sudan into more practical means by committing personnel and resources to this new country.
We also urge the international community to continue to work towards achieving a lasting peaceful solution to the continuing conflicts in Abyei and Darfur.
3. Solidarity With Somalia
We are saddened by the unending war in Somalia. We deplore the suffering of the people in Somalia. We strongly advocate a peaceful resolution to this conflict and remain committed as AMECEA Bishops to do whatever is within our means to bring about peace to this country. We ask our Catholic faithful and people of good will to remember Somalia in their prayers.
4. The Youth in the AMECEA region
We welcome the celebration of the World Youth Day which takes place in Madrid, Spain from August 16 -21. This is one of the primary means by which the Church proclaims the message of Christ and expresses its concern for young people.
We urge all young people in the AMECEA region, who will be privileged to travel to Spain, to view this as a grace-filled opportunity of sharing in the vibrancy of our Catholic faith. More importantly, the Madrid experience should enthuse them with the love for others and the love of Christ. We pray that upon their return, this love will be manifest by their witness in schools, work places, parishes and homes.
5. Bishops as Authentic Leaders
As Catholic Bishops in the AMECEA region, it is our desire to strive for an authentic leadership style. We re-commit ourselves to the leadership style of Jesus Christ which is rooted in the rich Biblical images of Service, Shepherd and Steward. Through our actions, in unity with the Holy Father, we shall endeavour to act in humility, justice, fairness and love. In our actions, we will strive to manifest to the world around us God’s love, justice and care.
6. Ongoing Faith Formation of Catholic Professionals
As AMECEA Bishops, we have taken note of the need to accompany our Catholic professionals through on-going faith formation so that their faith can continue to be demonstrated even when they ascend to important administrative, civic and political offices. Our Catholic professionals should be men and women of faith who are socially and politically relevant to the African continent.
7. Catholic Presence in Learning Institutions
Catholic institutions of learning are optimal places of Christ meeting His people of all races and religions. The Catholic Church, since its inception, has valued learning and established institutions to promote learning of people at all levels. Through education, the Catholic Church has been able to evangelise and participate in developing responsible members of society.
As Bishops of the AMECEA region, it is our intention to establish more learning institutions from primary schools to tertiary institutions such as universities, vocational training schools and technical institutions in order to spread the Good News of Salvation and produce African citizens who are truly inspired by Gospel Values and the Catholic ethos.
8. The Office of Chaplaincy in Institutions
Together with other pastoral agents, it is our intention to provide moral and spiritual guidance to institutions of learning and scale-up on the appointment of more chaplains to military departments, schools, colleges and other institutions of higher learning. The presence of chaplains in schools and institutions should be visible and go beyond the occasional celebration of the Mass.
9. Teaching about AMECEA in Seminaries and Catholic Universities
In the last 50 years, AMECEA has achieved much and produced several important documents. We call upon seminaries and Catholic universities in the AMECEA region to consider researching and designing appropriate courses, in consultation with relevant authorities, on the history of AMECEA, its challenges and achievements.
10. The Scourge of Conflicts in the Region and in Africa
Our countries in the AMECEA region can be said to have achieved relative peace. Nevertheless, even in the most seemingly peaceful nations, our countries are still grappling with potential causes of conflict such as poverty, tribalism, regionalism, elections that lack credibility, bad governance, religious fanaticism, corruption, intolerance, domestic and gender-based violence, partisan media, land-related conflicts, environmental concerns and many other issues that can lead to violent confrontation.
As Shepherds, we will continue to exercise our prophetic role of speaking out wherever there is need. We shall not be silent in the face of potential or actual situations of conflict. We will also strive to do all that we can to create a culture of reconciliation, justice and peace.
We appeal to Governments and politicians in the region to work towards reducing all forms of conflict and violence in our countries and communities. We look forward to a time when our Governments will embrace the spirit and letter of democracy.
Those who thrive on violence and conflict must be challenged
We further acknowledge and encourage regional and global partnerships that seek to bring about reconciliation, justice and peace.
11. Global Warming
The impact of global warming is already being manifested, within our region, in the form of droughts, famine, desertification and population displacement. We appeal strongly to our Governments and our people to tackle global warming issues as a matter of priority.
12. The role of women in society and the Church
In line with Proposition No. 47 of the Second African Synod on Women in Africa, we acknowledge that women in our region and in Africa make a great contribution to the family, society and the Church with their many talents and resources. We condemn all acts of violence against women and several other abuses which women endure. We pledge to continue supporting efforts that seek to empower women to take their rightful place in society and in the Church.
13. Freedom of Worship in the region
We appreciate the efforts of our political leaders in allowing for freedom of worship within the region. Still, we urge our Governments to embrace human rights as one sure way of guaranteeing lasting peace in the region.
14. AMECEA Caritas Justice and Peace Network
We call on our AMECEA Executive Board to explore the possibility of operationalising the AMECEA Caritas Peace Network which will provide the missing link between the AMECEA regional office and our national offices.
15. Interreligious Dialogue
Amidst the challenges of fundamentalism, religious fanaticism, mushrooming sects, we implore the leaders of other faith communities to engage with us in genuine and constructive dialogue in order to nurture peaceful co-existence and reduce tensions in communities.
16. The Church and New media
In the AMECEA region, we will continue to empower our social communication departments in order for the Church to fully embrace new forms of media as modern ways of propagating the Gospel. In the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, “without fear we must cast into the deep with the same passion that governed the ship of the Church for two thousand years.”
17. Solidarity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) with AMECEA
AMECEA wholeheartedly welcomes the USCCB’s generous initiative and willingness to work with AMECEA in various fields with the view to enhance capacity building in our institutions. This spirit of brotherhood and solidarity will surely transform our regional, national and diocesan institutions for better.
We shall endeavour to strive towards building a more sustainable Church which is self-supporting, self-ministering and self-propagating. The Church in AMECEA commits itself to greater transparency and accountability in promoting a spirit of prudent stewardship in the manner we use resources.
We hasten to say to our traditional partners that the Church in AMECEA shall forever be grateful to them for continuing to walk with us from the beginning.
18. Refugees, Migrants and Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the AMECEA region and the Great Lakes Region
AMECEA countries are home to huge numbers of refugees who have run away from their countries due to wars, persecutions and even abject poverty. In recent times, we have seen the alarming and frightening rise in the scourge of trafficking of fellow human beings for economic gain.
We remind all concerned that Scripture teaches us to love refugees: “You shall love the alien as yourself for you were once aliens in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19: 33 – 34). We therefore, call upon Governments, NGOs and our own Churches to redouble efforts in awareness creation on the plight of refugees in our midst. Above all, we should respond with unfailing charity to refugees who live in our midst.
We are particularly empathetic with the people of South West Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo DR who are victims of destabilization due to instability in that part of Africa. We appeal for a regional resolution of the causes of conflict in these areas.
19. HIV and AIDS
The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to be the greatest threat in our region. With millions of our people still recording new infections; millions yet still living with HIV and many more dying because of AIDS, the Church in our region must continue in its commitment to prevent the spread of HIV. We extend a hand to those who are ill and need palliative care. The invitation of Christ to be Good Samaritans to everyone who is in need (Lk. 10: 25 - 37), suffering or afflicted; and especially to those who are living with HIV/AIDS is still very relevant today.
20. HIV/AIDS can be defeated
We call upon parents, teachers and pastoral agents to do everything in their power and capacity to teach children, youth, and all those preparing for marriage about their human sexuality so that they acquire sound values and virtues to uphold chastity and shun all pre-marital sex. We urge pastoral agents to guide married couples in living out their marriage vocation faithfully. We must never tire to remind our people that HIV/AIDS can be defeated.
21. Families: Truly Christian, truly African
As a Church in the region, we will endeavour to protect the family which is the domestic Church against dangers such as materialism, secularism and seek to enable the family to be an instrument of neo-evangelisation which is truly African, truly Christian.
22. Conclusion
We rejoice in the fruit of the past 50 years and pray that our association of AMECEA will be abundantly blessed for many more years to come with a bright future.
Ad multos annos!
Signed by Most Rev Tarcisius Ziyaye,
Archbishop of Blantyre and AMECEA Chairman on July 6, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya
JUBILEE OF EVANGELISATION IN SOLIDARITY
The AMECEA plenary convened in Nairobi, Kenya from 27 June to 6 July, 2011
The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), comprising the Episcopal Conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and the affiliate members of Djibouti and Somalia met for their regular triennial Plenary Assembly to celebrate 50 years under the theme AMECEA: Family of God celebrating the Golden Jubilee of evangelization in solidarity, Nairobi, Kenya at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA).
Preamble:
To all Catholics in the AMECEA region and people of good will:
We, the Catholic Bishops in the AMECEA region, together with our AMECEA Patrons, their Eminences the Cardinals greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom!
CELEBRATING our Golden Jubilee with profound gratitude to God for His grace bestowed on AMECEA in the last 50 years;
APPRECIATING with prayerful thanksgiving the 60th anniversary of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI’s Priestly ordination;
ENCOURAGED by the presence, at our Plenary Assembly, of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples through the Secretary, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, who also came as a special delegate of the Holy See;
AWARE of our failings and shortcomings in meeting our call to holiness as a Church leaders;
MINDFUL of the challenges ensuing from the First and the Second Synods for Africa;
INSPIRED by the deep insight of the AMECEA founding fathers both living and deceased;
HAPPY that the processes on the cause for the beatification of the Servants of God Maurice Cardinal Otunga, Bishop Vincent McCauley, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere have advanced;
EARGERLY awaiting the Apostolic Exhortation on the Church in Africa being at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace;
DETERMINED to forge ahead with confidence and solidarity in our mission of evangelization;
The 17th AMECEA Plenary Assembly hereby affirms the following:
1. A Word of Gratitude
As AMECEA Catholic Bishops, we express our sincere appreciation to the people of Kenya and acknowledge with deep gratitude the hospitality of the Kenyan people and in particular the welcome extended to us by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki who also invited us to continue fulfilling our prophetic role in society notwithstanding negative responses that our messages sometime receive.
The constant presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya during this Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee Celebrations reminded us of our communion and solidarity with the Holy Father. We are grateful for this.
We appreciate the efforts of the Kenyan Government, the security wings and other political and civic organs who contributed to the success of our Plenary Assembly and Golden Jubilee Celebrations. We thank our AMECEA Secretariat, the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC), staff and students of CUEA, the alumni of CUEA, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, Blessed Bakanja seminary, the choirs and parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi. In a special way, we acknowledge the support of the Holy See demonstrated through the delegates who attended the Golden Jubilee ceremonies. We are grateful to His Eminence John Cardinal Njue who hosted us in his Archdiocese and to His Grace Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai for gracing these AMECEA events.
The presence and contributions of our local and AMECEA region facilitators, guest speakers, priests, religious sisters and brothers, the laity and all those who came to pray with us during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations added substance and colour to the events of the last few days.
We do not forget to thank the missionaries, those living and deceased. They brought us the faith and we are what we are today because of them.
2. Solidarity With The New State of the Republic of South Sudan
We are grateful to God that the Sudanese comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 has ushered-in the new state of the Republic of South Sudan. We join our brothers and sisters in the Republic of South Sudan as they celebrate this milestone in their history. We pray that all categories of people and groups in the new Republic of South Sudan will lay down arms, embrace peace and work towards nation building. The new Republic of South Sudan should be a model of tolerance and unity in diversity.
As AMECEA Bishops we appeal to all member countries and Catholic religious congregations to translate their solidarity with the Republic of South Sudan into more practical means by committing personnel and resources to this new country.
We also urge the international community to continue to work towards achieving a lasting peaceful solution to the continuing conflicts in Abyei and Darfur.
3. Solidarity With Somalia
We are saddened by the unending war in Somalia. We deplore the suffering of the people in Somalia. We strongly advocate a peaceful resolution to this conflict and remain committed as AMECEA Bishops to do whatever is within our means to bring about peace to this country. We ask our Catholic faithful and people of good will to remember Somalia in their prayers.
4. The Youth in the AMECEA region
We welcome the celebration of the World Youth Day which takes place in Madrid, Spain from August 16 -21. This is one of the primary means by which the Church proclaims the message of Christ and expresses its concern for young people.
We urge all young people in the AMECEA region, who will be privileged to travel to Spain, to view this as a grace-filled opportunity of sharing in the vibrancy of our Catholic faith. More importantly, the Madrid experience should enthuse them with the love for others and the love of Christ. We pray that upon their return, this love will be manifest by their witness in schools, work places, parishes and homes.
5. Bishops as Authentic Leaders
As Catholic Bishops in the AMECEA region, it is our desire to strive for an authentic leadership style. We re-commit ourselves to the leadership style of Jesus Christ which is rooted in the rich Biblical images of Service, Shepherd and Steward. Through our actions, in unity with the Holy Father, we shall endeavour to act in humility, justice, fairness and love. In our actions, we will strive to manifest to the world around us God’s love, justice and care.
6. Ongoing Faith Formation of Catholic Professionals
As AMECEA Bishops, we have taken note of the need to accompany our Catholic professionals through on-going faith formation so that their faith can continue to be demonstrated even when they ascend to important administrative, civic and political offices. Our Catholic professionals should be men and women of faith who are socially and politically relevant to the African continent.
7. Catholic Presence in Learning Institutions
Catholic institutions of learning are optimal places of Christ meeting His people of all races and religions. The Catholic Church, since its inception, has valued learning and established institutions to promote learning of people at all levels. Through education, the Catholic Church has been able to evangelise and participate in developing responsible members of society.
As Bishops of the AMECEA region, it is our intention to establish more learning institutions from primary schools to tertiary institutions such as universities, vocational training schools and technical institutions in order to spread the Good News of Salvation and produce African citizens who are truly inspired by Gospel Values and the Catholic ethos.
8. The Office of Chaplaincy in Institutions
Together with other pastoral agents, it is our intention to provide moral and spiritual guidance to institutions of learning and scale-up on the appointment of more chaplains to military departments, schools, colleges and other institutions of higher learning. The presence of chaplains in schools and institutions should be visible and go beyond the occasional celebration of the Mass.
9. Teaching about AMECEA in Seminaries and Catholic Universities
In the last 50 years, AMECEA has achieved much and produced several important documents. We call upon seminaries and Catholic universities in the AMECEA region to consider researching and designing appropriate courses, in consultation with relevant authorities, on the history of AMECEA, its challenges and achievements.
10. The Scourge of Conflicts in the Region and in Africa
Our countries in the AMECEA region can be said to have achieved relative peace. Nevertheless, even in the most seemingly peaceful nations, our countries are still grappling with potential causes of conflict such as poverty, tribalism, regionalism, elections that lack credibility, bad governance, religious fanaticism, corruption, intolerance, domestic and gender-based violence, partisan media, land-related conflicts, environmental concerns and many other issues that can lead to violent confrontation.
As Shepherds, we will continue to exercise our prophetic role of speaking out wherever there is need. We shall not be silent in the face of potential or actual situations of conflict. We will also strive to do all that we can to create a culture of reconciliation, justice and peace.
We appeal to Governments and politicians in the region to work towards reducing all forms of conflict and violence in our countries and communities. We look forward to a time when our Governments will embrace the spirit and letter of democracy.
Those who thrive on violence and conflict must be challenged
We further acknowledge and encourage regional and global partnerships that seek to bring about reconciliation, justice and peace.
11. Global Warming
The impact of global warming is already being manifested, within our region, in the form of droughts, famine, desertification and population displacement. We appeal strongly to our Governments and our people to tackle global warming issues as a matter of priority.
12. The role of women in society and the Church
In line with Proposition No. 47 of the Second African Synod on Women in Africa, we acknowledge that women in our region and in Africa make a great contribution to the family, society and the Church with their many talents and resources. We condemn all acts of violence against women and several other abuses which women endure. We pledge to continue supporting efforts that seek to empower women to take their rightful place in society and in the Church.
13. Freedom of Worship in the region
We appreciate the efforts of our political leaders in allowing for freedom of worship within the region. Still, we urge our Governments to embrace human rights as one sure way of guaranteeing lasting peace in the region.
14. AMECEA Caritas Justice and Peace Network
We call on our AMECEA Executive Board to explore the possibility of operationalising the AMECEA Caritas Peace Network which will provide the missing link between the AMECEA regional office and our national offices.
15. Interreligious Dialogue
Amidst the challenges of fundamentalism, religious fanaticism, mushrooming sects, we implore the leaders of other faith communities to engage with us in genuine and constructive dialogue in order to nurture peaceful co-existence and reduce tensions in communities.
16. The Church and New media
In the AMECEA region, we will continue to empower our social communication departments in order for the Church to fully embrace new forms of media as modern ways of propagating the Gospel. In the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, “without fear we must cast into the deep with the same passion that governed the ship of the Church for two thousand years.”
17. Solidarity of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) with AMECEA
AMECEA wholeheartedly welcomes the USCCB’s generous initiative and willingness to work with AMECEA in various fields with the view to enhance capacity building in our institutions. This spirit of brotherhood and solidarity will surely transform our regional, national and diocesan institutions for better.
We shall endeavour to strive towards building a more sustainable Church which is self-supporting, self-ministering and self-propagating. The Church in AMECEA commits itself to greater transparency and accountability in promoting a spirit of prudent stewardship in the manner we use resources.
We hasten to say to our traditional partners that the Church in AMECEA shall forever be grateful to them for continuing to walk with us from the beginning.
18. Refugees, Migrants and Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the AMECEA region and the Great Lakes Region
AMECEA countries are home to huge numbers of refugees who have run away from their countries due to wars, persecutions and even abject poverty. In recent times, we have seen the alarming and frightening rise in the scourge of trafficking of fellow human beings for economic gain.
We remind all concerned that Scripture teaches us to love refugees: “You shall love the alien as yourself for you were once aliens in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19: 33 – 34). We therefore, call upon Governments, NGOs and our own Churches to redouble efforts in awareness creation on the plight of refugees in our midst. Above all, we should respond with unfailing charity to refugees who live in our midst.
We are particularly empathetic with the people of South West Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo DR who are victims of destabilization due to instability in that part of Africa. We appeal for a regional resolution of the causes of conflict in these areas.
19. HIV and AIDS
The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to be the greatest threat in our region. With millions of our people still recording new infections; millions yet still living with HIV and many more dying because of AIDS, the Church in our region must continue in its commitment to prevent the spread of HIV. We extend a hand to those who are ill and need palliative care. The invitation of Christ to be Good Samaritans to everyone who is in need (Lk. 10: 25 - 37), suffering or afflicted; and especially to those who are living with HIV/AIDS is still very relevant today.
20. HIV/AIDS can be defeated
We call upon parents, teachers and pastoral agents to do everything in their power and capacity to teach children, youth, and all those preparing for marriage about their human sexuality so that they acquire sound values and virtues to uphold chastity and shun all pre-marital sex. We urge pastoral agents to guide married couples in living out their marriage vocation faithfully. We must never tire to remind our people that HIV/AIDS can be defeated.
21. Families: Truly Christian, truly African
As a Church in the region, we will endeavour to protect the family which is the domestic Church against dangers such as materialism, secularism and seek to enable the family to be an instrument of neo-evangelisation which is truly African, truly Christian.
22. Conclusion
We rejoice in the fruit of the past 50 years and pray that our association of AMECEA will be abundantly blessed for many more years to come with a bright future.
Ad multos annos!
Signed by Most Rev Tarcisius Ziyaye,
Archbishop of Blantyre and AMECEA Chairman on July 6, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya
Friday, June 24, 2011
OPINION: Lessons to learn from Libyan conflict
It is not late to stop these bombs and save human lives
What’s happening in Libya should be a wakeup call for all Africans, the African governments and the African Union (AU).
There is so much to learn from the Libyan conflict. What is probably the most important lesson to learn is that foreign powers will always do whatever is possible to protect their interests, whether that means supporting and imposing a democratic government or a dictatorial regime.
The NATO intervention in Libya has absolutely nothing to do with promoting democracy and protecting civilians. You don’t promote democracy by using bombs and killing civilians, intentionally or not. You don’t promote democracy by fuelling a civil war and arming rebels to fight against the very government you’ve been friendly to until recently. Some wise man once said that in politics, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies.
If you want to know how true this is, do an online research on how Western leaders used to praise Muammar Gaddafi up to just a few weeks before they turned against him.
And you don’t promote democracy by supporting the very people who were key ministers and military leaders in what you now consider a dictatorial regime. What makes them clean now? It defeats logic to hear the way these people are now shouting against the very regime they were part of.
Are Western powers blind not to see that they are dealing with the same people? No, they aren’t blind. They know that these are the ideal people to impose as leaders because it will be easier to control them. When someone helps you to get what you know you don’t deserve, your loyalty goes to that person. Nobody helps you for nothing, at least in politics.
Now, let’s take a step backwards and see how the AU and African leaders have been treated since the Libyan conflict emerged.
The AU didn’t play any significant role in the drafting of the UN Resolution 1973. It was reported that the Resolution was drafted by the UK, France and Lebanon.
The AU was invited to the 19th March Paris meeting that preceded the NATO military intervention in Libya. But the fact that the AU didn’t attend the meeting and called for a mediation role in the crisis, didn’t stop the world powers from launching immediate attack on Libya.
That was a slap on the face of the AU and African leaders. The AU is the legitimate umbrella body of all African countries. A decision by foreign powers to attack any African country without approval and key involvement of the AU amounts to invasion of African land and in normal circumstances, should be faced with the AU military resistance.
Try to imagine what would happen if the AU drafted a resolution to intervene in a European country (choose any of the least democratic ones), without consulting the EU, then arm twisted the UN to make it a UN resolution, then the AU dispatched its military planes to bomb the European country in the name of protecting civilians from being massacred by their so-called dictator.
NATO’s decision to launch military intervention in Libya at a meeting without the AU delegation shows how little regard they have for African leaders and the AU. They basically proved that the voice of African leaders and the AU doesn’t count even on crucial issues within the continent.
It is a further proof that if you are no longer a darling of these powerful forces, you can’t be a leader in your own country even if that’s the wish of your people.
The AU should learn from this intervention to be quick to react to problems in the continent. The AU should not be invited to meetings to discuss African issues, it is the AU that should be inviting others to such meetings. Africans must not let others take a leading role in solving African problems. Africans must learn to defend their own interests.
It has been said so many times that nobody from outside will come to solve African problems because he is a Good Samaritan. Foreigners will only come to intervene to defend their own interests, whether those interests go against the interests of the local people or not.
It is disappointing to see the way the Western powers are undermining the efforts by the AU and African leaders to negotiate for a peaceful solution to the Libyan conflict. One wonders why they continue to ignore Gaddafi’s offer for a peacefully negotiated resolution to this conflict, and why whatever the AU says is continually ignored.
One also wonders why foreign powers have created a parallel government in Libya, and illegitimately created another centre of power in a different city from the country’s official capital.
This article doesn’t justify what Gaddafi is alleged to have done. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating those allegations and will take proper action.
The crucial question at this stage is this: is destroying Libya the most effective way of addressing the Libyan crisis? The military intervention is not only killing civilians and creating hundreds of thousands of refugees, but it’s also destroying the country’s infrastructure. At the end of this military intervention Libya will need to be rebuilt a fresh.
It should not be forgotten that ethnic hatred that has been fuelled during this conflict will seriously affect any attempts to unite and reconcile Libyans in the future.
And what about the trauma of living under bombs, the pain of losing loved ones, injuries sustained, families separated, refugees who drown and die in the Mediterranean Sea, jobs lost, schools and hospitals demolished, etc.
What was one of the most developed and rich countries in Africa is now completely destroyed and will have to start from scratch. And of course it will need the help of foreign powers to help it re-emerge, a process that will take several decades, and give those foreign powers unfettered control of Libya’s resources.
At this time when it appears that only bombs can solve the Libyan crisis, those isolated voices calling for a peaceful solution to this crisis should be listened to. This conflict can be solved peacefully according to the will of the Libyan people. Word is the most powerful weapon. There is no one in the world who cannot be negotiated with if you choose the right approach and involve the right people.
Several Libyan lives will continue to be lost each time a NATO bomb lands on Libyan soil. And more lives will be lost each time Gaddafi’s loyalists fight back. It is not too late to stop these bombs and save human lives in Libya.
By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a
Mr Ongong’a is the editor of Africa News, Email: africanews@stranieriinitalia.it
What’s happening in Libya should be a wakeup call for all Africans, the African governments and the African Union (AU).
There is so much to learn from the Libyan conflict. What is probably the most important lesson to learn is that foreign powers will always do whatever is possible to protect their interests, whether that means supporting and imposing a democratic government or a dictatorial regime.
The NATO intervention in Libya has absolutely nothing to do with promoting democracy and protecting civilians. You don’t promote democracy by using bombs and killing civilians, intentionally or not. You don’t promote democracy by fuelling a civil war and arming rebels to fight against the very government you’ve been friendly to until recently. Some wise man once said that in politics, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies.
If you want to know how true this is, do an online research on how Western leaders used to praise Muammar Gaddafi up to just a few weeks before they turned against him.
And you don’t promote democracy by supporting the very people who were key ministers and military leaders in what you now consider a dictatorial regime. What makes them clean now? It defeats logic to hear the way these people are now shouting against the very regime they were part of.
Are Western powers blind not to see that they are dealing with the same people? No, they aren’t blind. They know that these are the ideal people to impose as leaders because it will be easier to control them. When someone helps you to get what you know you don’t deserve, your loyalty goes to that person. Nobody helps you for nothing, at least in politics.
Now, let’s take a step backwards and see how the AU and African leaders have been treated since the Libyan conflict emerged.
The AU didn’t play any significant role in the drafting of the UN Resolution 1973. It was reported that the Resolution was drafted by the UK, France and Lebanon.
The AU was invited to the 19th March Paris meeting that preceded the NATO military intervention in Libya. But the fact that the AU didn’t attend the meeting and called for a mediation role in the crisis, didn’t stop the world powers from launching immediate attack on Libya.
That was a slap on the face of the AU and African leaders. The AU is the legitimate umbrella body of all African countries. A decision by foreign powers to attack any African country without approval and key involvement of the AU amounts to invasion of African land and in normal circumstances, should be faced with the AU military resistance.
Try to imagine what would happen if the AU drafted a resolution to intervene in a European country (choose any of the least democratic ones), without consulting the EU, then arm twisted the UN to make it a UN resolution, then the AU dispatched its military planes to bomb the European country in the name of protecting civilians from being massacred by their so-called dictator.
NATO’s decision to launch military intervention in Libya at a meeting without the AU delegation shows how little regard they have for African leaders and the AU. They basically proved that the voice of African leaders and the AU doesn’t count even on crucial issues within the continent.
It is a further proof that if you are no longer a darling of these powerful forces, you can’t be a leader in your own country even if that’s the wish of your people.
The AU should learn from this intervention to be quick to react to problems in the continent. The AU should not be invited to meetings to discuss African issues, it is the AU that should be inviting others to such meetings. Africans must not let others take a leading role in solving African problems. Africans must learn to defend their own interests.
It has been said so many times that nobody from outside will come to solve African problems because he is a Good Samaritan. Foreigners will only come to intervene to defend their own interests, whether those interests go against the interests of the local people or not.
It is disappointing to see the way the Western powers are undermining the efforts by the AU and African leaders to negotiate for a peaceful solution to the Libyan conflict. One wonders why they continue to ignore Gaddafi’s offer for a peacefully negotiated resolution to this conflict, and why whatever the AU says is continually ignored.
One also wonders why foreign powers have created a parallel government in Libya, and illegitimately created another centre of power in a different city from the country’s official capital.
This article doesn’t justify what Gaddafi is alleged to have done. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating those allegations and will take proper action.
The crucial question at this stage is this: is destroying Libya the most effective way of addressing the Libyan crisis? The military intervention is not only killing civilians and creating hundreds of thousands of refugees, but it’s also destroying the country’s infrastructure. At the end of this military intervention Libya will need to be rebuilt a fresh.
It should not be forgotten that ethnic hatred that has been fuelled during this conflict will seriously affect any attempts to unite and reconcile Libyans in the future.
And what about the trauma of living under bombs, the pain of losing loved ones, injuries sustained, families separated, refugees who drown and die in the Mediterranean Sea, jobs lost, schools and hospitals demolished, etc.
What was one of the most developed and rich countries in Africa is now completely destroyed and will have to start from scratch. And of course it will need the help of foreign powers to help it re-emerge, a process that will take several decades, and give those foreign powers unfettered control of Libya’s resources.
At this time when it appears that only bombs can solve the Libyan crisis, those isolated voices calling for a peaceful solution to this crisis should be listened to. This conflict can be solved peacefully according to the will of the Libyan people. Word is the most powerful weapon. There is no one in the world who cannot be negotiated with if you choose the right approach and involve the right people.
Several Libyan lives will continue to be lost each time a NATO bomb lands on Libyan soil. And more lives will be lost each time Gaddafi’s loyalists fight back. It is not too late to stop these bombs and save human lives in Libya.
By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a
Mr Ongong’a is the editor of Africa News, Email: africanews@stranieriinitalia.it
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
DRC Protracted War in the African Nation Series
Local War of Global Interest
In August 2010 the UN published a report …which documented crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between the nineties and 2003, a period when the country was being devastated by two wars. The report sheds new light on a conflict that still persists and behind which enormous interests move. This document was discussed at a conference held in November 2010 at the University of Parma, Italy.
An explosive report, so controversial, that its publication was opposed to the bitter end. No, nothing to do with the Wikileaks revelations but only the honest work of some UN personnel who documented the horror into which the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plunged between the mid-nineties and 2003, a period when the country was ravaged by two bloody wars forgotten by the media.
An act of neglect by the media that has also been the fate of this United Nations document, despite its devastating content. Or perhaps precisely because of them. A conference held in Parma in late November 2010 tried to pull back the veil of silence. The conference was organized by “Rete Pace per il Congo” (an organ linked to the missionaries who work in the war-torn African country) and the Department of Political and Social Studies at the University of Parma.
The gathering was introduced by the quite informal greeting of the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Roberto Greci, who mentioned the reason why the academic world had taken on the initiative: as “humanists,” he said, we cannot remain indifferent to the tragedies that are tormenting the world. After the Dean came Sister Teresina Caffi, a Xaverian working in eastern DRC. She summarized what happened in the country in those dark years, during which she explained, referring to a study by the International Rescue Committee, three million eight hundred thousand people died because of the war.
Blood-Stained Wealth
It all began on October 1, 1990, said Sister Teresina, when the then Head of the Ugandan Information Service, Paul Kagame, launched a rebellion to overthrow the government of Rwanda, a country considered strategic for gaining access to the wealth of the east of the DRC. A venture “supported and followed by the Anglophone powers eager to replace France in access” to the resources. Kagame relied on the thirst for revenge of the Tutsi whom the Rwandan regime, monopolized by the country's ethnic majority, the Hutu, had ousted from power. The war between government and anti-government supporters went ahead with various massacres until, in 1994, the ferocity reached its climax.
On April 6, the plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and of neighboring Burundi, returning from a meeting of negotiations, was shot down. Both presidents died in the incident. In response Hutu extremists massacred 800,000 people: mostly Tutsis, but also many Hutus. A genocide known to the world, but of which, Sister Teresina said, much remains to be clarified. The massacres lasted a hundred days that is until Kagame managed to seize power in Rwanda.
The Hutu, terrified by the idea of collective vengeance, fled en masse to the neighboring DRC where they crowded into refugee camps. But the camps were too close to Rwanda, as various humanitarian organizations made clear, and tension, instead of diminishing, grew. The new Rwandan regime, in fact, considered them a threat, and in October 1996, after yet another ultimatum, bombed them. It was the beginning of the first war: troops from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda invaded the DRC. At their head was placed an old Congolese opponent of the oppressive government in Kinshasha, Laurent-Desire Kabila: in that way the “war could be called a war of liberation”, Sister Teresina commented. Although, the Xaverian sister added, with the progressive sickness of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the Kinshasa government had opened a process of democratization heralding positive developments.
In May 1997 the war ended and Laurent-Desire Kabila declared himself president. But the peace did not last long. After about a year, the new president, “also driven by popular pressure”, asked foreign troops to leave the country. In response, a second war broke out in August: “the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie” a rebel group which has its operational base in the eastern regions, rose against the government in Kinshasa. But, Sister Teresina said, it was a “screening rebellion” behind which lay Rwanda and Uganda yet again. Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Chad entered in support of Kabila. [to be continued].
Crimes against humanity
During the wars, which ended in 2003, unspeakable atrocities took place in the Congolese jungle. The UN experts made a kind of chart of the violence, ascertaining 617 slaughters, defined as “crimes against humanity” and “war crimes”. Emma Bonino, vice president of the Italian Senate, at the time of the war was commissioner of the European Union. Asked for her opinion, she tersely remarked: “To my knowledge, for the period in which I was an eyewitness, the UN report is very well done”. And she revealed that very strong pressure had been exerted to prevent its publication. In her speech she spoke of the start of the first war, recounting the shock at the bombing of the refugee camps, although the flag of the United Nations was flying over them. And she recalled an episode in which she was personally involved. It happened in the first phase of the war and the Rwandan government, fearing reactions to the invasion, had reassured the world that all the Hutu refugees had returned home, a total of 500,000 returning Hutus.
Information confirmed by the general commanding the UN multinational force stationed in the DRC. So all was well, everything normalized, so much so that the international force was dissolved. But questions arose from many quarters: at the beginning of hostilities there was talk of 1,200,000 refugees, while the returnees were only 500,000. It didn't add up. Doubts grew as disturbing news came from the missionaries in the DRC, who spoke of masses of fugitives on the move within the jungle. “We decided to check”, Bonino resumed. “So, after several searches, we found the Tingi-Tingi camp, 250,000 people crammed into an area four hundred kilometers from the border. Hundreds of thousands of refugees who simply did not exist for the world. They had done four hundred kilometers on foot. You can imagine their conditions ...
After that, she recalled, appeals and calls for action to stop the war multiplied, unfortunately in vain. She had the documents telling of those insistent appeals and showed them. “The fact is that, in the course of that first war, the international community was prepared to accept any wickedness just to end Mobutu's regime”, she explained. She also spoke of the effectiveness of the propaganda of the invasion forces, which capitalized on the genocide in Rwanda: the Rwandan Hutus were indiscriminately accused of those murders, a stigma which justified any atrocity against them. “But the perpetrators of the genocide were some tens of thousands ... The Hutu refugees in DRC were more than a million, most of whom women and children”, Bonino remarked.
During those years, the United Nations experts noted horrors without end: mass murder, brutal violence, people burned alive, cannibalism ... A series of crimes committed by the forces opposed to the Congolese government, but also (to a lesser extent, according to the UN report) by government forces. In particular the report focused on a “modus operandi” very much used by the forces of “liberation”: once arrived in a village, the weary civilians were asked to gather together for a food and clothing distribution. Then, when the intended victims (mainly Hutu of Rwandan origin) had been picked out, they were tied up before being killed with blunt instruments (mostly with hammers).
Sometimes in dozens, others in hundreds, including women and children. A similar selection was made at checkpoints, separating those who were to be repatriated to Rwanda from the others. Then, instead of Rwanda, those selected were killed and their bodies made to disappear in mass graves or thrown into rivers or latrines. Another ploy for identifying the prey was to allow the humanitarian organizations to enter the territories under the control of the forces of “liberation” to permit assistance to be given to the fugitives hiding in the jungle. Permission granted so that the relief workers took with them trusted persons to check on their operations. In reality, the latter then located the fugitives and passed the information to the executioners ... The UN report includes variations on the tragic theme set out above: women and children buried alive or killed by smashing their heads against walls or trees.
A score performed with method and dedication, so much so that the United Nations experts speculated that a veritable genocide had been committed against the Rwandan Hutu refugees in the DRC. And they asked that a special court be set up to verify the truth of this hypothesis. Among the many crimes also the mass kidnapping of children to turn into soldiers or to subject to sexual violence. But the acts of pedophilia committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo did not make many headlines.
War and mobile phones
Mathilde Muhindo Mwamini, a former member of the DRC parliament, spoke at the Parma conference on the sexual violence that took place in those years and explained how it, carried out on a large scale and in a systematic way, had served as a weapon: the aim being to spread AIDS and erode the social fabric of the civilian population, since it resulted in the psychological disruption of family relationships. Also, since the domestic economy of Congolese society is based largely on women's work (particularly in the fields), the violence was also meant to undermine the subsistence of families.
A detailed report by Muhindo Mwamini showed that widespread impunity was a key factor in the perpetuation of such practices even today. Indeed, because at the Parma conference not only the past was spoken of, but the tragic present also. In fact the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo is far from pacified. Terror continues to rage even after the end of the war. On various occasions militias led by adventurers, with the support of the Rwandan regime (and others), have risen up against the Kinshasha government. The last major rebellion was that of Laurent Nkunda, leader of the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People), who, after putting the region to fire and the sword, was arrested in January 2009 and imprisoned in Rwanda. Currently those who are spreading terror are armed groups known under various acronyms: the anti-Rwandan Hutu armed forces, former militiamen of the CNDP still in active service (a recent UN report states that Nkunda had not broken his ties with his old buddies and that he is pulling the strings from prison in Rwanda) and many others.
The various warlords are vying for pieces of territory, roads, mines, rivers, leading to continued violence against the civilian population. While the international community remains silent. Marco Deriu, a sociologist and lecturer in the Department of Political and Social Studies at the University of Parma, explained the enormous interests in this war in eastern DRC, one of the richest areas in the world: there are huge reserves of gold, diamonds, oil, cobalt, uranium, cassiterite, wolframite, copper, coffee and hard woods ... In detail there is: 17% of the world's production of rough diamonds, 34% of the world's cobalt, 10% of world production of copper, 4-5% of world production of tin and 60-80% of coltan resources. This latter mineral is used for electronic components, particularly for telecommunications and computers, but also for play stations, as Deriu remarked with tragic irony. The chaos of this continuous war still allows the looting of natural resources. More or less everybody is exploiting the situation: the warlords, the various dealers (local and international) in resources and weapons, up to the big multinational corporations that are buying precious minerals at bargain prices.
It is a conflict that feeds off itself, given that the profits are partially reinvested in fomenting warfare so as to increase business, in a crescendo of chaos organized by subtle minds. At the expense of the local populations who are driven out of mining areas or used as forced labor for the mines or to reinforce the ranks of the militias. The fate of women and girls, however, is that of sex slaves. It is difficult to break this network of concentric interests in a war that is both local and global. “But this UN report is a window of opportunity”, said Muhindo Mwamini in concluding her speech, “and at the same time, a testimony to the fact that, sooner or later, the truth comes to light”.
There were many Congolese at the conference, mostly young students. Some of them were there thanks to the Xaverians, with whom they have close and affectionate relations. They spoke out, asked questions, told of their experiences. They asked for justice and peace. And there was an amazing lack of bitterness in their words, despite everything that has happened and is happening in their country. They had smiling faces, bright eyes. And that is more than a window of hope.
NOTE: The chaos of this continuous war still allows the looting of natural resources. More or less everybody is exploiting the situation: the warlords, the various dealers (local and international) in resources and weapons, up to the big multinational corporations that are buying precious minerals at bargain prices. A conflict feeds off itself, given that the profits are partially reinvested in fomenting warfare to increase business.
By David Malacaria, This article was first published in the magazine called 30Days, a catholic Italian Magazine.
In August 2010 the UN published a report …which documented crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between the nineties and 2003, a period when the country was being devastated by two wars. The report sheds new light on a conflict that still persists and behind which enormous interests move. This document was discussed at a conference held in November 2010 at the University of Parma, Italy.
An explosive report, so controversial, that its publication was opposed to the bitter end. No, nothing to do with the Wikileaks revelations but only the honest work of some UN personnel who documented the horror into which the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plunged between the mid-nineties and 2003, a period when the country was ravaged by two bloody wars forgotten by the media.
An act of neglect by the media that has also been the fate of this United Nations document, despite its devastating content. Or perhaps precisely because of them. A conference held in Parma in late November 2010 tried to pull back the veil of silence. The conference was organized by “Rete Pace per il Congo” (an organ linked to the missionaries who work in the war-torn African country) and the Department of Political and Social Studies at the University of Parma.
The gathering was introduced by the quite informal greeting of the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Roberto Greci, who mentioned the reason why the academic world had taken on the initiative: as “humanists,” he said, we cannot remain indifferent to the tragedies that are tormenting the world. After the Dean came Sister Teresina Caffi, a Xaverian working in eastern DRC. She summarized what happened in the country in those dark years, during which she explained, referring to a study by the International Rescue Committee, three million eight hundred thousand people died because of the war.
Blood-Stained Wealth
It all began on October 1, 1990, said Sister Teresina, when the then Head of the Ugandan Information Service, Paul Kagame, launched a rebellion to overthrow the government of Rwanda, a country considered strategic for gaining access to the wealth of the east of the DRC. A venture “supported and followed by the Anglophone powers eager to replace France in access” to the resources. Kagame relied on the thirst for revenge of the Tutsi whom the Rwandan regime, monopolized by the country's ethnic majority, the Hutu, had ousted from power. The war between government and anti-government supporters went ahead with various massacres until, in 1994, the ferocity reached its climax.
On April 6, the plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and of neighboring Burundi, returning from a meeting of negotiations, was shot down. Both presidents died in the incident. In response Hutu extremists massacred 800,000 people: mostly Tutsis, but also many Hutus. A genocide known to the world, but of which, Sister Teresina said, much remains to be clarified. The massacres lasted a hundred days that is until Kagame managed to seize power in Rwanda.
The Hutu, terrified by the idea of collective vengeance, fled en masse to the neighboring DRC where they crowded into refugee camps. But the camps were too close to Rwanda, as various humanitarian organizations made clear, and tension, instead of diminishing, grew. The new Rwandan regime, in fact, considered them a threat, and in October 1996, after yet another ultimatum, bombed them. It was the beginning of the first war: troops from Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda invaded the DRC. At their head was placed an old Congolese opponent of the oppressive government in Kinshasha, Laurent-Desire Kabila: in that way the “war could be called a war of liberation”, Sister Teresina commented. Although, the Xaverian sister added, with the progressive sickness of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the Kinshasa government had opened a process of democratization heralding positive developments.
In May 1997 the war ended and Laurent-Desire Kabila declared himself president. But the peace did not last long. After about a year, the new president, “also driven by popular pressure”, asked foreign troops to leave the country. In response, a second war broke out in August: “the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Democratie” a rebel group which has its operational base in the eastern regions, rose against the government in Kinshasa. But, Sister Teresina said, it was a “screening rebellion” behind which lay Rwanda and Uganda yet again. Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Chad entered in support of Kabila. [to be continued].
Crimes against humanity
During the wars, which ended in 2003, unspeakable atrocities took place in the Congolese jungle. The UN experts made a kind of chart of the violence, ascertaining 617 slaughters, defined as “crimes against humanity” and “war crimes”. Emma Bonino, vice president of the Italian Senate, at the time of the war was commissioner of the European Union. Asked for her opinion, she tersely remarked: “To my knowledge, for the period in which I was an eyewitness, the UN report is very well done”. And she revealed that very strong pressure had been exerted to prevent its publication. In her speech she spoke of the start of the first war, recounting the shock at the bombing of the refugee camps, although the flag of the United Nations was flying over them. And she recalled an episode in which she was personally involved. It happened in the first phase of the war and the Rwandan government, fearing reactions to the invasion, had reassured the world that all the Hutu refugees had returned home, a total of 500,000 returning Hutus.
Information confirmed by the general commanding the UN multinational force stationed in the DRC. So all was well, everything normalized, so much so that the international force was dissolved. But questions arose from many quarters: at the beginning of hostilities there was talk of 1,200,000 refugees, while the returnees were only 500,000. It didn't add up. Doubts grew as disturbing news came from the missionaries in the DRC, who spoke of masses of fugitives on the move within the jungle. “We decided to check”, Bonino resumed. “So, after several searches, we found the Tingi-Tingi camp, 250,000 people crammed into an area four hundred kilometers from the border. Hundreds of thousands of refugees who simply did not exist for the world. They had done four hundred kilometers on foot. You can imagine their conditions ...
After that, she recalled, appeals and calls for action to stop the war multiplied, unfortunately in vain. She had the documents telling of those insistent appeals and showed them. “The fact is that, in the course of that first war, the international community was prepared to accept any wickedness just to end Mobutu's regime”, she explained. She also spoke of the effectiveness of the propaganda of the invasion forces, which capitalized on the genocide in Rwanda: the Rwandan Hutus were indiscriminately accused of those murders, a stigma which justified any atrocity against them. “But the perpetrators of the genocide were some tens of thousands ... The Hutu refugees in DRC were more than a million, most of whom women and children”, Bonino remarked.
During those years, the United Nations experts noted horrors without end: mass murder, brutal violence, people burned alive, cannibalism ... A series of crimes committed by the forces opposed to the Congolese government, but also (to a lesser extent, according to the UN report) by government forces. In particular the report focused on a “modus operandi” very much used by the forces of “liberation”: once arrived in a village, the weary civilians were asked to gather together for a food and clothing distribution. Then, when the intended victims (mainly Hutu of Rwandan origin) had been picked out, they were tied up before being killed with blunt instruments (mostly with hammers).
Sometimes in dozens, others in hundreds, including women and children. A similar selection was made at checkpoints, separating those who were to be repatriated to Rwanda from the others. Then, instead of Rwanda, those selected were killed and their bodies made to disappear in mass graves or thrown into rivers or latrines. Another ploy for identifying the prey was to allow the humanitarian organizations to enter the territories under the control of the forces of “liberation” to permit assistance to be given to the fugitives hiding in the jungle. Permission granted so that the relief workers took with them trusted persons to check on their operations. In reality, the latter then located the fugitives and passed the information to the executioners ... The UN report includes variations on the tragic theme set out above: women and children buried alive or killed by smashing their heads against walls or trees.
A score performed with method and dedication, so much so that the United Nations experts speculated that a veritable genocide had been committed against the Rwandan Hutu refugees in the DRC. And they asked that a special court be set up to verify the truth of this hypothesis. Among the many crimes also the mass kidnapping of children to turn into soldiers or to subject to sexual violence. But the acts of pedophilia committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo did not make many headlines.
War and mobile phones
Mathilde Muhindo Mwamini, a former member of the DRC parliament, spoke at the Parma conference on the sexual violence that took place in those years and explained how it, carried out on a large scale and in a systematic way, had served as a weapon: the aim being to spread AIDS and erode the social fabric of the civilian population, since it resulted in the psychological disruption of family relationships. Also, since the domestic economy of Congolese society is based largely on women's work (particularly in the fields), the violence was also meant to undermine the subsistence of families.
A detailed report by Muhindo Mwamini showed that widespread impunity was a key factor in the perpetuation of such practices even today. Indeed, because at the Parma conference not only the past was spoken of, but the tragic present also. In fact the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo is far from pacified. Terror continues to rage even after the end of the war. On various occasions militias led by adventurers, with the support of the Rwandan regime (and others), have risen up against the Kinshasha government. The last major rebellion was that of Laurent Nkunda, leader of the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People), who, after putting the region to fire and the sword, was arrested in January 2009 and imprisoned in Rwanda. Currently those who are spreading terror are armed groups known under various acronyms: the anti-Rwandan Hutu armed forces, former militiamen of the CNDP still in active service (a recent UN report states that Nkunda had not broken his ties with his old buddies and that he is pulling the strings from prison in Rwanda) and many others.
The various warlords are vying for pieces of territory, roads, mines, rivers, leading to continued violence against the civilian population. While the international community remains silent. Marco Deriu, a sociologist and lecturer in the Department of Political and Social Studies at the University of Parma, explained the enormous interests in this war in eastern DRC, one of the richest areas in the world: there are huge reserves of gold, diamonds, oil, cobalt, uranium, cassiterite, wolframite, copper, coffee and hard woods ... In detail there is: 17% of the world's production of rough diamonds, 34% of the world's cobalt, 10% of world production of copper, 4-5% of world production of tin and 60-80% of coltan resources. This latter mineral is used for electronic components, particularly for telecommunications and computers, but also for play stations, as Deriu remarked with tragic irony. The chaos of this continuous war still allows the looting of natural resources. More or less everybody is exploiting the situation: the warlords, the various dealers (local and international) in resources and weapons, up to the big multinational corporations that are buying precious minerals at bargain prices.
It is a conflict that feeds off itself, given that the profits are partially reinvested in fomenting warfare so as to increase business, in a crescendo of chaos organized by subtle minds. At the expense of the local populations who are driven out of mining areas or used as forced labor for the mines or to reinforce the ranks of the militias. The fate of women and girls, however, is that of sex slaves. It is difficult to break this network of concentric interests in a war that is both local and global. “But this UN report is a window of opportunity”, said Muhindo Mwamini in concluding her speech, “and at the same time, a testimony to the fact that, sooner or later, the truth comes to light”.
There were many Congolese at the conference, mostly young students. Some of them were there thanks to the Xaverians, with whom they have close and affectionate relations. They spoke out, asked questions, told of their experiences. They asked for justice and peace. And there was an amazing lack of bitterness in their words, despite everything that has happened and is happening in their country. They had smiling faces, bright eyes. And that is more than a window of hope.
NOTE: The chaos of this continuous war still allows the looting of natural resources. More or less everybody is exploiting the situation: the warlords, the various dealers (local and international) in resources and weapons, up to the big multinational corporations that are buying precious minerals at bargain prices. A conflict feeds off itself, given that the profits are partially reinvested in fomenting warfare to increase business.
By David Malacaria, This article was first published in the magazine called 30Days, a catholic Italian Magazine.
Friday, June 17, 2011
A Dream of an African child
I WISH I WERE BORN A LION!
God, I wish I was born a lion cub in the Maasai-Mara game reserve!
I would be well protected by tough rangers so that my specie never disappears from the face of the earth.
Millions of dollars would have been poured from around the world just to keep me alive so that generations and generations may see me and enjoy their sight in the name of wildlife conservation.
Oh! How much would I have caught the attention of thousands of tourists from all over the world just to see how I look like in real life!
I would have become such a great movie star like the “Lion King”!
Oh God, What a curse for me!
Instead of a famous lion in the wild, I was born a baby of so-called “human” animal that I’ve found, at times, more animal than brother lion in Maasai-Mara!
My protection is not such a big deal, anyway!
There is so little money to care about my basic needs!
My life has little value, or none whatsoever. Dead or alive, it does not bother anybody!
My childhood is violated and stolen from me so early.
Street is my homeless home! There in the heat, in the cold and rain, I am battered like a repugnant deadly snake!
I am slipped into loose uniforms cut out for big brothers, pushed to carry heavy guns and fight wars I have never understood. I walk miles and miles, and hungry, I smoke what I saw big brothers smoking… and I forget that I am alive! Who cares, anyway!
I am suffering from a severe love and care starvation!
My worst foes are not lions in Maasai-Mara, they are “human animals” like you and I!
Little dogs have no toys but they are enjoying life better than I!
I cry when I hear that beautiful song sung by Mike Jackson: “We are the world, we are the children!” Why don’t you wake up Mike Jackson and sing it one more time for me!
Am I truly the world? I wonder if I were the world, why should my nights be full of nightmares? If I were the world, why is my life such a broken dream with no hope for a better tomorrow?
JESUS AND THE CHILDREN
The first best gift our children deserve is love; then, the rest. Remove the first and then the rest would remain hanging walls with no foundation. Jesus welcomed children with love and blessed them: “…Let the Children alone and do not stop them from coming to me; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of heaven belongs” (Mat. 19: 13-14).
Earlier on, in chapter 18, verses 5 to 6, Jesus identified himself to children as he warned the adults for their duty of setting good examples for them: “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith in me would be better drowned in the depths of the sea with a great millstone round his neck.”
The implications of these words of the Lord are obvious. When we reject children or mistreat them, we are doing so to no one else but Jesus Christ himself. We all have an ethical responsibility towards our children. We should ever strive to set a good model for them and avoid causing their downfall.
Are we still observing this warning? Haven’t we become wolves to our children? Those parents called Christians have to follow the Master’s words in the way of treating their children. Let them stand as models for neighbours to follow.
CHILDREN’ RIGHTS
Most African countries are still wrestling with constitutional issues to come out from the jungle law set by long-life dictators and become legal States. Kenya crossed this stage last year, endorsing a new constitution for the country. We are now on the stage of gradual implementation; hoping that the process will go on without any blocks on the way.
I hope that our children’s rights are getting space within the legal framework. The privileged place Christ gave them will be recovered not only by the observance of the law but above all by the love we have for our children.
Children are a gift from God received through parents, who continuing the work of procreation given them by God at the beginning of history. So as gifts, they are accepted with no condition or discrimination, whether they are handicapped or have any behavioural defects that may affect the parents.
No child, including parents who were children at a certain point of their lives, ever negotiated his face, shape, character, time of birth or parents through whom he/she was supposed to be born. It is therefore a great responsibility for parents to welcome children the way they are born, without causing them any wounding prejudice that would affect negatively their process of growth.
A newborn has all the potential to grow as a human person but he/she starts life like any other living animal created by God. The natural, biological and instinctive functions are first at play before the gradual evolvement of the cultural, rational and intuitive functions. Becoming human is therefore a project and process entrusted into the hands of parents and various educators as the child grow up.
Do we have to cut and paste rights as practiced in the West?
It is wise that when one gets a packet, he should open it and proceed by selecting what is useful and what is not. The Western application has serious loopholes requiring a re-examination of children’s rights with regard to fundamental duties of every human person in the process of growth.
Because of the fundamental role of parents in helping the process of transformation from the natural animal to the cultural human being, we think that any sound notion of children’s rights should never jeopardize parents’ authority and guidance. There is a tendency that is making of children little adults who have too many rights that they have become the ones dictating to parents what they are supposed to do for them. Children do not have the psychological maturity to assess a situation a make the right decisions. They have to be trained by those who have undergone the experience before them.
When children can have their parents arrested for petty whims, then they have taken over their parents’ place. A child who is stronger than his parents has no reason to respect them anymore. He/she thinks everything is permitted and becomes simply a bully and selfish person who have everything the way he wills! Such an attitude is not only dangerous for the society as such but even for the very law that’s granting them such rights. We are training selfish persons who will bend laws to their personal interests. Limits are necessary for a sound growth of every human person.
Children’s right with no strong families are again walls with no foundations. As we grow aware that our children should be legally protected, it is imperative that we strive for the betterment of the parents’ life conditions. Parents who cannot afford to raise their children with the meagre means they earn are already impeded to guarantee some of the rights of their children.
Countries’ resources should be fairly distributed among all the work force; a bigger share is usually destined to the few at the top of our countries while the majority is left with scraps to survive with. Too many rights unaccompanied with love weaken the family ties as spouses and children indulge in seeking their rights fulfilled instead of giving themselves fully for the growth of their families.
Behind strong family ties we see the love driving parents to look for the benefit of their children. Normally when people love each other, they care and observe each other’s rights without even thinking of any theoretical discourse; things flow out naturally out of love. It is often when love is over that human beings begin to turn against each other in a destructive manner. Lost in the passion of hate, our judgment becomes biased and some sort of a positive reference is needed in order to establish some justice beyond our biases and prejudices. A parent who does not love his child for any reason, this happens in real life experience, needs to be reminded of the duties that are still his/hers for the growth of that child who did not negotiate to have him/her as parent.
The most important thing for us is to strike a balance between what we consider a defected notion of rights that consecrates the reign of the children over their parents; and a sound notion of rights that creates more consideration, more respect to our children without putting in jeopardy the guiding and instructive role of the parents. The latter should have the rights to use their positive creativity in dealing with specific characters of their children and responding adequately to the needs of growth of each one of them as individual beings.
A more stubborn child needs to be dealt with differently than an obedient or a meeker one. No one can direct him/herself from childhood to adulthood without parental assistance in whichever way it may be. The child does not raise his parents; he is raised by them and this fundamental position should not be reversed by any constitution if we care about making sound human beings for the human community.
This is where Africa, on matters of children’s rights, could make a difference with the West, unless we want to get out of Hollywood fiction and create true “Tarzans” raised in jungle standards! Parents! Do not leave your homestead unilaterally run by lawyers and politicians! Stand up for your responsibility when lawyers cross the line and force you to destroy your homes with misleading notions of rights.
You need Institutions that help you to build your families and raise your children according to sound human and Christian standards! The biblical wisdom reminds us that “the law was made for man and not man for the law; and that the son of man is master even of the law” (Mark 2: 27-28).
Fr Nhessy Iland IMC
God, I wish I was born a lion cub in the Maasai-Mara game reserve!
I would be well protected by tough rangers so that my specie never disappears from the face of the earth.
Millions of dollars would have been poured from around the world just to keep me alive so that generations and generations may see me and enjoy their sight in the name of wildlife conservation.
Oh! How much would I have caught the attention of thousands of tourists from all over the world just to see how I look like in real life!
I would have become such a great movie star like the “Lion King”!
Oh God, What a curse for me!
Instead of a famous lion in the wild, I was born a baby of so-called “human” animal that I’ve found, at times, more animal than brother lion in Maasai-Mara!
My protection is not such a big deal, anyway!
There is so little money to care about my basic needs!
My life has little value, or none whatsoever. Dead or alive, it does not bother anybody!
My childhood is violated and stolen from me so early.
Street is my homeless home! There in the heat, in the cold and rain, I am battered like a repugnant deadly snake!
I am slipped into loose uniforms cut out for big brothers, pushed to carry heavy guns and fight wars I have never understood. I walk miles and miles, and hungry, I smoke what I saw big brothers smoking… and I forget that I am alive! Who cares, anyway!
I am suffering from a severe love and care starvation!
My worst foes are not lions in Maasai-Mara, they are “human animals” like you and I!
Little dogs have no toys but they are enjoying life better than I!
I cry when I hear that beautiful song sung by Mike Jackson: “We are the world, we are the children!” Why don’t you wake up Mike Jackson and sing it one more time for me!
Am I truly the world? I wonder if I were the world, why should my nights be full of nightmares? If I were the world, why is my life such a broken dream with no hope for a better tomorrow?
JESUS AND THE CHILDREN
The first best gift our children deserve is love; then, the rest. Remove the first and then the rest would remain hanging walls with no foundation. Jesus welcomed children with love and blessed them: “…Let the Children alone and do not stop them from coming to me; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of heaven belongs” (Mat. 19: 13-14).
Earlier on, in chapter 18, verses 5 to 6, Jesus identified himself to children as he warned the adults for their duty of setting good examples for them: “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith in me would be better drowned in the depths of the sea with a great millstone round his neck.”
The implications of these words of the Lord are obvious. When we reject children or mistreat them, we are doing so to no one else but Jesus Christ himself. We all have an ethical responsibility towards our children. We should ever strive to set a good model for them and avoid causing their downfall.
Are we still observing this warning? Haven’t we become wolves to our children? Those parents called Christians have to follow the Master’s words in the way of treating their children. Let them stand as models for neighbours to follow.
CHILDREN’ RIGHTS
Most African countries are still wrestling with constitutional issues to come out from the jungle law set by long-life dictators and become legal States. Kenya crossed this stage last year, endorsing a new constitution for the country. We are now on the stage of gradual implementation; hoping that the process will go on without any blocks on the way.
I hope that our children’s rights are getting space within the legal framework. The privileged place Christ gave them will be recovered not only by the observance of the law but above all by the love we have for our children.
Children are a gift from God received through parents, who continuing the work of procreation given them by God at the beginning of history. So as gifts, they are accepted with no condition or discrimination, whether they are handicapped or have any behavioural defects that may affect the parents.
No child, including parents who were children at a certain point of their lives, ever negotiated his face, shape, character, time of birth or parents through whom he/she was supposed to be born. It is therefore a great responsibility for parents to welcome children the way they are born, without causing them any wounding prejudice that would affect negatively their process of growth.
A newborn has all the potential to grow as a human person but he/she starts life like any other living animal created by God. The natural, biological and instinctive functions are first at play before the gradual evolvement of the cultural, rational and intuitive functions. Becoming human is therefore a project and process entrusted into the hands of parents and various educators as the child grow up.
Do we have to cut and paste rights as practiced in the West?
It is wise that when one gets a packet, he should open it and proceed by selecting what is useful and what is not. The Western application has serious loopholes requiring a re-examination of children’s rights with regard to fundamental duties of every human person in the process of growth.
Because of the fundamental role of parents in helping the process of transformation from the natural animal to the cultural human being, we think that any sound notion of children’s rights should never jeopardize parents’ authority and guidance. There is a tendency that is making of children little adults who have too many rights that they have become the ones dictating to parents what they are supposed to do for them. Children do not have the psychological maturity to assess a situation a make the right decisions. They have to be trained by those who have undergone the experience before them.
When children can have their parents arrested for petty whims, then they have taken over their parents’ place. A child who is stronger than his parents has no reason to respect them anymore. He/she thinks everything is permitted and becomes simply a bully and selfish person who have everything the way he wills! Such an attitude is not only dangerous for the society as such but even for the very law that’s granting them such rights. We are training selfish persons who will bend laws to their personal interests. Limits are necessary for a sound growth of every human person.
Children’s right with no strong families are again walls with no foundations. As we grow aware that our children should be legally protected, it is imperative that we strive for the betterment of the parents’ life conditions. Parents who cannot afford to raise their children with the meagre means they earn are already impeded to guarantee some of the rights of their children.
Countries’ resources should be fairly distributed among all the work force; a bigger share is usually destined to the few at the top of our countries while the majority is left with scraps to survive with. Too many rights unaccompanied with love weaken the family ties as spouses and children indulge in seeking their rights fulfilled instead of giving themselves fully for the growth of their families.
Behind strong family ties we see the love driving parents to look for the benefit of their children. Normally when people love each other, they care and observe each other’s rights without even thinking of any theoretical discourse; things flow out naturally out of love. It is often when love is over that human beings begin to turn against each other in a destructive manner. Lost in the passion of hate, our judgment becomes biased and some sort of a positive reference is needed in order to establish some justice beyond our biases and prejudices. A parent who does not love his child for any reason, this happens in real life experience, needs to be reminded of the duties that are still his/hers for the growth of that child who did not negotiate to have him/her as parent.
The most important thing for us is to strike a balance between what we consider a defected notion of rights that consecrates the reign of the children over their parents; and a sound notion of rights that creates more consideration, more respect to our children without putting in jeopardy the guiding and instructive role of the parents. The latter should have the rights to use their positive creativity in dealing with specific characters of their children and responding adequately to the needs of growth of each one of them as individual beings.
A more stubborn child needs to be dealt with differently than an obedient or a meeker one. No one can direct him/herself from childhood to adulthood without parental assistance in whichever way it may be. The child does not raise his parents; he is raised by them and this fundamental position should not be reversed by any constitution if we care about making sound human beings for the human community.
This is where Africa, on matters of children’s rights, could make a difference with the West, unless we want to get out of Hollywood fiction and create true “Tarzans” raised in jungle standards! Parents! Do not leave your homestead unilaterally run by lawyers and politicians! Stand up for your responsibility when lawyers cross the line and force you to destroy your homes with misleading notions of rights.
You need Institutions that help you to build your families and raise your children according to sound human and Christian standards! The biblical wisdom reminds us that “the law was made for man and not man for the law; and that the son of man is master even of the law” (Mark 2: 27-28).
Fr Nhessy Iland IMC
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