Urbanization in Africa
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Date
1996-02-21
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
In September 1995, the Pope John Paul II came to Africa to celebrate the African Synod on
African soil and bring us the fruits of that Synod in the Apostolic Exhortation "The Church in
Africa". He told all Christians in Africa: "The Synod is over, the Synod has just begun". And it
is very true!
Now, our great challenge is to study and reflect upon the teaching of the Synod, to discuss the
important issues in our Christian communities in order to transform our personal lives and our
communities in the spirit of the Synod.
My personal attention and study have been dedicated to one of the great phenomenon
mentioned in the document: Urbanization in Africa as a challenge for the African Church.
In fact in "The Church in Africa" we read: "..All the preparatory documents of the Synod, as
well as the discussions in the Assembly, clearly showed that issues in Africa such as increasing
poverty, urbanization, the international debt... .figure among the fundamental challenges
addressed by the Synod"(51).
The need to apply the Gospel to concrete life is felt strongly in Africa. How could one
proclaim Christ in this immense Continent while forgetting that it is one of the world's poorest
regions?
And again, during this year we shall assist to one of the most important world appointment:
"The city summit" Habitat II UN Conference on Human Settlements which will be held in
Istanbul, Turkey, in June 1996, twenty years after the first UN Conference on human
settlement held in Vancouver, Canada.
Habitat II will deepen understanding of urban challenges and opportunities so that realistic
steps can be taken at city, country and international levels to overcome the grave deterioration
of living conditions and social problems and enrich the potentials of urban life.
In 1996, the International Community is celebrating also "The United Nations Year for the
Eradication of Poverty" Despite advances in human welfare and technology, there is today a
growing polarisation between rich and poor and a failure of political will to address the silent emergency of those people who cannot make ends meet. And in Africa poverty, this most
ruthless killer, is on the increase!
Poverty and Urbanization go hand in hand, especially in the cities! Not by chance they figure
among the first two challenges pointed out by the Apostolic Exhortation. They are
"privileged" of a World Conference and a UN year celebration! John Paul II, previously, in
Redemptoris hifissio, had already pointed out the necessity for a further reflection on the rapid
and profound transformations which characterize today's world "..especially in the southern
hemisphere, are having a powerful effect on the overall missionary picture... urbanization and
massive growth of cities, especially where the demographic pressure is greatest..."(RM 39b).
Hence, he invited the whole Church and the missionaries also to rethink the image of Missio
ad Gentes "...today the image of missio ad gentes is perhaps changing: efforts should be
concentrated on the big cities, where new customs and styles of living arise together with new
forms of culture and communication which then influence the wider population..."(RM 39b)
This new phenomenon and new missionary situation, here in Africa, call us to reflect, to
interpret, to deepen our efforts and vision for a new missionary presence and ministry among
the city and slum-dwellers of our Continent.
I have lived my pastoral experience here in Nairobi, for several years, ministering among slumdwellers
of the city. This experience has convinced me that the Church has insufficiently paid
attention to a missionary/pastoral reflection, presence and action for an effective urban
ministry not only here in Nairobi but even in our African cities.
For this reason, I have chosen Nairobi as a paradigm of an African city. It represents a
religious centre but also a mission field like many other African capitals and secondary cities.
In my approach to this long-essay, I tried to be interdisciplinary and to face the phenomenon
of urbanization in Africa from different angles: social, demographically, biblical, theological,
ecclesiological and missionary-pastoral.
In the first chapter, the phenomenon is put within the frame of the overall picture of the world
situation which involves the trends of population and urbanization world-wide.
The second chapter is dedicated entirely to the trends of this spectacular circumstances which
are in Africa: from the historical background of the African cities to the present period of city growth with the increase of poverty and slum areas in its surroundings within the context of
the whole Continent at the dawn of the 213` century.
In the third chapter, I present how in the Bible and in Church history, the city has always been
a concern and challenge for the Plan of God: through his Ministries, Prophets, Jesus, Paul, the
Church etc. My personal research on the urbanization in the Church's documents complete the
biblical-theological vision.
In the last chapter, I dare propose a contribution and reflection for a newly emerging
missionary vision and praxis for urban ministry in Africa. A new experience of Church is
developing and new models of presence and action are necessary to renew, to change
structures, methodologies and being able to answer co-operatively to the different and
variegated needs of the city and slum-dwellers of our time& And the answers can not be only
spiritual!
The annexes, maps and statistics enclosed will help the essay to be more comprehensive and
allowing the reader, I hope, to have a broader understanding of
the challenge ahead!
Of course, the reader has to keep in mind that this long essay is based and dependent upon
projections which could change at any time for unexpected factors. In any case, the tendency
of this phenomenon of urbanization is irreversible: a complete new world in gestation!
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Keywords
Urbanization in Africa, Missionary Interpretation, Emergence of the City in the Bible, Church History, Magisterium, Growth of Large Towns and Cities, Urbanization in Africa