Africa | Africa
Jan.08.2011
Before coming to work in Zimbabwe in November 2009, the only news or information I’d read about the country over the past eight to ten years had been negative. Hyperinflation that had only that year been brought under control; goods just beginning to flow back into shops; and political violence as...
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Jan.05.2011
The magical festive season -- peace and hope, light reborn in the darkest hours of winter -- can affect even outcast dissidents in the most remote corner of the earth. But out there the meaning of the holiday spirit may come with a bittersweet twist. Five years ago on Dec. 25, a procession of...
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Nov.13.2010
I spend most of my day prowling the Internet for organizations that work with people who were sexually abused, especially as children. I contact as many as I can to see if they would be willing to start a Lamplighter chapter in their area. Our Lamplighter movement currently has 68 chapters in...
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Nov.09.2010
Like most people who follow the news I've been reading about the rapes in the Congo that have been going on since 1998, stories of such horror that it dwarfs any other brutal stories I've ever read. Old women, young women, children, no one escaped the tentacles of rape. I've never been to Africa. I...
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Nov.07.2010
Is this part of it?
Feeling like a hockey puck has made a permanent home in my stomach.
Is this part of it?
Wanting to hear someone with your own accent.
Is this part of it?
Feeling ashamed that you complain your hot water only lasts 3 minutes, when so many others don’t even have hot water.
Is this...
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Oct.23.2010
The Lamplighters, an international movement for recovery from incest and childhood sexual abuse, currently have six chapters in Africa; two in Nigeria, one in Sudan, one in Kenya and one in Tunisia. We have two more getting ready to start up in the near future. They are both in Nigeria; that will...
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Oct.15.2010
Large shallow bowls of brass overflow with fresh rose petals that tumble onto the stairs. There are eight steps to the restaurant entrance, where tall young men in white tunics and pants, are wearing burgundy vests, and glittering gold caps. They lead us to our table. Fresh cucumber ovals with...
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Oct.15.2010
Morning mist hovers above the emerald blades of African grass creating soft skirts around the base of the Sumac trees. Branches dance above the white billows. A morning gift to the sun.
I’ve come to enjoy my waitress, Eunice. She greets me with a warm smile and says, “I’ll bring your coffee, ma’am...
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Sep.29.2010
Life in Lubango 08/30/2010 6 Comment(s) Hello friends! As a follow-up to my post on social justice and liberation theology yesterday, I wanted to share an excerpt from my personal life. Back in July of 2000, I worked for a non-governmental organization (NGO) that I founded with my...
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