HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF IMCS PAX ROMANA IN AFRICA The history of what we have today as IMCS PAX ROMANA can be traced back to 1887 in Switzerland during the time of the Swiss Catholic Students Association under the leadership of Baron George who later became the first president of the movement and a later chaplain of IMCS. It is said that if Catholics were not the first to form an international organization, then probably they must have been the first to come up with the idea of creating one. Under the leadership of Baron George, the catholic students in Switzerland formed the International Union of Catholic Students. The idea was to unit Catholic students in Europe and beyond for the purpose of contributing to world peace after series of wars and battles that had seen Europe torn apart. Baron George made the idea known to the Holy See and was accepted by Pope Leo XIII. Later in 1891, George led a Pilgrimage to Rome for the First Assembly of the newly formed Union. However, the persistent wars and antagonist amongst European powers gave a mortal blow to the young movement. Although, even at the collapse the movement’s spirit continued to live on especially within the Swiss Catholic Students Association. This Fribourg, Switzerland Union continued to be a great asset to the church and pope Leo XIII used it as a think tank that help him draft the first document on the Modern Catholic Social Teaching-­‐Rerum Novarum. Events leading to the first world war and after saw the need to revive the movement and that is when the International Confederation of Catholic Students was founded in 1921. In June 1921, a meeting was held between the Unions in Holland and Switerland in Fribourg to plan for and international congress for all National Catholic Students associations and in July 1921 the first Pax Romana Congress was held founded on the theme of peace. The participants in the congress were at the beginning divided because they had come from different warring nations and had either fought in the war or knew people who had fought in the war, but by the end of the congress they had peace among themselves and that is when the name PAX ROMANA was born. The second pax romana congress was held in 1922 still in Fribourg Switzerland. For purposes of global advocacy, IMCS Pax Romana became part of the International Catholic organizations with consultative status at the League of Nations and later on the United Nations. Due to the second world war, the international secretariat of IMCS Pax Romana was tentatively moved to Washington to avoid interference and continued coordination of the movement’s activities and after the war the secretariat went back to Fribourg Switzerland. While in Washington, contact was established with the Latin America national Movements. Immediately after the second world war, in 1946, collaboration was established with the International Young Catholic Students and in the 27th Pax Romana international congress in 1947 IYCS founded its international coordination. In 1947 a major development took place in the existence of IMCS Pax Romana, there occurred the division of the movement in to the students movement; International Movement of Catholic Students-­‐
IMCSand The International Catholic Movement of Intellectual and Cultural Affairs-­‐ICMICA for the professionals and intellectuals. The IMCS then had to move the secretariat to Paris in France and the ICMICA retained theirs in Geneva. The 1940s to 1990s saw the movement’s regionalization started. The movement was spread to Asia Pacific with headquarters inManila, the Philippines, Europe with the HQs in Brussels, Belgium; Middle East HQs in Cairo, North America coordinated from Toronto Canada, Latin America with HQs in Santiago Chile; Africa With present HQs in Nairobi Kenya. With the brief history, the International Movement of Catholic Students is not new to Africa. Already in the 1950s it was present in many countries, and was already training many of the people who are today directly involved in the realities and challenges of the continent. The IMCS was founded in 1921 as an international movement. Born just after the First World War, the IMCS PAX ROMANA hoped to be a contribution to peace among nations and to constitute a church presence in the university and university presence in the church. After the First World War, IMCS got a new lease of life and strengthened the process of internationalization. At the end of the 1960s the movement lived through a period of intense self-­‐
questioning in the wake of the renewal of the church resulting from the second Vatican council, as well as of the profound transformations that had taken place in the student world. It is imperative therefore to note that the first Pan African IMCS meeting was held in 1958 in Accra-­‐
Ghana and prior to this a few IMCS federations had been founded. Since that meeting various attempts were made to set up some sort of structure of continental coverage but none of these survived. This sense of history should constantly guide us in making us daring while at the same time realistic so that these efforts we are making will not fail us the others did. It is also pertinent to note that the beginning of what we had then: a team of two full-­‐timers, one part time and a chaplain began as far back in 1975 at the 28th Inter-­‐federal Assembly of Lima (IFA) That it took five years to materialize, points to the fact that realistic efforts even if gradually and if persistently pursued yields results ultimately. In the course of the Lima meeting it was noted that the situation of our national federations, much as it was noted that enthusiasm and determination of our federations and their members had a long way to go with respect to the identity and orientation of IMCS. The tasks as identified at Lima were as follows: Developing commitment and deepening of faith. Creating awareness and sharpening the analysis of our members on the African reality. Ensuring that our activities have a transforming impact in the student milieu and on the African reality. Developing students’ initiative and commitment to the evangelization of the student and university environment. To transform that vision into reality it was considered necessary to maintain what we had in our federations but to deepen and question certain dimensions for instance the concept of automatic membership, in that connection the attachment and indeed our responsibility to be open tom all catholic students was indicated but at the same time there was need to seriously consider the development of commitment and involvement. There was a great challenge in terms of coordination work in the movement at the African regional level. Some of the discussions like on the resolutions of IFA at Lima as indicated above could not be effectively implemented. The discussions of that nature kept on recurring in the history of IMCS in Africa because the people who did such discussions did not have the requisite conditions to implement the decisions mainly because they were full-­‐time students with little time for the movement and also as national leaders with minimum scope of maneuver. THE 28TH IFA The 28th IFA which was a historical moment took place from 7th July to 7th August 1978. It was the first time, in the history of IMCS and IYCS to hold a joint study session. This experience opened a new chapter in the areas of collaboration between the two catholic student movements. The IMCS Africa delegates who were 20 in number had a great joy after a long period of waiting for such an opportunity. It was a moment of deep reflection and confrontation of worldwide experiences of our movement. A long time was spend analyzing the world situation and the church. The participants were greatly enriched by the interventions made by experts, especially on the then world economic situation, the inflation and its consequent restructuring of capitalism. Another point which was highly a heart probing intervention was during the theological reflection. This intervention was the most challenging moment as it really put into question our faith, the spiritual being of man and the presence of God in the human history. Since Lima 1975, the African coordination had been keeping the memory of the movement in Africa. Through the courtesy of the Kenya YCS, communication had been kept going with the African federation and the international team. During the directing committee of Banyoles July 1976, the idea of implementing the Lima proposals was revived and accepted, and plans were immediately made to arrange for a Pan African session. This took place in December 1977 in Nairobi and a joint venture for both IMCS and IYCS. The deliberations of the session gave the African movement the desire to consolidate and concretize their work. That has been shown by the increased contacts and correspondence between the coordination office and federations as well as individuals all over Africa. Up to the 29th IFA the preoccupation of the coordination had been preparation of African delegation to that IFA. Together with the international team money was sought to finance the delegation. The conscientization of members and federations had been the alternative priority. They wanted to see themselves as the as participants in the creation of a new African society. The delegates wanted to see themselves as a movement and not to let the status quo prevail. However the challenge to this was the nature of the membership in some federations. Many federations had and still have automatic membership, simply by virtue of being a catholic by baptism. This kind of loose membership was difficult to make the federations have identity of a movement. It was then the duty of the federation to find the best way a permanent group of members could be created. That did not have to be a very large group. In fact experience had shown that the smaller the group, so long as the objectives are clear, the more meaningful they were committed to the action. Keeping in line with the resolutions of the African delegates to the 29th IFA, three students from the federation of the University of Nairobi offered to work for the coordination. COORDINATIONATION OF IMCS IN AFRICA. The coordination of the movement at the African level has had its own achievements and challenges from a historical perspective. IMCS having been introduced in the continent in the 1950s as noted by the chaplains conference held in Kinshasa from 6th to 12th April 1986, did not have a clear and stable full time coordination. The chaplains also noted that IMCS was not being experienced as a single model in the African context. In some countries it was a “movement” in others it appeared as a “gathering” in the church both of different Christian groups and of isolated individuals and sympathizers in the building of the kingdom. This raised the question of redefining the identity and membership of IMCS. Up to 1978 there was still the challenge of a clear and elaborate coordinating structure and team. As it was indicated by the editor of the IMCS NESLETTER, Vol. 1 No.1 1979, the interim coordinating team had embarked on an informative activity; Spreading information about the movement in order to make African IMCS coordination a reality. Apparently, much of the coordination work was done through the Interfederal Assemblies (IFA); a regular convention of all the federations from around the globe. It was during the 28th IFA of 1975 that mandate was given to Kenya. Since then the memories of the movement in Africa had been kept through the courtesy of the Kenya YCS. It was during the 29th IFA that a resolution was made by the African delegation to have a separate and independent team to coordinate IMCS Africa for proper continuity. Three students from the federation of the University of Nairobi offered to be working for the coordination. The students who offered to work were; Miss Genevieve Wanjala, currently a professor at the University of Nairobi and a former dean of faculty in the school of education at the university of Nairobi, Mr. Michael Kuria and Miss Martha Gachoya. It appears that before the 28th IFA in Lima and the 29th IFA in Valladolid, the African coordination team dependent so much on the international team. However in a bid to create an independent coordination, the delegates to the 28th and 29th IFA drafted some terms of references for the coordination and also the African Federation. This must have been the early attempts to draft the statutes of the IMCS African federation. A question was raised during the African IMCS regional directing committee meeting held at the Natural Resources Development Centre on the 7th to 8th January 1980 on whether there was a job description for the coordination team. Yes there was a job description. However it was in the form of reports made by the African delegation to Lima. This included: v Visitation to federations. v Helping in the analysis and reflections at team level and federation level during visitations. v Developing and promoting theological reflections. v Production of newsletters and documentations. v Extension of the movements in Africa. The over dependency of IMCS African coordination team to the international team was manifested in a number of ways: The international team had to always written the financial projects for the African coordination. The African coordination had always consulted the international team on every small decision that had to be made. African coordination relied on the international team for visits to the federations. The African coordination received international team suggestions and publications. The reason for this observation made by the directing committee in 1980 was due to the fact that there were no full-­‐time coordinators and the chaplain. In that regard the decisions had to be made in conjunction with the international team. Earlier in the 1970s up to 1980 the movement did not have any full-­‐time coordinating team. This came to the concern of the directing committee meeting in 1980 in Lusaka-­‐Zambia that there was a lot of work at the coordination office and the five people who were part-­‐time coordinators and full-­‐time students could not have time for the movement and that would mean that then movement had to slacken in its activities. It was then mentioned that there were possibilities of getting full-­‐time workers from Sudan, Zaire (present DRC), Madagascar and Ghana. Now, here is another step towards our current statutes and the clause that deals with the choice of coordinators and the specific prerequisites. The criterion was as follows: He/she must come from a developed movement. Should have attended an international meeting. The movement offering the person must be a movement which is well established and homogenous, especially in relation to our basic orientation-­‐OPTION FOR THE POOR. Must be a Christian. To this effect his/ her Episcopal conference and chaplain should give recommendation. Academic standing of the candidate must be good enough, i.e. he /she must have passed his examinations so as to be a real sign of one having made option for the poor to work for the m0vement, but not as a job opportunity. Here, a worry was expressed with regard to the fact that the same educational system that we criticize so much was going to be used as the standard to determine the person to work in the time. It was however suggested and agreed that if someone had only failed his exams once, he/she could be considered. So the candidate had to send his curriculum vitae to the coordination team. Except in special cases, the person must be single because of the nature of the work involved and perhaps finance would be a problem. Unlike in the present coordination, the candidate would propose in a letter his/her terms of services and duration in which he or she was going to serve the movement. This could be the reason why there was not clarity in the intervals at which the Pan African Assemblies were held because the duration of service could be determined by the candidates themselves. In relation to the deliberations of the meeting NRDC in Lusaka concerning the full-­‐time coordination, it was reported that Benjamin from Madagascar was prepared to work for the movement immediately on successful completion of his studies in Jnuary1980. He was prepared to work for only seven months. Zaire also had one person ready to start work in December 1980. The Pan African coordination has since been based in Nairobi-­‐Kenya after all the struggle with establishing an elaborate coordination team. However challenges still come to the team. There was an urgent need for office premises and accommodation facility for the coordinators. It is proper to record that at that time the office was shared with the Kenya YCS. IMCS had to search for possibilities of building a small but adequate centre. As for the accommodation, the full-­‐timers were initially accommodated by Augustine Ombati until their own accommodation was arranged. The team would need the services of a chaplain for spiritual and theological reflection and just like the coordinators there was no full-­‐time chaplain but a volunteer. Rev. Fr. Michael Drohan had been acting as the chaplain to the team since mid 1970s. It was observed that he had other commitments and the movement needed a full-­‐time chaplain. He was the national chaplain of KYCS and YCW as well as a full-­‐
time lecturer at the University. After the discussion on the issue if the chaplain in the NRDC-­‐Lusaka meeting , it was observed that a full-­‐time chaplain would have been hard to find at that time and so Fr. Michael Drohan had to continue serving as the African chaplain while Fr. Bisimwa Ruhamanyi served as his assistant. CHAPLAINCY IN IMCS AFRICA COORDINATION. First of all, it must be emphasized that the chaplaincy is not an entity per se but a function, a service within the movement. In our local churches, bishops, priests and the laity freely discuss the importance of chaplaincy in the university milieu. In reality however there appears to be some incompatibility between this purpose and the priests ‘the chaplains’ and pastoral workers’ assignment to student chaplaincy. As noted by S.J.K Parker, one of the coordinators in 1982, there was a shortage of the clergy in the churches, but that alone could not adequately explain the situation. There was lack of effective and coherent knowledge on our pastoral priorities as well as on so issues and challenges posed by the university to the church and its mission in Africa. Parker observed that most of the clergy were over burdened with and could not devote enough time to the pastoral activities of students. All that points to the lack of knowledge on the chaplain’s status and significance in the entire pastoral activity of our churches. As indicated early, the movement in Africa did not for a long time since its inception have a full-­‐time chaplain. There were volunteer priests who apparently had other duties to play within the church. Therefore the Pan African Assembly of Dworp in Belgium 1986 was concerned with the absence of a chaplain within the African team, which was not the case with other continental teams. To fill this void, the South African chaplain was unanimously elected. But unfortunately, without even being able to join the Kenya team, his congregation sent him to take up new responsibilities in Cameroon. It was observed then that a good number of priests were willing to work with the IMCS but the problem was that their superiors or Bishops had other plans for them. In the end, the Maryknoll congregation which also includes the pastoral of the youth and especially university campus ministry, accepted to make available to our movement a priest who had a wide experience in the student world in the person of Rev. Fr. Lionel A. Bouffard, M.M. for a period of four years. However the problem of how to replace him remained, as well as the procedure to follow and from which country. In 1986, from 6th to 12th April, the first Pan African session of university chaplains was organized by the international movement of catholic students-­‐IMCS took place in Nganda Centre, in Kinshasa, Zaire, presently Democratic Republic of Congo. The theme was; “Apostolic accompaniment in the university milieu.” The chaplains from Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, sierra Leone, south Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Zaire, as well as the members of the IMCS international team, delegates from some IMCS African federations; Ghana, Madagascar and Zambia and members MIEC Zaire took part in the meeting. The session had three major parts: a. Conference, followed by plenary debate. b. Sharing (in the plenary sessions) of apostolic experiences in the university milieu. c. In-­‐depth workshop discussions. It is important to note some of the discussions of this session of chaplains especially that which touches the role of the chaplain; The chaplains noted that the IMCS is a propitious place for the elaboration of a different conception of the church, a church in which all are responsible (through our baptism and confirmation) for the evangelization of the milieu, a church in which we all listen to the word of God and in which we seek a Christian lifestyle. In this way we can argue that the problem of apostolic accompaniment is not just a matter of priests (for chaplains) but for the whole Christian community. The chaplain is, above all, an educator in faith and in life. His service requires just one major “skill”: faith, not so much from a theoretical point of view, but rather as a mature life in the following of Jesus and his Good News. The relationship between the priest and lay people should not conceal the teacher/disciple one which is essential for the communication of the faith. An education in the faith means, moreover, an education in the meaning of the church. Faith cannot remain an individual adventure; it should be lived collectively in church. Thus, it is important to help students to enter the mystery of the church, to help them discover that the church is only truly a church if it communicates the faith. We should note that it is the community itself that has the mission of accompanying the life of its members. It is the community that questions, interprets, supports, listens, helps consoles, etc. the chaplain simply fulfills this role in a more explicit fashion, both in faith and in the plenitude of life. The 1986 session in Kinshasa being the first Pan African session, it is necessary to take note of the discussions of chaplains about chaplaincy. A. The chaplain’s specific tasks. The chaplain’s mission is to call forth a spirituality that flows directly from the major evangelical options of the movement. In order to do this, the chaplain must fulfill the following: The chaplain celebrates the faith, presides over the Eucharist an initiates students in the sacraments. The liturgy is the first pedagogy and theology of the church; it is an important moment in the spiritual combat that all Christian must wage. The chaplain calls forth prayer and helps develop a contemplative attitude towards the loving presence of God in the realities of the world and of history. This allows us to keep a sense of transcendence even in daily life. The chaplain ought to fulfill another important task: to link evangelical conviction to the experiences and poverty of Jesus Christ, “who was rich, yet for your sakes became poor”-­‐2nd Corinthians 8:9 The chaplain must be the memory of the community, and by memory we do not mean the history of the past, but rather a living history as a dimension of the present, giving impetus to the traditions of the faith. This memory is transmitted not only through life but experiences themselves. The chaplain should foster intellectual and theological training. Many students experience a crisis of faith on entering the university, thus, theological education must be able to respond to the new questions that emerge. In this respect, we cannot but mention that the relative ignorance of Christian culture by many students constitutes a barrier to faith. The chaplain must accompany the emotional and psychosexual development of students; we know that these issues are often taboo. A good number of Christian students are painfully aware of the gap between their practice and the morality of the church. And this is one of the reasons for their withdrawal from the Christian community. We must carry out a thorough ethical reflection on these questions. The last but not least, the chaplain must understand the value of personal accompaniment, of informal accompaniment (outside official community meetings) and of being close to student life. B. Initiation and function of new chaplains. If there is a shortage of chaplains, it is often due to the ignorance of the nobility of this occupation and of the importance of this ministry. The university is not a well understood milieu. The chaplain is often isolated there. He has few opportunities to share his concerns and experiences with fellow priests. We must also point out the absence of specific places and times allotted to the training of chaplains, which explains the improvisation that tends to exist in this domain. Future priests should already receive training in chaplaincy tasks at the seminary itself. The lack of a systematic account of the experiences of chaplaincies is also to be regretted. Part of the richness of this work is thus lost and is not transmitted to the church as a whole. THE PAN AFRICAN ASSEMBLIES Note that before the 4th Pan African Assembly the regional conventions were termed as sessions. Therefore we have recorded the events with terms that referred to them. Another reason is that these conventions (sessions) were not held at regular intervals of after four years as it is today. The 1st Pan African session. It is significant to know that the first Pan African session of IMCS was held in 1958 in Accra, Ghana. Prior to this, a few IMCS national federations had been formed. Apparently, IMCS had gained strong roots in Ghana. Most of the coordination work at this time was being done in collaboration with the international team. Initially the Inter-­‐federal Assembly-­‐IFA is the one that used to bring different regional federations together and probably that is when regions had to present their views and aspirations of their regional movements. There were no full-­‐time coordinators for the movement in Africa. It was until after the 28th IFA of Lima that a full-­‐time coordination of five persons was instituted. Since the session in Accra in 1958, several attempts had been made to set up some sort of structure of continental coverage but none of the attempts were sustained. The 2nd Pan African session This second session took place on the 27th December, 1981 to 6th January, 1982. The team that convened the session was: ü
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Augustine Ombati Genevieve Wanjala Michael Kuria Martha Gachoya Benjamin Rev. Fr. Michael Drohan Kenya Kenya Kenya Kenya Madagascar. Kenya (chaplain) After a thorough analysis of the social, political and economic situation, women and development, Educational system, and the role of the church in Africa, the delegates at the conference made the following declaration: a) The social, political and economic situation in Africa. ü Though it was necessary for Africa to borrow development models from industrialized countries for its development, it was essential that she kept to her own cultures and traditions by choosing models that suitably fit her society and which were devoid of ideological prejudices. ü There was need for decentralization of all available facilities to favour both the majority peasants and the privileged few. ü The African intellectual elite should learn to understand the reality of life and help alleviate the social inequality and anomalies thriving in the society. ü Africa as a producer of raw materials for industries of the developed world should seek a common front to strengthen her bargaining power on the world market to pave way for favourable terms of agreement with outside bodies. ü In trying to find antidotes to her problems, Africa should learn to analyze her own diverse problems while doing away with the kind of foreign aid which only makes her subservient to the developed world. b) Women and development in Africa ü It was necessary and essential that African states provide statutory laws which provide for equal civil rights and duties of both men and women that women should be considered as capable of taking their own rightful place in society. ü To enable women to contribute more meaningfully to economic development, there was need for literacy training programmes, provision of appropriate technology, adequate and equitable distribution of social amenities and resources, and the implementation of agricultural oriented rural development programme. ü While seeking to maintain and preserve the rich African cultural values and traditions, it is also essential that those which tend to impede the active participation of women in development should be modified or discarded. ü Whereas women have to be active participants in the economic development of society, this role should not necessarily debar a woman from playing her sacred and fundamental role as a source and protector of human life. c) Educational system ü Formal education should emphasize practical skills and professions vital for rural development. In realizing this objective, enough facilities and equipment should be made accessible to students. ü Students should realize that in climbing up the academic ladder, they need to associate themselves with the rural poor or the common man who contributes to their education through payment of tax. ü Informal education in the form of adult literacy training small scale rural industrialization should be encouraged as means of increased production. d) Chaplaincy ü Realizing the problem faced by students in the universities are so complex and also realizing that youth apostolate is very important in the formation of the youth in the church, we advocate the need for full time chaplains in the universities and other higher institutions of learning. ü Preferably, a chaplain who is well-­‐versed in youth apostolate and conversant with the atmosphere of the university e.g. radical ideological thinking should be appointed to the movement. ü We propose that chaplains meet from time to time to exchange experiences for effective student apostolate. The 3rd Pan African session This session was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 1984. The coordinating team of the time was: ü
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Etienne Bisimwa S.J.K Parker F.K Lelo Augustine Ombati Rev. Fr. Michael Drohan. Cameroon Kenya. This team according to the report submitted to the delegation at the 3rd session on the operations of the movement between 1981and 1984 was chosen during the second pan African session of 1981/1982. The 2nd session in 1981 had approved perspectives of work and main focus of actions and programmes for the coordination as contained in the directing committee minutes of January 1980. Therefore this team had concentrated on implementing the resolutions of the 2nd session. Whatever activities they handled is already covered in the second session’s resolutions. The team however had had challenges in the implementation of the declarations and thus they were presented to the delegates at the 3rd session. In line with the mandate given to them, here are the challenges: a) The major problem was how to develop processes of formation of the leaders. b) How to pass on the memory to new members. c) How to disseminate information at all levels of the movement especially within the countries. (from the executive to the members) d) How to develop strong theological reflections in the movement as basis of our action programme. e) How to improve relations with local churches. f) How to get chaplains interested in the movement and how to make them see need for periodic reflection on the chaplaincy. g) Many federations had not really defined at the national level, what objectives or goals they hoped to achieve in the university or what was their project for the university. h) How to develop commitment within our members though such things as exposure programmes. i) How to set up effective structures and to make the movement known in our countries. j) How to implement at local level, all decisions and plans which we adopt at international meetings. k) How to build real basic Christian communities and have real impact on our churches. l) How to develop sub regional exchanges between neighbouring countries on a regular basis. The 4th Pan African Assembly The 4th PAA was held in July 1986 in Dworp-­‐Belgium. At the time the movement in Africa did not have a stable coordinating team that was fully full-­‐time. Most of the decisions were made at the international office in Paris. Even though the headquarters had been established in Kenya, there was still the challenge of sustaining the office and the coordinators. There is not sufficient information on the coordination team at the time because the term of service was not uniform for all the coordinators; some were part-­‐time and some were at liberty to dictate the period they wanted to serve the movement. The coordinating team then was as follows: ü
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Rev. Fr. Michael Drohan Etienne Bisimwa S.J.K Parker F.K Lelo Augustine Ombati Kenya (chaplain) Cameroon Kenya. The Dworp assembly was concerned with the absence of a chaplain in the African team unlike other regional movements. To fill the void, Fr. Lionel Bouffard was chosen be the chaplain in the team. The priorities of Dworp. 1. TRAINING Training was fundamental, given the complexity of situations in the society and the challenges that these situations pose to the catholic faith and spirituality. Training commanded a lot of interest within the team. As a result of seminars and workshops were devoted to it all over the continent 2. TRAINING ABOUT THE MOVEMENT. This was motivated by the meeting of Chaplains in Kinshasa which emphasized on the believe in the movement, to see the church as a movement, the movement of Jesus Christ. (Acts. 9:2) 3. RELIGIOUS AND GENERAL TRAINING –EDUCATION. That our movement should be a place where the questions facing our countries are seriously debated and studied. The 5th Pan African Assembly. The 5th PAA was convened in 1990, 23rd to 30th of September in Kumasi –Ghana. The deliberations of the assembly were guided by the theme: Education in Action; the response of catholic students at the needs of Africa today. The pan African team was by the made up of three coordinators and a chaplain: Rev. Fr. Lionel Bouffard Ihaza Mushidi Zoe Mumbi Philomena Mensah USA Democratic Republic of Congo Zambia Ghana The young population in Africa being the majority even at that time was faced with challenges that are still prevalent today; as it was noted by the most Rev. Dr. peter Dery, the archbishop of Tamale, Ghana in his key note address; ü There was the loss of community spirit and community oriented attitudes. ü The problem of the youth in Africa. ü There was need for a pragmatic education system. In that regard, there was need for an active education/ a practical application of the skills and values taught in schools. That the catholic youth and students need to respond to the challenges they face for the benefit of the wider population of Africa. It is imperative to mention that even at that time when most of the African nations were barely three decades old, African youths were noted to be the hope and future of the continent. At the time of the 5th PAA, IMCS Africa had just established its secretariat for the coordination in the continent with Kenya as the headquarters. It was also during this period that the African regional movement was subdivided into sub regions for efficient coordination. In the 5th PAA the committee on the thematic areas of focus was able to draft the orientation document which was adopted by the assembly as the focus areas document for the period of 1990 to 1994. Aware of the challenges that need to be taken up at the national, sub regional as well as the international levels to improve man’s living conditions;the delegates that gathered in Kumasi-­‐Ghana at the Assembly had the following resolutions on the orientation document: 1. FORMATION v That IMCS takes it upon herself to lead the people into democracy by promoting collective participation in national affairs. v The chaplains to be meeting regularly in order to harmonize their work and to adapt pastoral work in the universities. v Catholic students to always cling to the truth even in the face of prosecution and persecution. 2. EXTENSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE IMCS. v Encourage training of members in order to spread the movement. v Regionalization was recommended. v Accept new affiliations. 3. PUBLICATIONS v Publish documents on Catholicism. v Strengthen the catholic faith through publication and articles. v Encourage national federations to publish periodicals. v Take not of the current state of affairs in the universities. THE 6TH PAN AFRICAN ASSEMBLY The 6th edition of the Pan African Assembly took place at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda from 10th to 28th September, 1994. About 45 students and chaplains shared, discussed, exchanged views and took deliberations on topics evolving around the theme chosen for the Assembly: “Our major challenge towards the year 2000: IMCS stronger at the service of Human Development in Africa.” The coordination of the pan African movement was led by; Roland ranaivoarison Fr. Lionel Bouffard Madagascar USA At least 14 countries across the continent were represented. The theme of the PAA was divided into topics to facilitate discussion during the study sessions. Struggle against poverty. -­‐the delegates analysed the situation of human development in relation to the poverty situation in African. -­‐heavy national debts , heavy military expenditures, inflation, demographic problems, HIV/AIDS among others were seen to be the cause of poverty and human suffering in Africa. -­‐that African governments must identify the needs of the people. Inculturation: a tool to boost human development. -­‐the church in Africa then was at a tender stage and sought enculturation (blending with the Christian faith with traditional culture) we should aim at progressive enculturation rather than conservative enculturation to boost human development. Human development that is pro-­‐women. -­‐it was noted that a woman, apart from being an adult human with biological functions, is a political, economic, intellectual, spiritual, physical and cultural being. -­‐development involves people acquiring more freedom, human dignity and equality and that they are active participants in the processes that affect their lives. It means realization of total humanity and personality. It means liberation from all aspects of economic, spiritual and psychological domination and exploitation. -­‐development should provide women and those who are poor or destitute with necessary means to claim, achieve, enjoy and use equal rights and opportunities. -­‐development involves a situation where people move from one level of existence to a higher quality of life. Human development in need of a new leadership, democracy and peace. -­‐leadership for change towards human development. Education for human development It is also important to note that it was during this 6th PAA that Tanzania was affiliated to the Pan African IMCS. The 7th Pan African Assembly It must be remembered that this 7th PAA, 1998 was scheduled to take place in Kinshasa, DRC, from 13th September to the 1st of October 1998. However, with the uncertainty of the situation caused by the occupation of that country in the east by some Ugandan and Rwandese assisted rebels, it was not possible to meet in the DRC. The result was the shifting of this 7th PAA from the DRC to Zimbabwe and postponement from September 1998 to December 1998. The work towards this 7th PAA had been coordinated by; Marcel Carlos Akpovo Alex Bongani Mthobi Fr. Lionel Bouffard Benin Zimbabwe USA-­‐Chaplain. At least 17 countries were represented in this 7th PAA. The PAA was guided by the theme: “Building a culture of justice and peace for a sustainable development in a violent Africa.” The study session. Ø Historical and sociological realities of Zimbabwe. -­‐Zimbabwe’s historical and sociological realities in the context of the development of a culture of justice and peace in Africa. The focus was on the development of the human factor, noting how the culture of a people can be used as a rallying point for peace and justice on one hand. On the other hand, the paper also discussed causes of human factor decay. Ø Governance and democracy in Africa. Major issues; -­‐they vary from country to country throughout Africa, but they can generally be summed up by the phrase: lack of good governance. The most common problems that African countries seem to be experiencing include: • Abuse of office by both politicians and bureaucrats. • Violation of human rights; • Various from of corruption, including nepotism, tribalism, embezzlement of public funds, disregard for the law, electoral fraud and forms of kleptocracy. • THE 8TH PAN AFRICAN ASSEMBLY The 8th PAA took place in Lome, Togo from 7th to 20th December 2002. The PAA brought together 60 student delegates and chaplains from national movements across the continent and at least 17 national movements were represented. The theme of the PAA was: “African Youths Fighting Against HIV/AIDS.” The pan African Coordination team that convened this 8th PAA was led by: Cynthia Fati Kanko Jean Lokenga Nsonjiba Rev. Fr. Etienne Trialle SJ. Ghana DRC Belgium The 8th PAA coincided with the International Human Rights Day with the official opening of the assembly on 10th December 2002 although the assembly had begun on the 7TH of December 2002. The occasion was seized not only for the opening of the PAA but also the official launch of the African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN). That was the beginning of a partnership between the two organizations for the fight against AIDS. Though such a day might have been chosen by necessity, corresponds to the spirit in which both organizations-­‐IMCS and AJAN-­‐ would like to work. It is also good to note that it was during this 8th PAA that Ethiopia and Congo (Brazzaville) were affiliated. ORIENTATION DOCUMENT 200-­‐2006 During the 8th PAA in Lome, Togo, the delegates proposed the following orientations: a. Fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic ü Educate people to stand against stigmas and discrimination striking those who live with the virus. ü Put into practice their campaign methods they learnt during the study session ü Encourage abstinence and fidelity among their fellow students and all people they meet. ü Appeal to the conscience of youths about the danger they are facing as regards HIV/AIDS to reduce the number of those who live with the virus. b. Integral education Promoting integral education would give everyone access to practical skills that are not taught in school but are necessary to face real challenges of life. Integral education will afford knowledge required for moral, intellectual and spiritual equilibrium. We train people to be well informed, well balanced and strong. c. Corruption, good governance and training to leadership. d. Sustainable peace and reconciliation e. Human rights f. Empowerment of national movements THE 9TH PAN AFRICAN ASSEMBLY This PAA was held at st. Andrew senior seminary-­‐Kabgayi in Kigali Rwanda from 1st to 14th of October in 2006 under the theme: “African youth commit themselves to fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS.” The assembly was attended by 17national movements across the continent. The assembly was convened under the coordination of two able coordinators and a chaplain: Mjomba Mbonje Yules Yoari Wahare Re. fr. Etienne Trialle Kenya Togo Belgium. The study session for this PAA was divided into topics for discussion as follows: v
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African youths facing poverty. Poverty and development. Private initiative and development-­‐training for entrepreneurship. The reality of poverty in Rwanda Fighting HIV/AIDS and stigma. Rwanda on the way of reconciliation Panel n issues of poverty and development. It was found out that HIV/AIDS was widespread among the poor population in Africa and the cost of medical care for HIV/AIDS patients stretches the family and national financial resources to unmanageable limits. To be self reliant, the youth in Africa need to be equipped with entrepreneurial skills so that they can have the capacity to establish economic enterprises. ORIENTATION DOCUMENT. The 9th PAA with the theme, African youth commit themselves to fight against poverty: campaign on MDGs, decided on the following policy orientation for the period 2007-­‐2010. 1) Peace and reconciliation. In the recognition that there is no development without peace and that the real peace supposes, reconciliation and forgiveness; in order to prevent any form of violence/conflict. Introduction of peace unit programmes in our movement. Hold seminars on ways of conflict resolutions. Hold peace and reconciliation forums. Encourage ecumenism by having ecumenical conferences. 2) Spirituality. It is of great concern that most catholic students have no proper understanding of their faith, there is need to: Encourage retreats and reconciliation/pilgrimages. Encourage the culture of bible reading and other devotions. Introduce and strengthen our catholic social teachings through seminars/conventions. Cultivate a good relationship with our chaplain and the church authorities. 3) Poverty eradication Promotion and implementation of the millennium development goals together with other stakeholders. Uplifting the conditions of our local communities through service and projects. Encourage entrepreneurship. Encourage the empowerment of women and youth, both the church and political spheres. 4) HIV/AIDS. Encouraging students to know their status Adopting the ABCD lifestyle borrowed from IMCS south Africa. Adopting the doot to door campaign by all national movements. Campaigning against cultural practices that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Students need to open up on issues concerning sexuality. Being in partnership with other stakeholders who are fighting the scourge. 5) Empowering the national and sub regional movements. To work towards financial independence of national and sub regional movements through good relations with Episcopal Conferences. Membership fees as a form of commitment to the national and regional movement. Coming up with sustainable projects/activities. THE 10TH PAN AFRICAN ASSEMBLY The 10th PAA was held in Arusha Tanzania from 6th to 14th October 2010 the assembly brought together delegates from 20 countries across Africa. The assembly was guided by the theme; “Good governance and leadership, the key to development: the African youth rises against corruption.” The then pan African team that convened the assembly included; Aaron Fenu Maurice Nzeyimana Rev Fr. Fratern Masawe, SJ. Ghana Rwanda Tanzania. Evaluation of gender empowerment project. As part of the PAA of the movement which evaluates the work of the team as well as projects; the gender empowerment projects was put under an assessment period. The project on gender and women empowerment: a tool to reduce poverty in Africa was assessed by an external evaluator from Tanzania who is well vast in gender mainstreaming and organizational capacity building. EXPOSURE PROGRAMME DURING THE PAA International criminal tribunal for Rwanda. ICTR ICTR was established in recognition of the serious violation of humanitarian law that was committed in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. East African law society. EALS is the premier regional bar association in east Africa. It is a dual member organization, bringing together at least seven thousand individual lawyer-­‐members from the region as well as the six bar association: Law society of Kenya, Tanganyika Law society, Uganda Law Society, Zanzibar Law society, Kigali bar association and Burundi bar association. Legal aid and human rights centre in Tanzania. LHRC. LHRC envisages a just and equitable society which can be contributed to, through the planned mission as a non-­‐profit making, non-­‐partisan non-­‐governmental organization striving to empower the public, promote, reinforce and safeguard human rights and good governance in Tanzania. Gender exposures. The gender and women empowerment exposures were undertaken in three women community empowerment organizations namely; Women in action for development, Maasai women organization, zinduka women formation centre. Orientation document 2011-­‐2015 a) Good governance and leadership. ü Democracy and human rights. ü Students/youth participation in public governance. ü Student politics ü Social media. b) Reinforcing capacities in reconciliation, justice and peace. ü Inter cultural dialogue and cultural exchange. ü Promoting interreligious dialogue ü Peace units programme for universities and colleges. ü Capacity building on conflict transformation and active non-­‐violence. c) Community empowerment and outreach projects. ü Behavior change programmes targeted at youth between 13-­‐19 years to promote modeling of positive behaviors and values. ü Behavior formation programmes targeted at children between 8-­‐12 years to promote modeling of positive behaviors and values. ü Girl child empowerment. d) Climate change and sustainable ecology. ü Ecological sustainability. ü Forestry and tree planting. ü Information materials to promote advocacy. PAN AFRICAN NATIONAL MOVEMENTS. Benin: Emmaus Community; Botswana; Burundi: MIEC; Burkina Faso; Cameroon: MIEC-­‐
Cameroon; Congo: MIEC-­‐Congo; Côte d’Ivoire; DR Congo: MIEC-­‐DRC; Equatorial-­‐
Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia: IMCS-­‐Ethiopia; Ghana: IMCS-­‐Ghana (Pax Romana); Guinea; Kenya: NMCS-­‐Kenya; Lesotho; Madagascar: MIEC-­‐Madagascar; Malawi: University of Malawi Catholic Student Association (UMCSA); Mali: MIEC-­‐Mali; Mozambique: Nucleo de Estudantes Catòlicos de Ensino Superior; Namibia: Catholic Students Association of Namibia (CSAN); Niger; Nigeria: Nigerian Federation of Catholic Students (NFCS); Rwanda: MIEC-­‐Rwanda; Senegal: Coordination des Étudiants Catholiques de Dakar (CECD); South Africa: Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS); Sudan: IMCS-­‐Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania: TMCS-­‐Tanzania; Togo: MIEC-­‐Togo; Uganda: IMCS-­‐Uganda; Zambia: IMCS-­‐Zambia; Zimbabwe: National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS), MIEC Mauritius, IMCS South Sudan.