African Social Centres Blog

During March 2017, JESC Advocacy team member Henry Longbottom SJ visited various initiatives and projects coordinated by, or linked to, the Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The aim of the visit was to deepen relationships and explore new ways for JESC to collaborate with our partners in Africa. The following are some short reports of Henry’s visit.

 

Transforming lives of les enfants de la rue – Centre Mgr Munzihirwa, Kinshasha

“Seeing the way the kids are gradually rehabilitated, and being part of that process” is how Pére Stanislas Kimpeye, SJ describes the most rewarding aspect of his ministry. Pére Stanislas is the director of the Centre Mgr Munzihirwa, a project helping former street kids in the Funa district of Kinshasa.  Read more …

 

 

Reforming DRC’s Mining Code? CEPAS Kinshasa

The devil hides in the details, but very often he also lies low in the lack of detail. This is the situation regarding the laws and guidance governing the mining sector in DRC, which are weak and ineffective from the point of view of human rights, environmental protection and the common good. Read more …

 

Reactions to Trump & a new central African ecclesial network

Last month, Donald Trump indicated that he intended to issue an executive order repealing section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, a provision enacted by the Obama Administration aimed at preventing the importation of conflict minerals into the US. Read more …

 

How the world’s newest Jesuit university is promoting sustainable agriculture

DRC’s abundant natural resources are not only to be found underground. Any new visitor to the country cannot fail to appreciate the land’s rich vegetation and fertile farmland. And yet despite its excellent soil and climatic conditions, DRC needs to import much of its food from neighbouring countries. The agricultural sector is perhaps another victim of the mineral resource curse. Read more …

Artisanal Mining in Katanga – Arrupe Centre, Lubumbashi

What is a “conflict mineral”? The recently-approved EU legislation on responsible mineral sourcing defines a conflict mineral as tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold which originates from any region in the world affected by, and which is used to finance, armed conflict. Read more …

 

A choking beast of prey – Mega Mines in Zambia

“A crouching vicious beast of prey whose snorts grow ever louder as if choking on its painful digestion of human flesh”. Thus goes Émile Zola’s description of a vast coal mine in his novel Germinal about a mid-nineteenth century coal mining community in northern France. Read more …
 

Empowering mine-affected communities – Silveira House, Harare

Situated in Highfields, a rural district outside the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, travelling to Silveira House feels more like going on retreat rather than visiting a Jesuit advocacy office. In my experience, Jesuit social centres are usually found in nondescript blocks somewhere in the middle of a city. Read more …