Ouagadougou — Born in Africa and for Africa, the White Fathers and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa continue to keep alive the charism of their founder, the Bishop of Algiers Charles Lavigerie, who founded the two congregations in 1868 and 1969 respectively. In October 1868, Lavigerie opened the first novitiate of the Society of African Missionaries with some members from the seminary of the diocese of Algiers who had made themselves available for the "apostolate among Muslims", while in 1969 he founded the so-called White Sisters, who were to be "apostles among women".
Father Augustine Rotshak Gonsum is a member of the Society of African Missionaries (White Fathers) and lives and works in Burkina Faso in the Province of Francophone West Africa (P.A.O.). He speaks to Fides about the current context in the countries that make up the P.A.O. Province.
"The West Africa Province of the Order is made up of six countries: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Ivory Coast and Togo," he explains. We have communities in each country. Most of the communities are in rural areas. Our Provincial is Father Didier Sawadogo," he reports. "The current situation is very worrying, as economic, social, political, traditional and religious reasons lead to conflicts and wars in some places, economic slowdown and recession, serious climatic consequences, etc. To give an example," said the Nigerian-born priest, "Burkina Faso is currently going through a serious humanitarian, political and social crisis and a climate of total insecurity. The country has been hit by terrorist attacks that have left more than ten thousand dead since 2016, more than two million internally displaced and millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance (see Fides, 14/5/2024)."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"Unemployment, poverty, unresolved tribal conflicts, social inequalities and injustices, human rights violations, revenge... are among the causes of this situation," adds Father Gonsum, who is also coordinator of the Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC) and Encounter and Dialogue province for the African Missionaries.
"The aim of the two commissions," explains the missionary, "is to promote encounters and dialogue between people of different religions, confessions, nationalities and ethnicities; to engage with and for the poor, the marginalized, the exploited; to actively work for integral human development; to work for social justice, peace and reconciliation; to live the apostolate of justice prophetically by 'listening to the cry of the earth as well as the cry of the poor' (cf. LS 49) and collaborating with people of good will to care for the 'common home'."
"We organize awareness campaigns in schools and universities with the aim of cultivating a spirit of mutual welcome and promoting coexistence, and to launch socio-community activities, conferences between young or old people of different religions, etc., or solidarity actions in favor of internally displaced persons, migrants, women accused of witchcraft," he affirms. "In our apostolate," continues Father Augustine, "we pay great attention to activities for the protection of the environment, as well as to cases of injustice, and we organize fasting actions during Lent and Ramadan to strengthen brotherhood between Muslims and Christians."
There are currently 1,093 White Fathers and 472 students in formation of 24 different nationalities. They come from Churches on 4 continents and work as missionaries in more than 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East (Israel and Lebanon).
