We continue this series with Fr. Daniel Villaverde, a Comboni Missionary.
For 20 years, Fr. Daniel worked in northern Kenya with nomadic populations such as the Turkana. He talks about this and other tribes, the difficult terrain and the growing (and perhaps unstoppable) influence of Western values on the new urban Kenyan generations. (Interview in Spanish).
We continue this series with Fr. Enrique Bayo Mata, a Comboni Missionary who spent fifteen years in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fr. Enrique tells us about his rich experience of learning the African liturgy and his work on the continent, which includes, in addition to pastoral service, publishing, radio and television. For many years he has collaborated with the CLM in Congo, at the African level and even within the Central Committee of the CLM. (Interview in Spanish)
We continue this series with Fr. Antonio Guirao Casanova, Comboni priest and missionary, who has been twenty-three years in Kenya. On this occasion, he tells us about his approach and coexistence with the semi-nomadic tribe of the Pokots. During that time, he has carried out essential work in the field of education in both rural and urban areas in the capital, Nairobi. (Interview in Spanish)
I would like to tell you the story of Tarekegn who used to be a street child. Tarekegn comes from a family that is not well-off. He has both parents and as many as seven siblings. Tarekegn used to go with his father to the district called Zero Amist. His father used to give catechesis in one of the Protestant churches. The boy, however, began to fall into bad company. In the local area, he met street children who encouraged him to use stimulants, to go out with them and to beg.
Tarekegn got so screwed that one time he ran away by himself and stayed on the street. He began to spend days and nights there. He took on some very bad habits. His family knew this and had sporadic contact with him as his home is just outside Awassa and his father works in the city itself. Tarekegn, however, was not listening to anyone.
One day he ended up at the center. He began attending open classes. He was one of the first boys to be admitted to the center shortly after the pandemic started. The boy was glad that he could live with us, but I must admit that it was not easy with him. During his rehabilitation, we had various problems with him, which were relatively more than with other children. Tarekegn has changed a lot over time. There was a year with us. In the end, it all turned out well and he went home. He lives with his family and continues school. I believe it will stay that way and he will never come back to the street.
Magdalena Soboka, CLM Ethiopia
We share a series of videos recorded by “Casa África” in Spain. An initiative of this institution that aims to be a tribute to all those who made Africa the center of their lives.
“Many Spaniards have lived most of their lives in, by and for Africa. Given the advanced age of many of them, the memory of their experiences could be lost. That is why the Memory Project was born, with the sole intention of collecting and safeguarding their experiences, their contributions, their personal and professional triumphs and failures, offering a historical and documentary window that allows us to know what Africa was like half a century ago, something that can help us understand its current situation”.
We will recover some of the interviews with Comboni Missionaries.
We will recover some of the interviews with Comboni Missionaries. We begin this series with the interview of Comboni Bishop Jesús Ruiz who for so long has worked and continues to work with the CLM (now Bishop in Central African Republic in the diocese of our international community of Mongoumba). [Video in Spanish]
