Africa, From Algiers to Basutoland
by Zsolt Aradi
When we think of Africa, three ideas come to mind. All three concern the so-called darkness of the continent: the dark skin of its inhabitants, the apparently impenetrable darkness of its landscape, and finally, the darkness, which envelops its history.
Perhaps in considering this third point, one is likely to forget certain facts: Christianity arrived in Africa very early. Mark the Apostle brought it to Alexandria and Roman soldiers, in the first century, carried it with them to Carthage. Though the new faith was exposed to all sorts of dangers, heresies and schisms, it flourished and attained great heights. The early Church Fathers, Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement, Athanasius and Origen, came from Africa and St. Augustine was a Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. Christianity penetrated very early into lower and upper Egypt, Syria, Nubia and Ethiopia, and the spirit of these communities has also played a decisive part in the formation of our Western civilization. The dissension among Christians themselves helped to pave the victory of the Moslems, which almost completely annihilated the deep-rooted and flourishing Christian life.
Though gradual "liberation" from the Moslems began in the sixteenth century, great masses of the entire continent did not receive the message of the Gospel; most of the helpless Africans regarded as savages by the Europeans were enslaved. As in India, so in Africa, the expansion of Western ideas did little to help put minds and souls of the different African races at ease. Christianity is still a religion of a minority, but today thanks to the continuous efforts of Christian missionaries the African, whether Moslem or a member of one of the great general primitive religious families, can see that Christianity has no racial limitations.
As in all parts of the world, regardless of the degree of civilization, the figure of Our Gracious Lady helped the work of real pacification and understanding. With the single exception of the Cathedral of Algiers, which houses the famous image of Our Lady of Africa, we find no spectacular buildings nor ancient stone cathedrals, where written records relate events and the miracles of the centuries. There are beautiful churches but Our Lady is also worshipped in small buildings and even huts. In some places, her image still has the features as depicted by the imagination of a European artist, but more and more, the statues and paintings representing her are African. Nor are all of these statues or paintings to be considered proper shrines; they stand on an altar, in a church, or in a grotto. No organized cults grow in their midst. The matter of concern to us is that the native can identify himself with her and, through her, with the most glorious of the created. It is true that in Africa as in any other continent individuals, tribes, and groups find their way to Christ through her.
This item 3150 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
