Final Reflections on Three Visits in Africa

Made it back home from the whirlwind trip to three African countries (and I managed to squeeze a day in France and a day in Uganda while at it). There were many observable differences in the three places I visited - South Africa (East Cape), South Sudan (Yei), and Tanzania (Morogoro). The people are visibly different in each location. Of course even though my eyes are getting better at seeing the distinctions, I still enjoy hearing the observations from various Africans that we white folk all look alike. It always makes me feel better to hear someone make that comment since, like many people, it takes me quite a while to get used to what are the distinguishing features between people of a given ethnic group if I haven't been around it much!

Each of these countries is dealing with different challenges. South Africa still dealing with the disparity that is an ongoing legacy of the Apartheid system, trying to deal with the disparity but not follow the path of neighboring Zimbabwe with has pretty much destroyed its economy. South Sudan is dealing with the aftermath of years of civil war. The country is only two years old and has minimal infrastructure or experience in government. There were no paved roads in Yei and most people do not have running water or electricity. Tanzania has been more successful than most African countries at forging a national identity and has been an example of peaceful relationships between their almost equal percentages of Muslim and Christian populations. Yet they deal with poverty and, unfortunately, are also dealing with outside forces that are working to foment militant Islam.

In each of these very different contexts it was good to see that the church in its various forms is working to address the challenges, both the church from within the country as well as the church from outside. It was clear to me once again how important it is that those of us from the outside LISTEN and find appropriate ways to be in solidarity to those trying to make a difference from within. We have to make sure our help is really help. We have to understand the legacies of these different histories, all of which have the common experience of colonialism as a backdrop. Yet I met so many people in all three countries from the inside and from the outside who are committed to doing the hard work of navigating these challenges. So I come home encouraged!

That will conclude my blog entries for this trip. I may do this again sometime as well as write the occasional blog entry in between, but I know better than to pretend that I will be a regular blogger. But it is always a helpful thing to reflect on experience and, for us extroverts, it helps us do it if we think there might be someone listening! So thanks for that.