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FOR
PEACE, THEY PILGRIMAGED.
by
Oluoch Japheth
The
sky was clear. It was 13th September 2003. Only a
few clouds were seen moving as if rehearsing for their own
pilgrimage. The hawks at the nearby Mukuru Dumping site were
unusually quiet. They too seemed to be reflecting a head of
the big day. At eight o’clock, all the
participants had assembled at the newly rehabilitated
St. John Catholic Church Chapel. Most of the participants were
members of Light Heart Youth group, The senior youth at St.
John Catholic Church, Korogocho.
Though about to cover along journey on foot, along journey in
such of peace, the determination in them was high. The praise
and worship session conducted at the chapel put the moods
right.
The
day’s programme began by briefings from Fr.
Daniel Moschetti, the Priest in charge of St. John
Catholic. He narrated his own experience when he went for
along pilgrimage while in his home country Italy. He talked of
his dream. “One day I would like to go back to Italy on foot”.
He encouraged the youth to use the pilgrimage to Kibera,
20 km from Korogocho,
not only as a mission to such for the physical peace but also
to find the inner peace.” This is an opportunity to think
about our inner peace. I time to reconcile with our God “He
said”.
The
choice of Kibera
was significant. Kibera and Korogocho
are among the biggest slums in East and Central Africa. The
two slums have a population of about one million people. The
land in which their structures stand on belong to the
government. They can be ordered out anytime the government has
come “development project” to put up. There is total
absence of basic amenities. The security standards are very
low. Police are hardly present at the scenes of crime. Most of
them spend time collecting bribes from Chang’aa (an illicit
brew) dealers.
Carrying
banners, the team departed for Kibera.
The most visible banner was that of Daniel Comboni; Save
Africa by Africa. This was a tribute to Daniel
Comboni, an Italian Bishop who lived and died for Africa;
‘Save Africa by Africa’ was his landmark slogan. He
believed that to ramson Africans from the yoke of Slavery
required direct participation of the Africans themselves. For
the tireless contribution to the regeneration of Africa, he
was canonised a saint by Pope John the
second in a colourful ceremonyin Rome, Itally on 5th
October this year.
The
Light heart youth have also been staging a play. ‘Save
Africa by Africa’, Africa or Death’, a dedication to Daniel
Comboni.
Addressing,
the participants, as St. Teresa Parish, Teddy Obel, a comboni
aspirant talked of the need for the slum dwellers to lead the
initiative to make ‘Our living place better’. He wondered
why the majority of a people are condemned to live in
slums but they do not own the structures. His sentiments were
supported by Gerald Mose, another aspirant who is undergoing
her formation at Golgotha Vocation Centre in Karungu, He
reiterated that life in he slums is full of injustices against
humanity. The slum dwellers themselves needed to be in the
front line in ensuring that peace and justice prevailed. He
said.
The
hall mark of the pilgrimage was the staging of the Comboni
play . It attracted many high ranking members of the
Comboni Missioneries. In full glare of Video Cameras, the
light heart youth took Kibera by storm. Their contribution
during the mass breathed life into the mass. Shouts of
‘Polo! Polo!’ rent the air as a large section of the group
engaged in the procession dances .(Polo is a Luo word for
heaven).
As
we left Kibera,
everybody was convinced that we set out for a mission and that
the mission had been achieved. This was a pilgrimage for peace,
will their be peace in the slums ?.
(The
writer is a member of peace
and justice Commission and
a
youth leader at St. John Catholic Church, Korogocho)
Email:
japhol2002@yahoo.co.uk.
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