Newsletter South Africa No 65 – 31st July 2016

My dear Friends, Greetings! I just arrived from my leave in Canada on Thursday noon. Two night flights with only 2 or 3 hours’ sleep, and the jet lag (6 hours’ difference) make me feel very sleepy and I often doze off at any time of the day. Then I wake up in the middle of the night without being able to sleep again until the morning hours! Those two long flights (6 hours and 11 hours respectively) and 12 hours in Paris, took me back here without major incident or accident. Thank God! In this day and age of terrorism, one never knows what might happen! In Paris, I had the chance of meeting Fr. Didier Michon, who was here in South Africa for a good number of years. He just turned 81 and seems to be quite well. My 2 months’ holiday went by very fast! I met very many people, first my family then many friends. At the Provincial House, I met a young man from my home town who shows some interest in joining the M.Afr. He has worked in various well-paying jobs, but he wants to do something deeper with his life. He is soon going to one of our missions in Africa to build up an experience of being a missionary.

One day I went to a Trappist (1) Monastery for a short visit and a quiet time of prayer. There, I met a former neighbour of mine (Brother Bruno). He is 8 years younger than me, therefore I did not know him very well when I was young. But when he was 21 years old, after some years playing the drums in different rock bands, he joined the Trappists, wanting to give his life to God in a deeper way. He is now 64 and, with a permanent smile, he looks so happy and serene! We had a good chat together. I was hoping to rest after my arrival, but there were so many requests for Masses and Confessions! All three of us (Fr. Christophe Boyer, Fr. George Okwii and myself) have been fully busy replacing Priests who are gone either on holidays or to the World Youth Days in Poland.

Patrick Kadima wrote some short messages saying that he had arrived in Ghana, diocese of Tamale in the north, for his 2 years of pastoral experience. I presume he is now starting to learn the local language. Hopefully, he will send more news for the August Newsletter.

I wish you a very good month. Do not forget the important feast of Our Lady of the Assumption (15^th August, but celebrated here the following Sunday, 21^st August). She is the Patron Saint of South Africa. Pray Mother Mary to help our country, especially to foster more peace and understanding; let us ask her to intervene to God on our behalf for a quiet and peaceful election day. Also, ask her to enlighten you on your vocation.

God bless you all! Fr. Michel Meunier, M.Afr

(1) The Trappists are one of the most strict order of monks; they spend most of their time in silence, praying and working.

Newsletter South Africa No. 65 July 2016

MIMSAF Calendar August 2016

“Accumulating wealth is not the only purpose worth to live for”

KULEMERA SIKUFIKA, KACHIRAMBE ANAOMBOLA MALAWI, CHIKHALIDWE CHATHU CHIBWERERE = “Accumulating wealth is not the only purpose worth to live for”.

Malawi is not to be considered as a poor beggar who keeps stretching the hand but is very rich of spirituality that can be shared with the rest of the world especially with regard to our common humanity.

The play browse over a Bantu and Yao tale that feature a redeemer in the person of Kachirambe.

The story developed the theme of the land and its people that has been swallowed by a nasty monster in the form of a giant pumpkin. All except a young girl and her mother who escaped and lived hidden in the forest.

As the monster moves from village to village, it keeps getting bigger and stronger by swallowing people’s good behaviour and devouring the best of the people’s life and traditions. It destroys people’s humanity and change them into greedy creatures deprived of mercy, humanity and freedom. As the story unfolds, Malawi becomes the prey to corruption, greed, injustices, famine and even the murder as it is recently the case of albinos.

Chiefs are corrupt; they are bribed and cases are not resolved fairly. They are selling land to rich investors while the custodians of the land are left with little or no land to cultivate. Hospital staff are irresponsible and lack commitment; patients are not given much attention and are asked to pay money to be assisted. ADMARC staff are corrupt and greedy; if people don’t have money to bribe the officials, they are denied access to food supply  while the government deny of famine and proclaim that there is plenty of maize available. The most horrifying is the killing of people with albinism, apparently for money in exchange for their bones. Poverty grows daily and those who are poor are denied rights of speech and are prevented to access to the legal system in order to claim their rights. Greed has gripped Malawi. People’s humanity have been swallowed by the monster pumpkin.

The only survivors in our tale are a young girl called “Ndasiyidwa” (meaning; I was spared) and her mother called “Ndapulumuka” (meaning; I have survived). Ndasiyidwa was expecting a child. One day while Ndasiyidwa was busy collecting mushrooms in the forest, she took by accident a hyena’s egg and brought it home. The mother of Ndasiyidwa destroyed the egg by throwing it in the fire. The next day when the girl was collecting wild vegetables, she encountered the hyena for the first time and it asked who took its egg. Ndasiyidwa acknowledged that she was the one took the egg and that her mother had destroyed it in the fire. The hyena threatened that it will eat her. Ndasiyidwa told the hyena that she was expecting a baby soon and that it should eat the child instead of her. The hyena complied. Ndasiyidwa delivered her child, fully grown and equipped with weapons of a hunter. Her grandmother called him Kachirambe Mlera khungwa (meaning; the guardian of the people). Ndasiyidwa informed the hyena on her first trip to the forest that she had conceived her child, but that the child was so clever that the hyena could not come to term with it and that the hyena would fail to eat him. The hyena tried again and again to grab Kachirambe but failed. Instead Kachirambe killed the hyena and delivered his mother and grandmother from their common enemy.

One day as Kachirambe was chatting with his mother, he asked her what had happened to his dad. Ndasiyidwa told him that his father was devoured by the monster pumpkin called Mgalika mwambo (meaning; the swallower of tradition). Kachirambe swore that he will get rid of the monster pumpkin as he did with the hyena and enquired where the monster was hiding. Ndasiyidwa told him that it was hiding in the lake. The hero over the hyena Kachirambe, went for it and fought it with all his strength. He weakened it with his arrows and in the end he cut it open with his father’s dagger and freed all those who had been swallowed. His father on behalf of all the other victims, acknowledged that he had been greedy and selfish. He promised that he would return to the tradition and become more human. He would take seriously the advice of his ancestors. Money does not ultimately fulfil all of human aspirations.

The play ends with the great mother of the Chewa “Kasiya maliro” who condemns those who have gone astray through greed and lost their humanity and their own tradition. One has to live from his own values and not imitating the behaviour of others. Kachirambe portrays the power of Malawian culture over and against other influences that can disrupt Malawian culture and tradition if one is not deeply rooted into his own. Once Malawi has lost her own humanity, it has also lost the privilege of being called Malawian.

Mafrwestafrica lettre du 28 juillet 2016

Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site http://www.mafrwestafrica.net.

Actualités

« Clôture du noviciat à Bobo-Dioulasso », un texte et quelques photos sur cet événement  du 16 juillet 2016 (lire la suite)

« Situation préoccupante au Mali » des nouvelles récentes prises sur le site du magazine Jeune Afrique (lire la suite)

Témoignages 

« Maladie et vie spirituelle », le témoignage de Mgr Michael Fitzgerald, Missionnaire d’Afrique (article de Voix d’Afrique n° 111. (lire la suite)

« Deux exemples congolais » là aussi, une partie d’un article de Voix d’Afrique sur deux témoins congolais de l’évangile (lire la suite)

Dialogue interreligieux

« Trois articles sur le site de l’ARCRE »,  Histoire du proche orient, droits de l’homme, devenir chrétien (lire la suite)

« Textes sur le dialogue », texte pris là aussi sur le site de l’ARCRE, et qui présente deux livres et un article intéressants (lire la suite)

« Le pape s’exprime : toutes les religions veulent la paix » un texte pris dans le journal « Le Monde », article du 27 juillet modifié le 28 juillet (lire la suite)

Justice et Paix

« Mauritanie et droits de l’homme » sur le site de RFI ces textes au sujet de l’attitude intolérante du pouvoir vis-à-vis de ceux qui manifestent contre l’esclavage (lire la suite)

« Manifestations en Côte d’Ivoire » contre la hausse des coûts de l’électricité, et des réactions violentes du pouvoir (lire la suite)

Vu au Sud – Vu du Sud

« L’Afrique en première page » allusion à quelques événements importants qui ne se sont pas passés en Afrique de l’Ouest (lire la suite)

« Revue de presse africaine » touchant en particulier l’acte de terrorisme commis dans une église de France (lire la suite)

« Europe et Afrique de l’Ouest », des informations prises sur le site de « Jeune Afrique » et insistant sur la pression que l’Europe est en train d’exercer sur l’Afrique sub-saharienne (lire la suite)

National Day of Prayer for peaceful election in Zambia, July 24, 2016

The National House of Prayer invited political, military and religious leaders for a day of prayer on the 24^th July 2016 at the showground situated in the capital of Lusaka under the theme; “Seeking God’s intervention: saying no to violence and committing to a peaceful election through forgiveness, tolerance, love and unity” (Isaiah 60: 18). The same event also took place in other parts of the country.

Thousands of people assembled in a joyful and prayerful atmosphere while various Bishops, Apostles, Pastors and Priests of various Churches presented their petitions to the Almighty God. In his call for worship, Father Charles Chilinda, from St. Ignatius Parish, asked forgiveness to the compassionate and Father of all for the violence being committed in the current political campaign. “Gracious God, we pray for peace in our communities this day. We commit to you all who work for peace and those who work to uphold law and justice. We pray for an end of fear, and an end to tensions. (…) God gives peace to all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership, political, military and religious; asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace. In your mercy, hear our prayers, now and always. Amen.”

Father Serge St-Arneault, M.Afr, acted on behalf of Father Lupupa who could not attend the ceremony. In an improvised prayer, he called upon the blessing of God over men and women of the Zambia Police Service reminding them that their primary vocation and duty is to defend the poor, to bring justice and deliverance to the widows and the needy. The poor in Zambia want to be proud of men and women serving in uniforms to deliver peace in Zambia as they are those suffering first in times of political unrest and violence.

Inspired by this moment of prayer led by leaders of various Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical and Pentecostal Churches, Fr Serge, under the nickname of Father ‘Mbewe’ given to him while in Malawi years ago, also emphasised the need to put aside all kinds of discrimination, even those related to the colour of the skin. Using the famous slogan “One Zambia, One Nation”, he added, “One Colour!” “Whatever the colour of the skin, black or white, there is only one colour in Zambia; the colour of LOVE.”

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