The moment has come when the drop becomes an ocean. What is needed to give a boost to the development of the African continent is a “United States of Africa”, in other words stronger economic links between countries. No more short-term microcredit and microfinance projects, but a real, important production and commercial supply chain, where each country puts on the “network” what it has to offer: dried fish in Senegal, shea butter in Burkina Faso, cotton in Togo, coffee in Angola, and so on. This should involve not only the agricultural industry but also the food, fishing and craft sectors. This is a high objective, but certainly achievable, in view of the fact that delegates from eleven countries have met at Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, at the pan-African conference entitled “Africa Developing Africa”. The conference was organized by the Shalom Movement of San Miniato (Pisa, Italy), a non-profit-making organisation which promotes the culture of peace, justice and human rights.
Monsignor Andrea Cristiani, founder and moving spirit of Shalom explains: «The object of the conference is to discuss and think about Africa, not just in terms of simple solidarity, but as an opportunity for fair and sustainable development for all, because the African continent holds human, mineral, agricultural and energy resources». These resources have hitherto been used mostly for enriching the West. «For this reason, the action taken by our Movement to help the least well-off is inseparable from awareness of the causes of a specific situation and speaking out about responsibilities».
«Training and work» have always been the watchwords of the Shalom Movement, because «only by offering opportunities can we respond to the needs of the individual and of families». As the African environment is particularly suitable for the cooperative system, delegations from Unicoop Florence and Unicoop Tirreno took part in the conference and gave an account of what they do. «A new vision of cooperation is required, which has to involve sustainable local action. This would also help to reduce emigration. Our plan will create enormous employment opportunities», Monsignor Cristiani continues: «Young people must not be forced to emigrate, still less to depend on the charity of the rich. Aid distribution gives offence and habituates people to dependency and thus damages them. Over the 37 years since Shalom was founded, I have met thousands of young Africans, but no one has ever asked me to help them come to Italy, because everyone is better off at home».
The Movement has been in Burkina Faso for 25 years and is therefore well rooted in the social fabric, so much so that practically every diocese has had experience of Shalom. It was our extensive knowledge of the country that led us to choose Burkina Faso as the venue for the conference, at whose inauguration the front row was occupied by the top members of the government and all the religious and traditional leaders. “This shows that African countries want to work together, but for us this is not enough, we want civil society to be strengthened. Often there is a disconnection between government and people. The two elements need to engage in dialogue instead, so that government can respond better to the needs of the people. In this sense, we want ours to be a conference that brings people together: the government’s aspirations must correspond to the people’s needs.” But the development of Africa is heavily dependent on stability. Many countries are still mired in economic, ethnic or religious conflict. “As the Apostolic Nuncio Monsignor Vito Rallo emphasized, the presence at the conference of a Senegalese Muslim delegation was essential to send a clear message of peace at a time of such tension”. Expanding the numbers of the better-off also entails promoting solidarity towards the less well-off. “We no longer need just long-distance adoptions (of which the Shalom Movement has arranged over 9,000), but close-up adoptions,” as Monsignor Cristiani calls them: in other words, where, as soon as they succeeded in getting a job and improving their own living conditions, Africans volunteer to support the children of less fortunate families. Burkina Faso is classified as the poorest country in the world, but the Burkinabé people have really embraced this challenge, being prepared to contribute to supporting the children of less fortunate families. The purpose of the gala dinner which took place on the evening of the 11th was to raise money to support these “home adoptions”.
«It is an extraordinary thing – monsignor Cristiani continues -. I do not know of any similar experiment anywhere in the continent. In the few days before the dinner, there was a great general mobilisation, with several articles in the local media. The consul had invited the traders to contribute, the Ministry of Social Services had made sure that all the officials attended, to set a good example. Even the local bishop’s staff went into action». The conference coincided with the opening, in the city of Fada, of a bakery-pizzeria adjacent to the existing training and work-start centre for street children, in a sort of practical trial of what the conference was intended to promote.
What will the next steps be?
«We have listened and collected opinions, now we are moving into action. We will carry out a very concrete programme which includes a further in-depth study of the countries and their potential, identifying suitable products for trading and people for training, then we will move on to setting up cooperatives, with the advantage that there are some already started and established. For the 2014 conference we will move to Lomé, capital of Togo. There, thanks to the contribution of the families of two extraordinary people who died prematurely and were close to the Movement: Vanda Spoto, of the Campania League of Cooperatives, and Giacomo Bandini, a 24-year old from San Miniato who died in a road accident, a centre will be built which will function as a reference point for the entire cooperative project».
After so much suffering, do you really think that Africa can make it?
«I am absolutely convinced that the time of the new Africa has come. The continent is a treasure-chest containing the greatest riches on the planet. It is no longer acceptable that, while we use its oil, its coltan (a need created by the boom in mobile telephony) and its energy resources, people here are still hungry, cannot imagine a future, cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Africa must arise. Europe and America are in crisis, whereas the GDP of the African continent is growing. Everything indicates that this is the moment of deliverance».
© 2013 – Romina Gobbo
Published on famigliacristiana.it – 25 genuary 2013
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