Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
28 November 2008
Nairobi — Over 6,000 Christian youth from some 25 countries are in Nairobi for a pilgrimage of prayer and to share their experiences and diverse cultures.
The event is organized by the Taize community, based in France. On Thursday, 25 young people arrived from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Bro Luc who is the coordinating the event told CISA.
"What touched me most is that the youth from DRC did not have any pass or visa allowing them to travel. They got their passes at the border between Rwanda and DRC and came through Uganda to Kenya."
Patrick Cansa from DRC said, "In Taize, I have discovered that the most import thing in life is not to loose hope and to work hard to keep that hope and give it to others."
Coming from a country which has been unstable for years, Cansa said that governance in the DRC is weak and that the political leaders are corrupt. Congolese young people want change, he said.
Boniface Ayebare, among 440 youngsters from Uganda, said, "I have been closely associated with Taize. I first visited Taize community in France in 2001 and I stayed there for two years during which I learnt to live and share with others. Taize gave meaning to my life."
Ayebare said peace is needed in the region. "I work with a private firm that deals with language. In this firm, we receive many refugees from DRC, Rwanda and Burundi, and when you share experiences with them you realize that these people have traversed different situations and the way you behave towards them makes a big difference."
The event, whose theme is 'Together, seeking paths of hope', started on Monday and concludes on Sunday. The Taize community was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger. The aim of the group is to encourage especially the youth and to build reconciliation and peace.
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