Andean Chakana is the symbol of the principle of relations with people and nature. It is the cosmic bridge between three communities: human, natural and supernatural. The Quechua term Chakana is composed of two words; Chaka means bridge and na is literally a syllable or a consonant but, in the Andean world, evokes a sense…
The slums surrounding the centre of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, can be classified by their level of degradation. They are located just a few kilometres from the central shops and street stalls. Dirty roads and houses without drinking water: this is what one can see in the suburbs of George and Lilanda, and the…
This year there will be different hotspots in Africa. But two of them will have a deep impact on the security of their regions, due to the dimensions of the concerned states and the complexity of the threats. If Nigeria has long been considered a hotspot, the situation in Ethiopia worsened rapidly in the last…
Tigray, a region of Ethiopia, guards a series of interesting churches, some of which are very hard to reach. We refer especially to religious sites built centuries ago in the area of Amba Gheralta, located in unique places and surrounded by a deep spirituality. These churches are to be found on steep cliffs. Their location…
Water is sacred in Andean culture. It is both life and a human right; they are increasingly threatened by the mining syste that poisons them. In the Andean world, water is fundamental; it contains a spirit which enables life to maintain its vigour and continually renew itself… as it flows. The song of the rivers…
The Ta Oi is an ethnic group living in A Luoi a rural district of Thua Thien-Hue province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. The women of the Ta Oi have long been renowned for the skill at weaving “zeng” – their particular type of brocade. It is not only sophisticated but is…
The return to the constitutional order in three countries hit by military coups, the downsizing of the French military presence in the Sahel and the instability in Ethiopia are the main challenges. In North Africa, prospects for the stabilization of war-torn Libya in 2022 are uncertain. By end 2021, both sides were disagreeing about the…
No war, no warming’: slogans on placards at COP26. But what has the peace movement to do with climate change? Judging by states’ final commitments in the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ nothing at all. Yet, worldwide the military carbon footprint amounts annually to around 5% of all global carbon emissions. This figure includes military bases, land,…
In the autumn of 2020, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan again broke out violently causing the deaths of 2,425 Armenians and 2,783 Azeris. The truce, signed on 9 November through the mediation of Russia and after 44 days of intense fighting, stipulated the transfer of all seven districts occupied by Armenia adjacent to Karabakh…
Long ago, Nile Crocodile was in charge of all the water creatures and it was his duty to ensure their well-being. So, one year, when no storm clouds formed in the land was ravaged by drought, Crocodile grew worried about the animals as drinking water had become scarce. When the river became a dry, sandy…
In 1917, ownership of the region of Karabakh was claimed by the new-born republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan following the Russian revolution that caused the decline of the Empire. This territorial dispute saw the intervention of the victorious powers after the First World War, especially the British who had a sort of protectorate over Transcaucasia.…
The EU Commission has adopted the proposal to make 2022 the European Year of Youth. “During the year, the EU Commission, other EU institutions and Member States will organise various events also in light of the proposals made by young people during the initiatives of the Conference on the Future of Europe,” said Eric Mamer…
Welcoming, listening and guiding. Some characteristics of Pope Leo with the youth
During the years when Father Robert Francis Prevost was pastor of the church of Our…