Greetings from the Mariapolis Piero (Nairobi,
Kenya) where we are celebrating the 2014 United World Week. 200 Youth for a
United World have come together from all over Africa and beyond for this week
where we are marking a significant new step in the "Sharing with
Africa" project.
In some ways this
project goes back to the 1960s Operation Africa, which supported the people of
Fontem (Cameroun).[1] This project was
relaunched at the last Genfest, and draws inspiration from the desire expressed
at a Panafrican meeting of young people in 2011 that we should now concentrate
on building relationships of reciprocity between the Africa and the rest of the
world, where Africans participate not just as receivers, but also as givers. In
particular, they wished to share those cultural values that have sometimes been
lost in other parts of the world, the moral and cultural wealth which is not
only a heritage for the African future generations but for all the youth spread
all over the world. This unifying vision of the world, typical of African
cultures is a gift that the African
Continent can give to the rest of the world in order to understand the value of
being human.
The general
objective of Sharing with Africa is to contribute towards the formation of a
new culture that is capable of building a united world, promoting the values that have sustained and moulded societies in
the African Continent. The project aims at creating a space for mutual fellowship among
young people, not only in Africa but around the world, through the exchange of
cultures, talents, testimonies and challenges, accompanied by practical
actions.
Ubuntu
Among the most
important themes to be explored during this week in Nairobi there is
"Ubuntu" which refers to a particular understanding of Humanity where
relational dimensions are constitutive of the in individual. It gives a
unifying vision of the world, expressed in the Zulu proverb: “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” (“A person is only
a person through his or her relationship to others”). In this way, the concept of personhood is understood as a process and
the product of interconnectedness experienced or achieved in the community.
Ubuntu is a traditional philosophy that gives us an understanding of the person
in relation to the world, in harmony with others and with all creation,
believing in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.
Programme
During this week,
we will share our experiences, celebrate the unity and fraternity that already
binds us, reflect on the importance of interculturality and building bridges
between peoples and cultures, and plan our next steps. We will have the
opportunity to visit a mental hospital in a disadvantaged area of Nairobi.
There will be a worldwide linkup on the 1st May with young people from around
the world.
[1] “Project Africa” was launched by Chiara Lubich in 1960’s. It started off immediately with a very strong commitment: youth from
all over the world contributed towards the construction of a “little town” at Fontem, in the heart
of Cameroun, and cooperated towards the development of the African Continent
through numerous projects which they themselves devised.
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