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The Expansion of Cryptocurrency in Africa.

Wednesday, 1 December 2021 8:00

The African crypto-economy has grown over 1200% over the last two years. Moreover, five countries in the continent rank in the top 20 of the Global Crypto Adoption Index. But risks to monetary systems are enormous and largely unpredictable.

According to Chainalysis, the private New York company that studies the applications of new technologies called blockchains, the cryptocurrency market in Africa has grown by more than 1,200% over the past two years. Nigeria, Kenya, Togo, South Africa and Tanzania have been rated the top 5 countries in the world where crypto currency is quite popular. The other 15 countries are all emerging or small countries, with the exception of the US.
What is relevant with regard to Africa is not the issue of market share, which is the smallest in the world, but that of the number of citizens involved. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, Africa’s crypto market grew by $105.6 billion in 2020.
The so-called blockchain is a set of information technologies that make it possible to create a digital register that stores data transactions between different parties connected to each other, in an open and secure way. It is a new technology which, as such, can have positive and innovative applications in various sectors. It can also be used in relation to the so-called “internet of value”, with which, instead of information, values, such as coins, are exchanged. This is where cryptocurrencies come into play. Bitcoin is the most widely used crypto-currency to date.

Crypto-currencies operate globally through computer networks that connect users and their computers directly, peer-to-peer. P2P are decentralized networks that comprise a group of devices (users) connected together to share and store information with each other. Each node or device acts as an individual server. In blockchain technology, the definition of P2P usually refers to exchanging virtual assets or crypto-currencies through a distributed network. In such a P2P network, buyers and sellers implement transactions without the need for go-betweens like banks or governments.
There are hundreds of crypto exchange platforms around the world. Even tech giants like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and the Chinese Alibaba, are working to create their own crypto-currencies, totally private and outside any kind of government and institutional control. Currently there are several crypto-currencies on the market for all types and sizes of financial transactions: for example, Dash is used for small purchases, Litecoin to pay bills and subscriptions, Paxful for remittances, and so on. Crypto currencies make the life of African citizens easier since around 57% of the population in the continent does not have a traditional bank account. Crypto payments require just a smart phone.
The weakness of local currencies, volatile exchange rates, unstable political and banking systems, financial restrictions, inflation risks, lack of trust in national institutions have certainly favoured the growth of the crypto market in Africa.

In sub-Saharan Africa, remittances have become a major economic lifeline. Migrant workers eventually need to transfer money to their loved ones back in their home countries. This situation inevitably leaves the migrants at the mercy of third-party institutions such as banks and money transfer operators that charge exorbitant fees. But blockchain technology and cryptocurrency now offer hope to radically transform the African remittances industry in favour of migrant workers and their families. Many African migrant workers are turning to crypto money-sending platforms that they use in large numbers to send money to their families across borders. The transition costs are lower than those applied by money transfer companies. In sub-Saharan Africa remittances are estimated to exceed $50 billion. One third of Paxful users are located in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, where there are already one and a half million users
Crypto-currencies may look attractive for small trades and at local level. But on a global level thing are different. If we look at the trend of bitcoin in 2021, we can see that it grew dramatically in the first months of the year up to $ 64,000, but it collapsed to $ 28,000 in July, and then rose to $45,000 in a few weeks. The cost of Bitcoin recently exceeded $ 60,000. Some estimate a peak of $ 100,000 by the end of the year.
It is not a question of simple “volatility” of its value, but of the effect of frenzied and uncontrolled speculation. Several crypto frauds have been reported and several managers of some crypto-currencies have been investigated for their fraudulent behaviour. This has also happened recently in South Africa. There is no safety net. In the event the cryptocurrency collapses, everything is lost.
Besides, cryptoassets have tripled in 2021 alone, and have increased from 16 billion dollars worldwide five years ago, to 2.3 trillion dollars today. The cost of bitcoin alone has reached 1,240 billion dollars. Crypto- currencies could spark a global financial crisis if strict regulations are not put in place. Suffice it to remember that on the eve of the great crisis of 2008, the subprime mortgage bubble had reached 1.2 trillion dollars, before dramatically deflating and contributing to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.

Cryptocurrencies, although not regulated, are in the current system. Their collapse could therefore trigger an avalanche effect.
It is therefore not surprising that all governments and central banks of the world are very concerned about the stability of the monetary system. Furthermore, by evading all control, cryptocurrencies can be used by criminal and terrorist organizations for illegal financial transactions.
“When something in the financial system grows very quickly and in an opaque and unregulated space, financial stability authorities need to take action,” central banks rightly argue. The European Commission has proposed a regulatory framework for crypto-assets.
The G7 and the Bank for International Settlements in Basel defined cryptocurrencies as a “growing threat to monetary policy, financial stability and competition”.

Cryptocurrencies and digital currencies
Digital currencies must not be confused with cryptocurrencies, Nigeria’s eNaira, for example, or the digital euro are not cryptocurrencies. All countries in the world have to face the progressive digitalization of payments and monetary transfers, which has greatly increased in recent years. The European Central Bank (ECB) is studying how to apply the digitalization of money in an efficient and safe way. The difference between digital currencies and cryptocurrencies is enormous. Digital currencies are centralized, meaning that transaction within the network is regulated in a centralized location, like a bank, which also plays the role of lender and guarantor, while cryptocurrencies use blockchain and a decentralized ledger, which means that no single individual or supervisory authority controls or is guarantor of the transactions in the network. They are private currencies, as in the Middle Ages, when each prince of a small or large state minted his own coins. But today, public monetary sovereignty is at stake.

Paolo Raimondi

India. A chain of solidarity from organic cotton.

Wednesday, 1 December 2021 8:00

Some Franciscan Sisters have succeeded in combining tradition and innovation. The ‘Assisi Garments’ project is not only a brand name but a way of life that respects people and the environment.

It was in 1994 that some Franciscan Sisters present in India, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, decided to launch an activity to help young unemployed people with particular attention to those afflicted with various disabilities, especially the deaf and dumb.
The religious Sisters decided that the income should be used not only to grow the enterprise but also to sustain their other charitable welfare works. What better way is there to provide work in India than working with cotton? No sooner said than done: the sisters set up a business which today provides work for around 300 girls, up from 100 initially, and the name of the company leaves no doubt as to its origins: ‘Assisi Apparel’. Three years later it became ‘Assisi Garments’, specialising in handmade cotton clothes. Little by little, these high-quality garments produced in Tamil Nadu found an increasingly broad niche in the alternative business market.

The young women who work for ‘Assisi Garments’ come from the nearby state of Kerala where the Catholic component has its importance. They are provided with board and lodging by the Franciscan Sisters, apart from a good monthly wage and insurance coverage. They are also given in-service training courses to improve the products, not only making sure they do not involve the use of dangerous biological products but also to make the products more competitive on the international markets in the Americas and various European countries.
The profits from sales are used, as already noted, for various other works such as a clinic for cancer patients (due largely to the use of chemical fertilisers in agriculture), as well as a hospice, an orphanage, a centre for Aids sufferers, to aid lepers and provide education, including a school for the blind.

In the almost thirty years of its existence, ‘Assisi Garments’ has also succeeded in the added task of combining tradition, innovation and the protection of the environment, creating a system of one hundred per cent organic cotton products. Today it is something unique in the textile industry with an integrated chain from the cotton plant to the finished product. The cotton they use is, therefore, organic and so contributes in a responsible way to the protection of the environment, a considerable achievement, even in India. On the other hand, the Global Organic Textile Standard, the organisation that issues certificates, takes into account a whole series of parameters: the first is, of course, ecology but also the productive and social conditions throughout the chain.

These include the harvesting, spinning, cutting, and dying of the cotton and the control of materials and processes used in the transformation of cotton or other organic fibres. For example, ‘Assisi Garments’ does not use dyes containing heavy metals or formaldehyde so as not to cause allergies in foreign buyers.
‘Assisi Garments’ has become an outstanding exception in the textile industry. One small community of Franciscan Sisters has succeeded in challenging the great Indian textile industry. As the Sisters remind us, “Working with organic cotton involves respect for people and the environment“.

Mary Wilkes

Africa. Forward to 2027, the new single currency.

Wednesday, 1 December 2021 8:00

The pandemic and the doubts of some countries have postponed the adoption of the Eco, the single monetary unit of Western Africa.

The new road map, which expects a pact of convergence to be actuated during the period 2022-2026, became necessary due to the delays caused by the pandemic. This is the explanation recently given by the leader of ECOWAS (Economic Community of Western African States). The single currency would aim – and this has been debated for years – to stimulate commerce, first of all trans-frontier commerce, the economic growth of the member states and, in a way, to increase the cohesion of the political realities that make up this region of the continent, an area with 385 million inhabitants.

As explained by the Togolese economist Kako Nubukpo, the introduction of a single currency is a real “credibility test to see if the leaders of Western Africa are capable of acting together to create a currency”. It will certainly test their ability to detach themselves from French influence. Of the 15 ECOWAS member countries, 8 use the Cfa Franc (used in 6 countries of Central Africa). In total, therefore, the Franco-European currency is still used in 14 African countries with a total population of about 150 million and a total GDP of 235 billion dollars. Critics call it a colonial network, but it is seen by Cfa supporters as a way of ensuring financial stability in a sometimes-turbulent region.

Effects on the economy
The Cfa is, in any case, a currency ‘imposed’ on French colonies and never removed after independence, linked to the Euro and therefore too strong. Taxes on exports are affected as are those on imports and the result is a frequent (or permanent) deficit. We may also add that interest rates in the Cfa area are always very high, even reaching 14%. Furthermore, as economists say, the Cfa encourages the outflow of capital which would be better used within the African countries. It is the currency of the elite, many say, which works against the majority of the population and continues to be a sort of slavery that economically and psychologically holds to ransom a large part of the continent.

ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development headquarters in Lomé, Togo. Photo: CC BY 2.0/ Willem Heerbaart

This is why the introduction of the new currency does not simply aim to facilitate commercial and financial trade, reduce the cost of transactions between countries and increase competition but also to gain extremely important political results.
The Eco first assumed a concrete aspect in December 2019 (though discussions had started well beforehand). On that day, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) agreed with France to change the Cfa into Eco and to break some financial ties with Paris. According to this agreement, the Eco would remain tied to the Euro but the ECOWAS would no longer have to keep 50% of their reserves in the French treasury. In addition, the agreement stipulates that there will no longer be a French representative on the African Monetary Union Council.

Mali. Timbuktu. People selling and buying at town market©sebastianbass/123RF.COM

Despite the enthusiasm expressed by the Francophone African leaders and President Emmanuel Macron himself, the implementation of the accord was postponed three times. Four times, to be precise. Is it a technical or political problem? Obviously, criteria have been set for the adoption of the African currency: a deficit in the balance of payments of no higher than 3% and annual inflation at less than 10%. Furthermore, the financing of deficits by the Central Bank should not exceed 10% of income from tax in the previous year and there must be gross external reserves for at least three months’ imports. These parameters had not yet been achieved by the end of 2019.

Large debts
Then there was the pandemic. It must be said that many member states of the group are under economic pressure due to their large debts, but also socio-politically. An example of this is the instability in the area of the Sahel. Admittedly, not all the countries in the Anglophone area seem to be willing to take on board the problems (economic problems, especially) of bordering countries or even those of the same economic community. It is precisely in the Francophone countries, instead, where opposition to the Cfa Franc has always been strongest and recently there has been intensification not only of criticism and analysis by experts, but also of protests by the citizens, especially in Senegal and Benin. It is clear that a single currency and the breaking of ties with France is of most interest to Francophone countries and their citizens and leaves substantially indifferent, or not wholly involved, the citizens of the Anglophone countries.

We may look at Nigeria with its more than 200 million inhabitants and a strong and fierce entrepreneurship, a country that does not seem willing to ‘make any sacrifices’ to come to the aid of the weaker economies of the group. The impression is that it wants to continue to do business in its own currency, the Naira, the Cedi, the Ghanaian currency and, of course, the Cfa.
The same is true for Ghana, with an economy substantially growing and whose population is already coming to terms with the consequences of the pandemic. Any change now would be difficult to manage or even to render acceptable to Ghanaians. Besides, returning to the case of Nigeria, there is the fear that the largest economy of the region may end up dominating the monetary policies of the entire area. Another important matter is clarity concerning fiscal, industrial, and commercial policies, all of which are being discussed. Apart from technical questions, the African leaders seem to be largely in agreement to take this historical step which, as the Togolese economist states, will be a way to demonstrate the political as well as economic maturity of the African nations.

Antonella Sinopoli

Mozambique. Music and Dance of the Makua. To the sound of drums.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

It began in an Islamic context as a religious dance but today it has a more secular character and is managed by the women of the Makua ethnic group who compose the words and music, singing and dancing. It is also an occasion of social liberation.

The tufo music and dance, with its centre in the Island of Mozambique, represents the most ancient style of traditional Makua music, expressly authorised by the prophet Mohammed on 16 July, 622, on his entry into Yterib, present-day Medina.
The term tufo derives from the word ad-duff, which refers to the drums and tambourines still used today, which becomes adufe or adufo in Portuguese. Due to its profound ties with Islam, tufo was originally a religious type of music called taira and played exclusively by believers and followers of Islam. The Sufi branch of Islam which was widespread in the Isle of Mozambique facilitated the passage towards more secular and feminine tufo, to be used in social gatherings.

In Mozambican Sufi, in fact, the intertwining with the matrilineal Makua culture has always been bi-directional: even though three quarters of the population of the Island are Muslim, the role of women has remained central (there are three zourias, places of prayer reserved for women and six mosques with separate spaces). And while the religious leader, the xehe, has always been male, the halifa (a sort of vice-xehe) is reserved for women, unlike what happens in more orthodox Islam.

Four groups
Today, tufo is sung and acted out only by women, usually aged from 15 to 20 years or sometimes a little older, arranged in groups of 3-4 lines with 4-5 dancers in each line. The feminisation of the tufo leaves to the men just the leadership of the various groups that are more formal and organisational than substantial, since it is only the women who compose the words and music and decide upon the annual programme.

The women of the various tufo groups dress in the same fashion according to strict rules of elegance that look to tradition, with two capulanas (cloth of Indian origin, coloured and decorated, from which various clothes are made throughout the country) which are used to cover the legs, like a skirt and also the upper part of the body. A third capulana is used as a sort of turban, typical of Makua women, also in daily life. Each tufo group has its own colours and, in the complicated preparations, make-up using mussiro is essential. It is obtained from the small trunk of the homonymous tree which, once it is soaked, produces a natural cream that is applied to the faces of the women, producing extremely smooth and shiny skin.
The tufo music is sung by all the dancers with two main voices, one in a low tone and the other high. The dancing then begins, following the rhythm of the music. At first, the women kneel down; then, following the rhythm, they stand up and begin to dance by rotating their bodies, heads and shoulders, with the right hand closed and the left resting on the hip. The musical part of the tufo is provided by four drummers; one plays the khupurra (with a deep sound), another plays the ngajiza (in a higher tone), with a rhythm similar to that of Arabian music, while the pústuwa and the duássi produce a higher tone that is closer to the Bantu rhythms and tonalities.

Island of Mozambique.

On the Island of Mozambique, there are ‘Mother’ tufo bands that have their own ‘Sisters’ scattered all over the Makua world, including the cities of Pemba and Nampula. Today, the tufo texts, apart from the celebratory ones which are indeed more numerous, concentrate on the daily life of the Makua such as unions between men and women, betrayal, maternity, poverty, norms of morality and behaviour etc. The regulating centre of this social universe is the female figure. The tufo musical texts are mostly handed down orally and they can now be recorded thanks to the radio and videos available on YouTube. One of the best-known interpreters of tufo was Zena Bacar, who died in 2017. He always defended the values of the Makua culture in harmony with the fundamental rights of the women of Mozambique.
Belonging to a tufo group gives economically and socially marginalised women the possibility to acquire a recognised status, a precise artistic and professional identity. The tufo does not bring large economic benefits but widens the network of contacts that may be used to acquire a minimal economic status. The very fact of ‘becoming someone’ allows these young Makua women to develop their identity which will also be of help in daily life, apart from their artistic calling.

Laura António Nhaueleque and Luca Bussotti

The Voice of Communities in the Management of Natural Resources.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

The management of a country’s natural resources depends exclusively on its government. In the case of mining and extractive activities such as gas or oil, it is important that governments ensure the correct processing of administrative and geological requirements that allow extractive activity.

In addition, governments need to ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations that protect ecosystems affected by extractive activities and that allow for optimal conditions for the development of the lives of people and communities.

In this context of exploitation of natural resources, the states also have the obligation to protect their citizens from all violation of human rights caused by foreign extractive companies in the exercise of their economic activity. Nothing can justify the concession of the land of the local communities, who are the legitimate owners of the land and whose main livelihood depends directly on the land to foreign companies that put their benefits before the well-being of the people.

Mining and extractive companies are always involved in controversies with the host communities. The economic power of the transnationals allows them to act with impunity even in the face of crimes committed in process of their economic activity.

It is difficult to bring Transnational corporations (TNCs) to court when international trade and investment treaties do not recognize the primacy of human rights over the economic interests of transnationals. Populations affected by extractive activities encounter innumerable obstacles to accessing justice and there are no legal mechanisms to protect those who report such behaviour. That is why must be extra vigilant in granting concession to mining and extractive companies.

If the authorization to mining operations remains with the governments, they must equally establish mechanisms to protect the interests of the local communities when the extractive companies show interest in certain areas that affect the population especially asserting their rights over the territories that legitimately belong to them.

The arrival of foreign investors to countries in the global south used to elicit a collective enthusiasm from local populations a few decades ago. The communities saw foreign companies as an opportunity to improve their living conditions and welcomed the promises of investors in exchange for the exploitation of the land. However, local populations now feel pained seeing how they have been cheated through decades of greedy exploitation of natural resources.

The abuse of power of TNCs has elicited disappointments among the population due to unfulfilled promises of economic compensation, non-compliance with international treaties and the systematic violation of human rights. Hence, in the face of the extractive fever we must encourage and support the communities to protect their lives, their territories, and their traditional ways of life.

The populations need to be informed about the specific wealth of the subsoil of their territories, the ways in which they are extracted, the techniques that are used and the risks that the extraction of minerals can cause to the population. In the face of the arrival of foreign investors, the communities need to be united to give a common response to the intention of starting an extractive activity and to report any attempt at bribery by the authorities or the companies themselves.

While states should be the first to protect and inform the public of what mining operations entail, sometimes we find states playing the opposite role, hiding information about the adverse effects of mining and being the first interested in bringing forward mining activities. Thus, the population must be informed and accompanied by independent experts of the civil society to discern their decisions to cede the use of the land.

It is a common practice for companies to offer to give economic aid to the population, jobs, and financial compensation for the loss of territory, however once the extractive exploitation begins, they are never carried out. Hence the importance of local communities having the support of independent legal advisers and civil society to enable them to exercise their rights in the event of opposition to the project or at least to help them enforce the promises offered by the companies and governments.

In recent years, extractive companies and investors have developed strategies to convince local communities of their acceptance of extractive activities in their territories. Governments, companies, and investors know that community support is essential to the success of their extractive projects, and they try to secure the backing of leaders.

However, these strategies are not accompanied by the implementation of the promises made by TNCs and the process of consultations to the affected communities becomes false hopes for the population,
which are never fulfilled.

The management of natural resources affect the directly fundamental rights of communities enormously because the protection for human life, the respect for cultural heritage received from the ancestors and aesthetic environment are jeopardized. However, the cases of killing human rights defenders and the harassment of indigenous communities fighting for their rights continue to grow every year.

It is for this reason that Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN) underlines the right of communities to say no to extractive exploitations as an expression of the right of peoples to manage their natural resources. In this vein it becomes imperative for the governments in Africa and Europe to get involved in the negotiations for a legally binding treaty; a treaty that imposes direct obligations to companies in their extractive activities but overall a treaty that protect traditional ways of life of indigenous communities and ancestral cultures linked to the land and the value of the sacred.

José Luis Gutiérrez Aranda,
Trade Policy Officer,
Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN)

Marriage an expensive venture.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

Marriage is highly esteemed among the Banyakole and it is one of the most expensive and honored ventures. Among the things that have persisted in the Ankole culture is the marriage rite.

Before westernization found its way in the Ankole culture, by the time girls turned eight or nine, particularly among the Bahima, preparation for marriage began. Girls were mostly kept indoors, where they ate beef and millet porridge and were forced to drink milk in large quantities; in contrast to Bahima men, girls were considered attractive by becoming as fat as possible. Marriages often occurred before a girl was sexually mature, or soon after her initial menstruation. For this reason, teenage pregnancies before marriage were uncommon. Polygamy was associated with rank and wealth. Bahima pastoralists who were chiefs typically had more than one wife.

The bride is covered with hanging bids until the groom unveils her. (Photo/ Namanya Elias Makuka)

The Bahima and the Bairu did not, as a rule, intermarry. Among both groups, premarital virginity was valued. A marriage fee was required among the Bairu, but this was not as elaborate as among the Bahima. Commonly, 14 cows were given by the prospective groom to his father-in-law. The cows were then distributed by the father-in-law to his brother and to a favorite sister and all members of his extended family where he had obtained his wife. The goats were in exchange with the child that would be born to the father’s family and not the mother’s family.
Among the Bahima, marriage exchanges were much more elaborate, but the same principles operated. When the bride came to take up residence with her husband, she was received by her future father and mother-in-law by sitting on their laps.
Later, while sitting on a mat, the couple sprinkled each other with grain, then stirred millet flour in boiling water to symbolically illustrate that a new domestic unit had been established. Exchanges of food and gifts occurred thereafter for several days between the two families, to the accompaniment of music, dancing, and beer drinking.

Ankole women in mshanana. Photo: CC BY-NC 4.0/ Kalungi Nathan

Today, Christian marriages are common. What has persisted is the value attached to extended families and the importance of having children as a measure of a successful marriage. Polygamy has been replaced largely by monogamy, the prescribed form of marriage of Christian religions. However, the traditions of marriage have also stayed, especially the events such as the introduction where the girl introduces her man. On the introduction, a Munyankole father, occasionally assisted by his relatives, is obliged to get a wife for his son by paying the required bride-wealth. This consists of five cows, three goats, and some pots of beer among the Bairu; among the Bahima it may range from five to twenty cows, depending on how wealthy the person is.
Once the bride-price has been paid, preparations for the traditional marriage begin. On the introduction day the bride’s father slaughters a bull for food. Other forms of food and a considerable amount of beer are prepared for feasting at the bride’s home.
This is followed by another feast at the bridegroom’s home, where the marriage is consummated. At the wedding ceremony the girl’s aunt confirms that the groom is potent and that the bride defended her virginity before the marriage was consummated.

One of the significant traditions during the marriage day is the tradition of Omugamba (a stick containing various gifts). This is presented on the traditional give-away ceremony by the girl’s family to the man’s family. Omugamba consists of various gifts including: Ebyanzi (the wooden vessels made of smoked black wood, covered with beautiful, handmade covers known as emihaiha, woven with sisal and other fibres printed in geometric patterns). These vessels are used while milking, serving and storing milk. They are given according to the number of cows the bride’s family has received as bride price. Ekirere, this is a small calabash used for drinking skimmed milk or preparing yoghurt which is known as amakamo, and is made by sieving raw milk in the morning. Eicuba, this is a wooden container/bucket used to draw water and fill the drinking trough during okweshera (time for cows to drink water). Rukomyo, this is a perfume pot used for personal hygiene. It is a pot with three holes where scented smoke used as perfume by women is contained.

Ankole women dancing cultural dance during the introduction selemone. Photo: CC BY-NC 4.0/ Jotham wambi.

Ekicunga, this is a clay pot used to fumigate milk pots/gourds. Akacwende, is a calabash used for string perfumed ghee which is used as petroleum jelly by women. The ghee in the calabash is mixed with scented herbs to produce a nice scent. Emboha, a rope made of sisal that is used to tie the hind legs of a cow during milking. Enkuyo, is a broom-like tool made of sisal used during milking to keep flies away from the cow while being milked.
Today, marriages are delayed, given the attendance at school of both girls and boys. One consequence of this delay has been a rise in teenage pregnancies out of wedlock. Girls who become pregnant are severely punished by being dismissed from school or disciplined by parents. Open Photo. Ankole women in their traditional wear. CC BY-NC 4.0/ Kalungi Nathan (G.L.M.)

World Youth Day. “Stand up. I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen.”

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

For the annual World Youth Day (WYD) to be celebrated this year on Sunday, November 21, on the Solemnity of Christ the King,
Pope Francis has called on the young people to arise
and be Christ’s witnesses.

In his message for the 36th WYD the Pope promised to walk with the young people “on the spiritual pilgrimage that leads to the 2023 World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal.

“When we embrace the new life bestowed on us in baptism, the Lord gives us an important and life-changing mission: “You are to be my witness,” said Pontiff’s message addressed to young people as he referenced the Christ’s message to Apostle Paul saying, “Arise! Do not remain downcast or be caught up in yourself: a mission awaits you! You too can testify to what Jesus has begun to accomplish in your lives.”

Focusing on the theme for the 2021 WYD; “Stand up. I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen,” inspired by Jesus’s words in the Acts of the Apostles, the Pope said, “In Jesus’ name, I ask you, arise! Testify that you too were blind and encountered the light. You too have seen God’s goodness and beauty in yourself, in others and in the communion of the Church, where all loneliness is overcome.”

“Arise! Testify to the love and respect it is possible to instill in human relationships, in the lives of our families, in the dialogue between parents and children, between the young and the elderly,” Pope’s message continues, “Arise! Uphold social justice, truth and integrity, human rights. Protect the persecuted, the poor and the vulnerable, those who have no voice in society, immigrants.”

Encouraging the young people who are expected to mark this year’s WYD in their local Churches, the Pope asks them to be courageous in promoting care for creation saying, “Arise! Testify to the new way of looking at things that enables you to view creation with eyes brimming with wonder that makes you see the Earth as our common home, and gives you the courage to promote an integral ecology.”

Pope Francis acknowledged the presence of young people in the history of humanity whenever there is need to begin a new telling them that, “We cannot begin anew without you, dear young people. If our world is to arise, it needs your strength, your enthusiasm, your passion.”

“Whenever a young person falls, in some sense all humanity falls. Yet it is also true that when a young person rises, it is as if the whole world rises as well. Young people, what great potential you have in your hands! What great strength you have in your hearts,” he points out.

He further highlighted that the pandemic that has made so many suffer the loss of loved ones and social isolation has been a setback for young people too whose “life is naturally directed outwards: to school or university, to work and social gatherings.”

“You found yourselves in difficult situations that you were not used to facing. Those who found it harder, or lacked support, felt disoriented. We saw a rise in family problems, unemployment, depression, loneliness and addictive behavior, to say nothing of growing stress, tensions, outbursts of anger and increased violence,” he said.

Finally, “We thank God, this was only one side of the coin. The experience showed us our fragility, but it also revealed our virtues, including our inclination to solidarity. All over the world, we saw great numbers of individuals, including many young people, helping to save lives, sowing seeds of hope, upholding freedom and justice, and acting as peacemakers and bridge builders.”

The EU and the Fight against Climate Change.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

The fight against climate change is now on the agendas of all major global political players. The objective of the European Union is to play a decisive role in the fight to save the planet through its internal and foreign politics. Will the EU be able to act as a model on a global level?

Climate change is now an irrefutable reality: the flash floods, heavy rainfall and fires that hit Europe in the summer months are the most recent evidence of this. In recent years, the European institutions have concentrated part of their energies on looking for solutions to combat climate change. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, immediately expressed her desire to work hard in order to achieve the ambitious goal of making the European Union the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. The presentation of the European Green Deal in December 2019 was followed by the proposal for resolutions in order to achieve the established objectives. In addition, 356 million euros were allocated to the Recovery Fund for post-pandemic recovery for natural resources and the environment.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

There was talk of the introduction of a European Climate Law, precisely in the context of the Green Deal, in order to set into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050. On 14 July 2021 the European Commission presented the ‘Fit for 55 Package’, the legislative proposals to reach the emission targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 to at least 55% compared to 1990 levels. The ministers of the environment of the member states meeting on 20 and 21 July in Slovenia backed the ‘Fit for 55% Package’. There is not much time, the consequences of climate change are increasingly real and threatening: it is time to take action. The ‘Fit for 55% Package’ includes a revision of the renewable energy directive, a recast of the energy efficiency directive, a revision of the directive on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, a revision of the energy tax directive, a carbon border adjustment mechanism, and the establishment of a social climate fund.

By implementing the Green Deal, the European Union aims to present itself on the international scene as a key player in the fight against climate change. The EU institutions, in fact, are aware of the fact that decisive action at the internal level is not enough to produce an effective change; a global commitment is needed. Europe is proposing itself as a model on a global level, investing its energies in climate diplomacy. With this in mind, the European Union will participate in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. These events are also known as ‘COPs’, which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP26), which will take place from 1 to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow.
At a decisive moment for the future of humanity, will the European Union succeed in taking the lead in the fight against climate change and in achieving the goal of climate neutrality by 2050? The support of the national governments of the member states will certainly play a significant role in the coming months and years.

Gloria Mignini/CgP

Lebanon. A failed state.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

More than one year has already passed since a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded causing hundreds of deaths and leaving thousands wounded. The investigations have produced no result. Political and economic instability has brought the country to the brink of collapse.

Lebanon celebrated the centenary of “Greater Lebanon” in September 2020, a hundred years after the declaration of the “State of Greater Lebanon.” Its political system was based on the so-called National Pact, which guaranteed the rights of all Lebanese through a system of equal rights and duties between Christians and Muslims.
This charter formed a basic foundation for building the Lebanese state on democratic foundations that contributed to Lebanon’s prosperity in the sixties of the last century, to the extent that it was called the “Switzerland of the East”.

Rafic Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation on 20 October 2004.

The country enjoyed moderate peace and distinguished relations with the West and the Middle East, to the extent that Lebanon formed a link between East and West.
However, after the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a large number of Palestinians sought refuge in Lebanon in 1948, and after the Cairo Agreement, on 2 November 1969. (The agreement established principles under which the presence and activities of Palestinian guerrillas in south-eastern Lebanon would be tolerated and regulated by the Lebanese authorities), Lebanon lost its role as a neutral and mediator country.
The outbreak of a civil war in 1975 that lasted for thirty years that led to a sectarian conflict which undoubtedly weakened the Christians and forced many of them to emigrate, was ended by the so-called “Taif Agreement” after which a large part of the power of the President of the Republic was given to the Prime Minister. A “Troika” system was introduced which, instead of having a President of the Republic, the country has now “Three Presidents”.
After the “Taif Agreement”, Elias Hrawi was elected president. He restored the state’s institutions after the civil war, but in our opinion, he made a big mistake when he signed the naturalization decree set by the then Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, by which more than five hundred thousand non-Lebanese Muslims were naturalized, compared to a few thousand Christians, which caused a sectarian imbalance. We are still paying the price for this even today.
On the other hand, Lebanon suffered from the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in the year 2000 under pressure from the Islamic resistance led by the Lebanese Hezbollah, which had Iranian support and internal influence because of its resistance to Israel and its plans. It also possessed weapons that the state and successive governments tried to use after the year 2000 to develop a defensive strategy for Lebanon including Hezbollah’s weapons.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group.

However, this matter has not been achieved until today, and accordingly, these weapons have become an excess of power in Lebanese society in which Hezbollah has tightened its grip on the centres of power. It is undoubtedly the main player today in the political arena in Lebanon; it has plunged Lebanon into regional and international conflicts because of its direct association with Iran, which caused Lebanon to be regarded with apathy by the Gulf States that were originally its supporters.
This is what prompted the Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai to launch a memorandum entitled “Lebanon’s Neutrality” that was supported by most of the Lebanese, with the exception of Hezbollah and those in their orbit. After this quick look at the stages of events over a hundred years, we can see that Lebanon today faces the danger of the collapse of the Lebanese entity and the change of Lebanon’s identity as a country whose system is based on democracy. Lebanon “The Message” as Pope John Paul II called it, faces the danger of demise so that there can be a great international settlement in the Middle East, at the expense of Lebanon and its families and people, who are suffering financial and economic distress today as a result of the mistaken policies that Lebanon adopted either intentionally or unintentionally, resulting in the weakening of the foundations of the state. In short, Lebanon today faces a crisis of existence, even a crisis of entity and identity.

Economic situation
undoubtedly, the economic situation was affected by the failed and dependent state policy, and what made matters more complicated” was the so-called “civil movement” or “revolution” that was launched in October 2019 and revealed the extent of corruption in state administrators and political officials who smuggled their money abroad. This revolution would have succeeded if it had been organized, coherent and with clear aims, but unfortunately, it was isolated by politicians.

Dramatic Landscape of Ruins After Beirut Explosion.

Among the causes that contributed to the economic hardship, the hardest and worst event was the ”Beirut Explosion” which destroyed half of the capital, resulting in more than two hundred dead, six thousand wounded and the destruction of more than fifty thousand housing units, as well as destroying and disrupting the port’s movement.
The worst of all of this is that a year and three months have passed since the explosion of the port, and the investigations have not reached any result. On the contrary, political officials are trying to obstruct the investigation for fear of the ugly truth that was the result of their neglect, corruption and systematic destruction of all state institutions.
What made the situation worse was the rise in the value of the US dollar against the Lebanese pound, which collapsed rapidly, with a negative impact on the Lebanese citizens who suffer from the high prices of foodstuffs, and the scarcity of gasoline, as well as the shortage of medicines that are expensive, especially “those related to incurable diseases”. There is also a hospital crisis, as hospitalization has become a monopoly for the rich and the affluent, while the poor class now has more than 80% of the Lebanese people.

The monument of the martyrs, heroes of lebanese independence, near the mohammad al amin mosque in the centre of Beirut. Photo: © Can Stock Photo / dinosmichail

With the beginning of the new school year 2021/2022, schools are suffering from an education crisis due to the global Corona crisis. In addition to the Corona pandemic, there is a transportation crisis and that the cost of student transport amounts to double the school premium. Those with three school-going children, for example, must pay more than half a monthly pension for transport to secure their children’s access to school. We have not yet mentioned fair payment for teachers, commensurate, albeit in a limited way, with the rate of wage increase, and all of this will affect the parents through increased school fees.
One of the major crises in Lebanon is the electricity crisis, a crisis that cost Lebanon $40 billion, and has not ended yet due to the insistence of those responsible for this crisis on doing business and becoming wealthy by buying fuel without making any progress in building electricity generating plants. As a result of this corrupt politics, Lebanon has reached total darkness, where we have become a reality in hell.
In conclusion, we are in a country whose rulers do not respect its people, a country mired in corruption, a country that is collapsing thanks to its political leaders, in which there is no water, no electricity, no medicine or hospitalization, and not even the minimum necessities of life. (A.K.)

Nigeria. Half a century after the war, secessionist tensions again in Biafra.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

Over 50 years after the Biafra secession war, situation has become extremely tense in South-Eastern Nigeria.
Repression is ongoing and support for secession is growing, while Presidential statements stoke the fire.

Main threats such as Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the Northeast, banditry in the Northwest, clashes between farmers and herders in Central Nigeria and armed attacks in the oil-rich Delta have eclipsed a deteriorating situation in the former Republic of Biafra. The death of more than one million persons, including direct casualties and the victims of starvation during the civil war which lasted from 1967 to 1970, remains a big scar in the history of the nation.

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement.

This old scar has reopened again. A new separatist upsurge has begun several years ago. Month-long demonstrations by pro-separatist ethnic Ibo youth degenerated into violence on 2 December 2015. Eight protestors who had blocked the strategic Niger Bridge at Onitsha, in Anambra state as well as two policemen, were killed during these incidents.
The trigger of the upsurge was the 19 October arrest by the Department of State Services of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of a new separatist organisation, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), created in 2014 who is also director of the unlicensed Radio Biafra which advocates armed struggle to achieve Biafra’s independence.
Analysts in Nigeria point out that there is no consensus among the separatist about the limits of the “new Biafra”. Some claim that it would include all areas inhabited by Ibo people, including parts of the oil-rich Niger Delta to the south and Benue state to the north, whose peoples (Ikwerre, Ijaw or Ogoni) do not consider themselves as part of Biafra. But the situation is complicated: many Ibos and minority groups in the Niger Delta share common feelings of marginalisation.
In the capital city of the Rivers state, Port Harcourt, pro-Biafran and militant Niger Delta leaders have exchanged solidarity visits and jointly called for the right to self-determination.

Chief Uwazuruike, MASSOB Founder.

However, other Ibo separatists claim that a new Biafra should be limited to the five South-Eastern states (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo) where Ibos represent a majority of the population. Other grievances include the deficient infrastructure and a high youth unemployment.
In addition to IPOB, the independence cause has been championed by the Movement for Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), formed in 1999 by Ralph Uwazuruike and dubbed by former President Goodluck Jonathan dubbed as an “extremist group” in 2013. Although this group pledges to be non-violent, its members have clashed several times with the police, resulting in several members killed.
In September 2010, a splinter group formed the Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM), later renamed as the Biafran Zionist Front (BZF). On 5 November 2012, BZF leader Benjamin Igwe Onwuka “re-declared the Republic of Biafra” at a rally in Enugu.

Leader of the pro-Biafra group, Biafra Zionist Movement, BZM, Barrister Benjamin Onwuka.

After that, he and about 100 members were arrested and charged with treason, but eventually granted bail.
The situation deteriorated in much more dramatic proportions on the 30 May 2016, when 150 supporters of IPOB were killed and hundreds were injured at Onitsha. The military dispersed peaceful crowds by firing live ammunition, reported Amnesty International at the time. And since early 2021, the situation has become again extremely violent, especially in the Imo state, where the Eastern Security Network (ESN), IPOB’s armed wing, created in 2020, killed more than 20 policemen
The government’s response was “ruthless excessive force”, says Amnesty International which documented the deaths by security forces of more than 115 people between March and June 2021. The level of confrontation suggests that a civil war has started. Indeed, the Nigerian air force has also been in action and strafed ESN hideouts in densely populated areas On the 30 December 2020, the New-York based Sahara Reporters news website reported that the army deployed combat helicopters, gun trucks and soldiers to search ESN bases in some suspected forests in the South-East states.
In February 2021, the military launched attacks on ESN camps in the forest Umunna in Imo state. According to local inhabitants, the sound of guns and bombs prompted local villagers to abandon their homes out of fear of being hit by a stray bullet.”

Biafra protesters. Photo credit: Premium Times

In April, IPOB attacked the federal prison in Imo State and set free over 1,800 inmates. A few weeks later, IPOB raided the home of Uzodinma – a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling party and destroyed his Rolls Royce with rocket-propelled grenades.
The situation worsened even more after a new arrest in June 2021 of the Nnamdi Kanu, who had been released on bail and left the country in 2017 and detained four years later in Kenya and transferred to Nigeria with the support of Interpol.
In September 2021, gunmen attacked a gathering of politicians in Enugu threatening that no election would hold on any part of “Biafra land”. They accused them to bring Fulani to the Igboland
Since 9 August 2021, a series of lockdowns in Nigeria’s southeast caused by the separatists sit-at-home directives have paralysed activities each Monday, up to a point that was never seen since the civil war. The situation seems to be out of control. A growing numbers of unemployed and angry youth are joining IPOB which is campaigning for Nnamdi Kanu’s liberation.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.

All authorities do not sympathize with the government’s clampdown strategy. In September 2021, the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha revealed that he refused to order his men to shoot and kill IPOB members during his mandate, since he sympathised with the youth and wanted to address their grievances.
Within this context, President Muhammadu Buhari’s attitude is exacerbating hostility among Biafrans. On the last 17 September, Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, declared that the President often boasted that he never took a day off in the war against Biafra, 51 years ago.No wonder then that when President Buhari flew into South Eastern Imo State in September to commission development projects there, he was greeted by deserted streetss. The President is indeed very unpopular in the area. After his election in 2015, he declared that a region that gave him only 5 % of the vote could not expect to be treated in the same way as one where he scored 95 %. Moreover, in May 2021 he dismissed the southeast as a landlocked “dot in a circle” and threatened to speak to people “in the language they understand”, which was understood as a veiled reference to the violence of the civil war. Such statement does not bode well for peace in the South East.

François Misser

The Leopard and the dog.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

It once happened that a leopard and a dog were very great friends; the leopard was, however, the owner of the house in which they lived; the dog was treated more as a servant than a friend by the leopard.

When the rainy season began, the leopard said to the dog, “Let us go and see our ant-hillocks, whether the ants are about to swarm, because the year is ended.”

The dog agreed, and they went to look at the hillocks and found them showing signs of swarming. They, therefore, got ready and soon caught a large quantity of ants, which they took home. The leopard’s wife cooked them, and they had a very fine meal.
Those which they could not eat they fried and dried in the sun. The leopard afterwards said, “I will take one bundle of these ants we have dried in the sun to my wife’s relatives.”

The dog agreed, and they set the day upon which they should go. Early in the morning of that day the leopard dressed in his best clothes and took his harp, because he was an expert player, and said to the dog, “You carry the ants.”

The dog made the bundle into a load, put it on his head, and started off after the leopard. On the way they met some people they knew and greeted them. Their friends asked them where they were going, and the leopard replied, “I am going to see my wife’s relatives.”

They asked him to play a tune on his harp, which he did, and sang, “I have a load of white ants like that which the dog carries; I have a load of white ants like that which the dog carries.” Their friends thanked the leopard for the tune and song, and took leave of him, and went on their way; and the leopard and the dog went on their way.

After a time, the dog said, “Sir, I feel unwell; I must run aside into the grass.” The leopard said, “All right, go,” and waited in the road for him. While in the grass the dog ate all the ants and filled the packets with dry grass, and returned after tying them up as before. They then went
on their way.

After a time the dog said to the leopard, “Sir, lend me the harp that I may play and sing as we walk.” The leopard did so, and the dog played and sang, “A load of rubbish for my wife’s relations; a load of rubbish for my wife’s relations.” The leopard thanked the dog for his song, and said, “You played very well.” To which the dog replied, “Thank you, sir.”

When they reached the home of the relatives of the leopard’s wife, the leopard greeted them and asked how they were. They also asked how the leopard and his wife and relatives were, but they took no notice of the dog. The leopard’s relatives then brought out their pipes and gave the leopard one to smoke, but they did not give one to the dog.

After a time, the dog walked away, and as soon as he got out of sight he ran away as fast as he could. After a while the leopard said he had brought them some ants to eat, and began to untie the parcel, but to his surprise and disappointment he found nothing but dry grass. He was very angry and ashamed, and called for the dog; but the dog had gone.

When the leopard discovered how the dog had played him a trick and escaped, he went to the deity and consulted him about what he should do. The deity answered, “When you beat the drums for twin dances
the dog will come.”

Sometime later the leopard’s wife gave birth to twins, and the leopard’s friends and relatives came together and beat the drums for the twins, and danced; the sheep also came to the dance. As they danced, they sang, “Who will show me the dog? Who will show me the dog?” Others took up the refrain and waved their tails, saying, “There is no dog here, there is no dog here.”

Late in the evening the sheep went home and told the dog about the dance, and what a wonderful entertainment it was. The dog replied, “I am sorry I was not there to see it all.” The sheep said, “In the morning I will put you into my tail and take you.”

The next morning the sheep put the dog into his tail, and they went to the dance. When the drums beat, they all sang, “Show me the dog. Who will show me the dog?” Others answered, “Here there is no dog, here there is no dog.”

In the evening, when the drums were sounding loudly, the sheep became excited and danced and sang, and waved his tail so violently that the dog slipped out and fell to the ground. He immediately ran away, and again escaped. The leopard was very angry and caught the sheep and killed him. The dog ran off to man and lived with him.

Now, whenever a leopard meets a dog, he kills it if he can. From that time, too, there has been enmity between the leopard and the dog, and also between the sheep and the leopard because the sheep
shielded the dog.

Folktale from Tanzania

Ecuador. Bishop Eugenio Arellano: “I tried to give concrete answers to the needs of people”.

Monday, 1 November 2021 8:00

After leading for twenty-six years the Apostolic Vicariate of Esmeraldas, on the north-western coast of Ecuador, Monsignor Eugenio Arellano offered his resignation having reached the age limit. His commitment to environmental protection and education will remain in the hearts of people. We met him.

Speaking of Esmeraldas, Bishop Arellano says: “Some say that Esmeraldas is a corner of Africa in the middle of Latin America, in fact, despite the racial and cultural mixing brought on by migratory movements, black culture prevails. There is a beautiful community humanism and spontaneous and wonderful solidarity in this place. The people of Esmeraldas have an innate positive attitude towards life.
They feel grateful to God and those who are grateful to Him are also grateful to the others.A smile always illuminates their face.
They smile even if they have many problems because they know that there is God who is good and who is with them, and this makes them feel strong and confident”.

Bishop Arellano, who turns 77 this month, has concluded a 26-year journey at the head of a Christian community, which has always had its bishop at its side in the days of the struggle for justice. During his long period of service in the vicariate, the bishop always supported the Afro-Ecuadorians, a forgotten people amongst Ecuadorians, and always asked out loud, also of the political authorities in power, to listen to the needs and demands of the needful people.
The Bishop says: “Esmeraldas is a poor city because its people have been denied opportunities and all the governments that have succeeded never wanted to face the oppressing poverty that negates the basic needs of people”.And in this context of poverty, the Church has tried to give answers. Bishop Arellano continues: “In recent years the Church has tried to create for the poor the opportunities that life has denied them. We have been engaged in serious educational programs and have strongly requested governments to guarantee education for all, because education is the only way out of poverty”.

The commitment of Bishop Arellano has given several concrete results such as the implementation of artisan training projects and workshops like that of carpentry for young people and adults, or other projects such as the Chicos de la Calle, which provides Ecuadorian working children and teens with educational support and spiritual formation in an effort to improve their living conditions and break the cycle of poverty. Other projects whose goals were the integration into society of young former gang members and former alcoholics, have also been carried out.
“Our Catholic university is a reference point. The centre is not selective, the cost of enrolment is very low and, moreover, the university offers scholarships to support the poorest students”, says the Bishop.

But Monsignor Arellano, along with the Afro organizations of the north and the Social Pastoral, also fought for the defence of nature and against illegal mining and deforestation. “For years we have been denouncing deforestation, mining abuses and, even if at times I had the impression of preaching in the desert, I know that our contribution was important. The Constitution of Ecuador is fantastic. In fact, in 2008 Ecuador took the extraordinary step of enshrining the legal rights of nature in its national constitution. It was the first country to grant inalienable, substantive rights to nature. This is why we protest against mining abuses and pollution in the rivers of Ecuador. We just demand of the political leaders that the Constitution be respected”.
The Bishop recalls the several pastoral initiatives of the Church in Esmeraldas. “As a Church we have given strong support to the family. We have carried out initiatives to strengthen family ties throughout the 27 parishes of the vicariate, and through the youth pastoral we teach a sense of fidelity and commitment to young people. And finally, through the pastoral care of charity, we assist the poor and the sick by providing them food and medicines; this is particularly important during serious situations such as the pandemic that we have experienced”.

Speaking of the missionaries and local religious, the Bishop says: “I experienced the transition from missionaries to local clergy. The missionaries are spiritually rich, mature, and well-prepared people, but sooner or later they leave while it would be much more helpful if priests came to Esmeraldas to stay and carry on the projects they have started. Despite many difficulties, this local Church is gradually consolidating, perhaps with some imperfections but with its own identity. There are about 90 religious from many congregations, ready to share their life with the local people”.
Speaking of his future, Msgr. Arellano says: “I’m not planning to return to Europe, I will join a Comboni community in Tumaco, Colombia. I feel really sorry to leave Esmeraldas but it is time for a new bishop to lead this vicariate. However, Tumaco is close to the vicariate of Esmeraldas and has the same social peculiarities. Furthermore, the Bishop of Tumaco is willing to welcome me and assign me a project. We will see what happens”.

Enrique Bayo

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