Fr. Andrew CAMPBELL has a unique contraption for breeding tilapia fish. In a lake formed by the dam built at Kordiabe, the fish project operates by setting several 44 gallon drums as floats and draping a very large net over them. All is anchored to the bottom of the lake. The fish fingerlings are then placed in the net and left to grow as they are fed by hand several times a day. This dam was built by the people several years ago to provide a source of income and stop the drain of young and able bodied villagers who were lured away to the city.

IBP Newsletter

Last May 18-23, 2009, the Biblical Pastoral Ministry (BPM) of the Divine Word Missionaries, in collaboration with the Biblical Center for Africa and Madagascar (BICAM) and the office of the Biblical Apostolate at the National Catholic Secretariat of Ghana, organized a Biblical Seminar on the Life and Writings of St. Paul at the Divine Word Catholic Conference Center, Adoagyiri -Nsawam. This seminar was designed to respond to the call of Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the Year of St. Paul, which was launched June 29, 2008. There were 35 priests, religious and lay collaborators from all over Ghana participated in the course.

***Fr. Joseph VILLAS, the formator of the propedeutic students in the seminary in Viana, reported on the challenges and difficulties of the students going to the Center of Studies. Due to lack of transport, schedules become quite complicated. However, on a whole, the seminary is a good place for formation, prayers and retreat.

***The Novitiate in Kifangondo will re-open soon. The duration of the Novitiate program will be one year following a resolution from the last Provincial Chapter. Based on the calendar year of theological formation outside Angola, it is best to start the Novitiate year on June 29, 2010, the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. There will be some work done on the building to have it ready to receive the novices.

The year 2008 is one that Kenyans would certainly like to forget. It was a year of horror, devastation and death. After the disputed presidential elections, the country was engulfed by war, fear and panic. At this time last year, Kenya was being ruled by the law of the jungle. Houses were burning, roads were blocked, businesses were closed and people were maiming each other. The year 2009 was ushered in with hope, expectation, jubilation and optimism. The people of Kenya wanted desperately to bury the memories of last year. But no matter how much Kenyans are willing to forget the events of violence, the consequences are still with them. Last year’s skirmishes left a big mark on the economic, social and political spheres. At the moment, the country has managed to resettle only 67,000 people of around 600,000 Kenyans who were displaced. The country is still littered with transitional camps where tens of thousands of internally displaced persons are maintained. Last year’s resettlement exercise, dubbed “RudiNyumbani” (Go back Home), was not resettlement per se. Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were transferred to other smaller camps that were “near” their former homes. Unfortunately, the IDPs are still in these camps and have to manage without basic necessities like water, food and shelter. Worse still is the fact that political leaders have forgotten about the fate of the IDPs. On top of all this, there is a growing food shortage in the country. This is attributed to disruptions of farming due to the skirmishes. Currently, one-third of the Kenyan population is facing starvation. Quite a number of Kenyans have already succumbed. The saddest issue about famine in the country is the fact that it has a political basis. Maize that could have fed the country was sold off to private companies under the influence of local politicians. There is still the unfinished business of bringing the perpetrators of violence to face justice. Most of these perpetrators are politicians. The dream of Kenyans this year is to see a tribe-less nation that enjoys prosperity, ethnic harmony and understanding. But Kenyans may not realize this dream. This is because politicians are too preoccupied with their selfish hunger for power. It is shocking to see Kenyan politicians continuing with the same old political gimmicks as if nothing happened one year ago. In such a political atmosphere, genuine and long lasting peace is far from being realized.