The Annual Barbecue of the Africa Study Group

The annual barbecue event of the Africa Study Group was held on July 8, 2023, marking the end of a long hiatus due to Covid-19. The members were thrilled to reunite and celebrate, cherishing each other's company more than ever. This is especially important for Africans and those interested in Africa. The gathering served as a heartwarming homecoming for all the members of the group.

The Africa Study Group was founded by Robert Fowler in 2007. It's a voluntary organization that brings together people who share a passion for Africa. The group aims to promote closer collaboration between Canada and Africa in various areas of mutual interest. Initially, the group was made up of expats who had previously served as diplomats or scholars in Africa.

The Africa Study Group is known for its diverse membership, active engagement in Africa's development, and genuine love for the continent. Over time, more young African scholars, students, policy analysts, and diplomats have joined the think tank group, leading to its evolution and the expansion of its networks.

However, as it is often stated, a monotonous work environment can lead to boredom; ASG members convene annually for a more leisurely gathering of fraternization. This brought them together this year to continue creating more communions and reinforcing their love for the motherland.

Chinua Achebe once said:

“A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground, it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.”

In the same way, members of the Africa Study Group gather each year for a barbecue event because it is part of the group's ways of revitalizing their networks, sharing friendships, and appreciating the past for a better Africa of tomorrow.

Moreover, the annual barbecue gathering is a chance to take a break from the organization's intense policy, academic and diplomatic programs and enjoy something more relaxed. It is also an initiative that facilitates the members' appreciation of their respective contributions while reaffirming their support for Canadian governments, their allies, and other policymakers, enabling them to perceive emerging Africa's immense greatness and potential.

The annual barbecue gathering is a chance to take a break from the organization's intense policy and diplomatic programs and enjoy something more relaxed. It also helps members appreciate each other's contributions.

Despite concerns that post-Covid-19 gatherings would be less exciting, this year’s annual ASG barbecue proved that love for Africa prevails over disease and separation. Certainly, the organization thrived online during the pandemic, but this year’s barbecue gathering proved that the African joy has been fully restored in the heart of the Canadian Capital city. The event resembled a moonlit village gathering, with younger scholars eagerly soaking up knowledge from their elders. In brief, the ASG barbecue gathering contradicts, in all essence, any idea that Ottawa could be “the city that fun forgot.”

Nigerian Igbo Catholic Community, Ottawa, Celebrates Uka Nne (Mothering Sunday)

A Photo Section of Mothers

At Saint Peter's Parish, located at 1640 Hetherington Road in Ottawa, on May 28, 2023, an emotional atmosphere filled the air as Catholic mothers were honoured during the annual Uka Nne – Mothering Sunday event hosted by the Nigerian Igbo Catholic Community of Ottawa. The event showcased the significance of mothers in society and celebrated motherhood, faith, and black cultural heritage. The mothers were treated with respect and reverence, creating a joyous atmosphere filled with boisterous laughter. The event demonstrated that Uka Nne is a day to celebrate motherhood and cultural heritage, even outside Nigeria.

The Church's decoration exuded a sacred atmosphere through the combination of Nigerian cultural fabrics and Catholic liturgical colour. As a result, the environment felt genuinely African and authentically Catholic. The mothers dressed up for the occasion, proudly wearing their uniforms and corresponding headgear. The altar and other liturgical furniture were decorated to match the day's uniform. Interestingly, it was Pentecost Sunday, requiring red vestments and decorations in Catholic liturgy. The mothers creatively blended the red colour of Pentecost with the blue apparel of Mother's Day, resulting in a beautiful mix of colours showcasing motherhood's energy and candour.

During the Eucharistic celebration, the mothers served and sang in the choir. It was a refreshing change from the usual Sundays, as the enthusiastic mothers in the choir made it a delightful experience for everyone present. The choir mainly sang in Igbo, executing classical Igbo liturgical hymns that brought back memories of the good old days in the Motherland for the older adults. It was a fantastic day, and the National Capital Region of Ottawa felt alive with the heartbeat of the motherland.

Before the end of the first phase of the day’s celebration, three young ladies entertained the audience with a thought-provoking song where they recounted the sacred roles of mothers in their lives. “When we are in pain or suffering from hardship or difficulties,” they chanted, asking the joyful audience to whom would they turn? And, to each of their question-oriented verses, the enthusiastic audience responded in a loud, thrilling chorus, “My mother.”

After the almost two-and-a-half-hour Eucharistic celebration, the attendees were excited about the promised delicacies. The Catholic Men Association had committed to providing the necessary items for the entertainment part of Mother's Day. During the community mass last month, they reminded the mothers to refrain from participating in preparing the food and materials needed for item seven of D-Day.

The association kept their promise and everyone present was satisfied with the variety of food available. Moreover, the fact that some priests had to assist in serving the table proves that they delivered on their promise, as mothers were asked not to participate in the service. In short, this year's “Uka Nne” event set a record for future years and gave hope that we are slowly recovering from the isolation brought on by Covid-19.

The Slow, Sweet Death of the Eurocentric Christianity

Image by Eti from Pixabay

While I may not have the gift of prophecy, I am convinced that change is coming. The era of European theology is ending, paving the way for a new form of theology comparable to Ubuntu, for it is centred around the people. Christianity is facing a new reality that it is hesitant to accept – it is no longer a European religion. While this might not sound obvious presently, the transition from one state to another is always met with resistance. In its current form, Christianity is on its last legs. But we can agree that this is not the first time Christianity has undergone such a transformation.

Before Christianity moved from Jerusalem to Rome, it did not include non-Jews in its community. However, after a Jewish conservative named Paul of Tarsus experienced a transformative encounter with the Holy Spirit, he became a radical advocate for including the Gentile world in the Church. He travelled from Rome to Ephesus and wrote letters to various communities, including the Corinthians, Thessalonians, Galatians, and Ephesians. He even worshiped with Jews, prayed with pagans, and openly preached in synagogues and at the Areopagus. Indeed, despite his previous conservatism, Paul turned out to be one of the most progressive figures of his time.

Image by Eti from Pixabay

From that point onward, Christianity has abandoned its traditional Jewish race-oriented tendency to become a beacon of hope for all those seeking God in truth, regardless of their origin and race.

Unfortunately, this gift of openness completely transformed Christianity, Europeanizing, and changing its history.

But this didn't come without a price: philosophers soon became opponents of the new religion. Then, converted Roman scholars took the battle to the door of pagan philosophers. Soon after, Plato was embraced by the Christian community, baptized, and given a prominent place. This resulted in significant Western scholars such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origin, and Athanasius transforming Christianity into a fusion of philosophical and divine ideas.

Furthermore, Aristotle was also quickly introduced into the Pantheon of Christian saints. With his obsession with logic, ethics, science, and dialectics, Aristotle seduced Christianity to become an elitist religion. Thus, Christianity was gradually but finally Occidentalized. Initially, it travelled cautiously until the empires rediscovered how powerful it could be. Then for centuries, Christianity romanced kings and Queens in their high places. And without knowing it, Christianity gradually set apart a reverenced sit for the Kings and Queens within its sanctuary. Thus, we began the era of the Christian empire. A few charismatic leaders engaged in a fight but were ultimately dislodged by the powerful machinery of the empire.

Image by Eti from Pixabay

When the discovery of engines made the West thirsty for new heavens, Christianity was vested with a new mission. The expeditions of Western missionaries accompanied the expeditions of the kings' men. Initially, it was mainly the blessing of the exploration ships, but only for a short time. When the kings discovered the richness of the nations beyond the European shores, they needed a powerful tool in the hands of the missionaries. With their guns and unfortunate sickness, the kings required an empire-inspired biblical interpretation to reshape the universe. When they were surprised by the diversity of people they encountered on seafaring, they had to rethink their relationship with the Christian faith. And thus, manifest destiny was born. Europe rapidly claimed the title of the new Israel, and with the coming of the Kingdom, theirs to perfect.

Rather than sharing the Gospel with the nations they encountered, they imposed a European interpretation. This led to the dismissal and condemnation of Native wisdom and cultural and spiritual values.

Regrettably, the practice of Christianity has transformed into a perilous performance, as it has evolved into a meticulously crafted ideology of power, losing, in Christendom, its essential purpose of fostering connections. It instead created European centers in the empires, forming priests, pastors, and theologians to give up their indigenous spiritual treasures and wear European thinking hats. Even today, many of them from colonized nations continue to sing the tunes of their European masters, like parrots. Throughout my Igbo nation to Sri Lanka, from Indigenous Australia to the Mesoamericans, Catholic and non-Catholic theologians have sacrificed their experiences of God at the altar of faith. Instead, they all advocate for theological beliefs that reflect an adopted story of the European view of God and their social-historical circumstances.

Thankfully, in this progressing 21st century, Christianity seems to be breaking, even though slowly, free from its rigid beliefs. Consequently, the grip of old Europe on the world's biggest religion is loosening. Indeed, the hour is coming for: “This cup wants to become empty again, and Zarathustra intends to become human again.”

Yes, the time is now for theologians from the South to climb down from their borrowed thrones. For this, like Zarathustra, I pray:

“Bless the cup that wants to flow over, such that water flows golden from it and everywhere carries the reflection of your bliss!” Yes, it is time to decolonize theology, not by killing those who theologized before us, but by owning our practices and experiences.

For a long time, we’ve danced on a hanging rope, between two towers, with our poles like tightrope dancers. And at every attempt to recreate our narrative, a jester appears from the golden towers, forcing the dancer to fall, head down, to the amusement of the cheering public in our marketplaces.

Image by Eti from Pixabay

So, today, I join my brethren to announce the hour of Ubuntu theology, the people's theology. We will gather under our palaver trees and in our sacred places, holding our talking sticks and stones, to express how the God of Jesus Christ appears in our indigenous traditions. Our theology may not follow European customs, but it will truly reflect our beliefs, spoken in our languages and expressed through our sacred dances and colourful clothing. We will embrace vulnerability and seek to understand the realities of all people, from the wealthy and privileged to the poor and disfavored, independent of our different sexual orientations, for we are loved unconditionally by the God Jesus Christ.

This type of Christianity may be accused of syncretism, but it is always a monotheistic religion based on Ubuntu principles. It focuses on our human connectedness and the commonality of our race. Its fundamental theological principle is our responsibility towards others, including strangers, widows, and orphans. It will refer to the approach of the Other in the face, in a dimension of height, in responsibility for oneself and for the Other to whom we are obligated. (Levinas, Totality and Infinity, 1979, 214-5). So, today, I reiterate “Ubuntu,” my brethren, for “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu.”