...the
hippopotamus of the ZambesiDearest,
Here you are a few news from my diary.
I feel I should take up again a Bible and try to find out why it takes so
long to change human beings.
Ebrew people spent 400 years as slaves in Egypt before Moses gained freedom
for them all.
In Mozambique we are wondering how long will extreme poverty, AIDS, violence, hunger, illnesses and injustice last before being substituted by solidarity, co-operation, commitment, honesty, progress. Opportunities seem unlikely, let's come to some hard facts, though.
As
you probably remember, we launched a campaign for sunflower culture amongst
peasants. The idea was to place an oil mill in Boroma, so that local people
could produce their own oil. The feedback I got from farmers is that rainfalls
were scarce; sunflower seeds could sprout anyway, but insects attacked the
plants. Now draught is deteriorating what was left from insects. Maybe the
crop in other areas will be better... let's see.
I assume it always takes a long time for introducing any new feature amongst farmers. Therefore we'll wait for the first results and then further discuss the thing.
In Nampula, towards Northern Mozambique, nuns discovered and denounced a traffic of kidnapped children, whose aim apparently was that of supplying organs for the clandestine market of both transplants and medicine men's traditional healings. What makes things worst is that also European people seem to be involved in this traffic. Police is investigating, although the rumour that black and white people were working together to sell children organs was already widespread. In Mozambico still a lot of people believes that the sacrifice of a child is necessary to start up a good business (unfortunately this is no folkloristic tale, it's just the truth!) It's common practice from the past, instead of being eradicated by modern science and technology it's still alive and, on the contrary, it's reviving. In Dicembre 2003, just in Nampula, 54 children kidnappings were reported.
Yesterday
I came back from a rather secluded area, where I held a meeting with local
responsible people and celebrated a Holy Mass after some months of absence.
The greatest difficulty for such remote communities is that of having prepared enough laymen in order to offer a proper catechism to those approaching our religion.
I decided to organise a couple of training courses for prospective catechists. On the way back home I went to visit the responsible of one of such communities, who has also a house in the suburbs of Tete. To get there you just need a four drive wheel, although the house is still in town.
Maibeque ( this is his name: "my bicycle") has been ill for some months. He used to be one of the best catechists in the area. He slimmed down a lot, his eyes are dull, his body worn; he cannot move around much any longer. He had just completed a new brick and concrete house, working with .throughout dedication and unflagging efforts to build up "his dream": a house in town, offering better education prospects to his children. A few months ago he took me along to visit this house. He was proud and satisfied. Now, after just 4 months, he is close to burning out like a candle in the wind.
AIDS won't forgive anybody. Where shall we find treatments to heal him? Here we have nothing at all. What shall we do? Shall we just wait for him to die? Should we loose a good responsible for the community, hard to be replaced for years to come? Who shall take care of his six children? How should we help the future widow?
Let me stop for now. Problems by the score are arising in my mind and I cannot find any solution.
Lord, Thou who are Life, assist us in coping with this heavy burden and find a way to stuggle against the evil and build the good. Thank you.
A mumbling Father Claudio the Hyppo !!!!
News of the traffic reported by the nuns can also be found on the following site http://lanazione.quotidiano.net/art/2004/02/22/5204289
