PASTORAL PERSPECTIVE The first chapter of the book of Exodus begins by saying: These are the names of the Israelites who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (Ex. 1, 1-4).
As if it were a history going back to run but in other contexts, we see in the history of black people, a situation quite similar and we can help you find it a story of faith framed a permanent manifestation of God among a people who have gone through the "tough and mature" in their struggle to achieve the much longed for dignity as sons and daughters of God.
The General Assembly of the United Nations at its 64 session held in 2011 adopted the International Year of African descent in order to strengthen the national and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of African descent in relation to the full enjoyment their economic, cultural, social, civil, and political participation and inclusion in all spheres of society and promoting greater respect and understanding of the diversity, heritage and culture.
As usual, it is hoped that this past year in through forums, conferences, summits, surveys, festivals, tributes, statements, and spiritual and cultural manifestations of these peoples, both for their own benefit as well as risking their hands out of struggles they have been doing bighorn style from small micro-resistance seen from the base.
The Pastoral Afrocaleña, besides to invite all actors to participate actively in all efforts conducive to this year, wants to provoke a reflection of evangelization that enables people of African descent the same as the entire population of the archdiocese to seek to read from the faith that African history has been in our country. So we realize we have a journey of faith to offer the rest of humanity. Only through faith can we have pride in African Exodus finding the hand of God in the suffering, the atrocities and all that without God would have been the end of an entire population that remains strong in contexts where they initially arrived in conditions slaves.
As some families came to Egypt with Jacob; Latin America came the following African ethnic groups: Carabali, Lucumi, the Mandinka, the Ocora, the Possús, the Minas, the Groves, the Quiñones, etc anglers.
While the Israelites were in Egypt for reasons of calamity, the arrival of Joseph who then welcomed there was very similar to those of African descent. The brothers sold him to forcibly Ishmaelites for twenty shekels (Genesis 37). Africans were looted, uprooted from their lands by the English to Colombia and were brought under strength never to return to their land. Others were sold in exchange for brightly colored fabrics, glass, bottle of rum, powder, etc..
Slowly, like the Israelites in Egypt, of African descent were growing. So the Egyptians (English ) put foremen in charge of submitting to the Israelites (black ) to work very hard. I did build the cities of Python and Ramses ( Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santamarta canal levee etc. ), that Pharaoh king of Egypt, used to store supplies. But the more the abused, further increased (Ex. 1, 11 - 12).
According to statistics from the Inter-American Development Bank on the black population (2004) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean total population (2005), Afro-descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean are the following percentages of the national population, Bajamar (69.0%), Belize (40.5%), Bolivia (1.6%), Brazil (28.3%), Colombia (16.3%), Costa Rica (1.5%), Cuba (54.7%), Ecuador (8.7%), Guyana (43.4%), Haiti (74.2%), Honduras (4.0%), Jamaica (88.5%), Mexico (0.5%), Nicaragua (10.2%), Panama (56.9%), Paraguay (2.7%), Peru (8.0%), Dominican Republic (68.3%), Surinam ( 33.4%), Trinidad and Tobago (39.0%), Uruguay (4.9%), Venezuela (8.0%). In short it is estimated that 590 million latinamareicanos and the Caribbean, 150 million are African.
More than 500 years after this painful experience, there are today, men and women who are still healing the wounds of having been uprooted from their territories, either is for slavery, violence, murder of loved ones etc. Aware of the suffering as they should have been enslaved Africans in Colombia and Latin America, we raise our cry to the Lord in communion with them pray with Psalm 69.
"Save me, O God, because I'm about to drown, I'm drowning in a swamp where deep and I have no foot support. I reached the depths of water and engulf me. I'm hoarse from screaming, my throat hurts, my eyes are tired of waiting for my God. "
To fully understand and experience what it claims to the International Year of African descent, it is essential to revisit the issue of trafficking in slaves. Just as the book of Exodus is really before even though Genesis Genesis is the first name that is displayed in the Bible. Likewise, the historical memory must be addressed before addressing the issue of the rights of African descent. The reason why Genesis Exodus is before is because Israel would never have been interested in the message of the first book of the Bible if God had redeemed them before slavery in Egypt and have made a covenant with them. The same thing happens to us as people of African descent, our word is no good sons and daughters of God if we fail to perceive the hand of God in historical events that may have been unpleasant.
Fr. Mwangi Venanzio Munyiri IMC.
Delegate Archdiocesan
Pastoral Afro-Colombian, Cali.
February 22, 2011.
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