Reps Circular
From Sheenagh Burrell, ALMA Communications Officer
almacomms@london.anglican.org T: 020 8567 7400
Dear ALMA Reps and Friends,
This circular contains:
Sat 29 March is the last day of the ‘Children in Conflict’ exhibition of paintings from Angola by John Keane at Flowers Central, 21 Cork Street, London W1S 3LZ. (Behind Royal Academy). Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm, Sat 10am – 2pm
Mon 31 March
“Is Asia the new African plunderer?” Café at the Gallery:
Friends of Le Monde Diplomatique will be discussing the complex issue of direct investment, unconditional loans and technical cooperation in Africa by Asian economies particularly from China. Charles Abugre (Head of Global Advocacy and Policy at Christian Aid, Ghanaian trained economist who has written widely on Africa and is advisor to institutions in the UK, Africa and South-East Asia) will explore whether this trend will further development and poverty reduction in African countries, or simply replace Western exploitation of Africa’s resources by a new regime of Plunder.
6.45pm - 8.30 pm at The Gallery, Farringdon, 70/77 Cowcross Street, London, EC1M 6EJ. Tube: Farringdon. Cost £3. £2 concessions.
Wed 2 April CONCERT FOR 2008 LENT APPEAL: MESSUMBA PRIMARY SCHOOL, NIASSA. 8pm at St Peter’s Church Black Lion Lane, W6 9BE. Drinks avail from 7.15pm Cost £10; Under 12s £5. The concert choir from Franklin Central High School Indianapolis, USA will perform at St Peter's Hammersmith to help raise funds for the 2008 London Lent Appeal Project in Messumba, Niassa, Mozambique - St Peter's link parish. The Choir, assisted by James Mooney-Dutton (organ), will perform works by Byrd, Stanford, Copland, Clausen, Wilkinson, Lauridsen, Shaw, Gawthrop and Dawson.
Sun 20 April Bishop Michael’s installation as Residentiary Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral at 3.15pm. All ALMA Reps and Friends welcome.
Thurs 24 April ALMA REPS MEETING at 6pm London Diocesan House, 36 Causton St, London SW1P 4AU (tube Pimlico on Victoria Line). Please make every effort to come or send a representative from your parish.
Fri 25 April Jubilee Debt Campaign Fast Day for Angola
Sun 13 July ALMA SUNDAY and 10th Anniversary celebration: 6pm St Paul’s Cathedral. ALMA will be at the centre of this special pre Lambeth Conference service celebrating all of London’s International links. Our three link Bishops will all be present.
a) Bishop André has sent us a Lent Update with some of his news including:
The picture gallery section on the website has recently been revised and has many photos from Angola.
b) I hope some of you were able to see the Children in Conflict exhibition pictures at the Flowers Gallery. If not, there is now a section about the exhibition on the Christian Aid website where it is possible to see John Keane’s pictures and accompanying reflections.
Those of you who came to the ALMA Reps meeting in January 2007 with Luis Samacumbi will be interested to know that the two portraits in the exhibition were of Luis and his brother Amaral. They were both abducted during the civil war, ended up fighting on opposing sides and were not reunited for 29 years. They told their stories in the Sunday Times Magazine feature ‘Relative Values’
It is a very moving story, well worth reading.
Copies of eight paintings from the exhibition are available from Christian Aid on pull up display posters. We have arranged to have these for the 13th July at the ALMA 10th Anniversary service. Perhaps parishes with Angola links might like to have a display in their churches before or after 13th July? It might be a way of showcasing your parish link to your local community. Please let me know if you are interested.
Bishop Dinis sends us an update on ALMA’s CHILDREN Chihunzuine Children project :
“Over 60 children have been registered and the building is good enough to accommodate the children for their activities. The teachers will be in Maputo to get acquainted with pre-school for 2 weeks and return to start classes for the children on 24 March. The water side is slower as the specialist changed drastically the amount to test the quantity of water in the area but we can start teaching the children as we work on the water”.
a) Close on the heels of the terrible flooding in the Shire region came Tropical Cyclone Jokwe. Helen Van Koevering writes:
This cyclone did indeed hit the coast on Saturday night (8/3) and completely destroyed our older church in Monapo, inland from Nacala. The new church, as yet unfinished, lost its roof, but thankfully no one was injured. If you have ever seen the photos that the photographer, Leah, of USPG took in a trip here 18 months ago, most of those were taken with us in Monapo. From one day to the next, our story changes … progress, disaster, progress, hard times, progress ….
b) Photo updates showing the good progress with the building of Milange School have just arrived and are in the website picture gallery. A lovely photo of the Palm Sunday procession in Lichinga is in the miscellaneous section.
c) Opportunity for someone with teaching experience in Lichinga:
The Chikweti forestry project worker in Niassa, Philip, is looking to start up a private English-medium school in Lichinga. The absence of such a school is the biggest barrier to attracting development and improving education. He has the building and is renovating it now, to hopefully open in April, with a creche and English/Portuguese lessons to start.
This would be a wonderful opportunity for anyone with teaching experience, perhaps just retired or early retired, who could come out for a year and help get this school organized, up and running. Chikweti may be able to offer a flight out if necessary, and will provide accommodation here in Lichinga.
Please contact SB if this interests you.
a) Welcome to Toks Ferguson the new ALMA Rep for St Lawrence Eastcote. We look forward to welcoming her to our ALMA Reps meeting on 24th April.
b) Jubilee 2000 / Jubilee Debt Campaign 10th Anniversary Birmingham:
It will be ten years on 18th May since the Jubilee 2000 Human Chain in Birmingham. Bishop Dinis inspired many ALMA Reps and parishes to become involved with this campaign for third world debt cancellation – we all rejoiced when Mozambique’s debt was cancelled in 2006. However, there are still 36 countries that have not received debt remission – Angola is one of these.
JDC plan a 36 day rolling fast in April and May 2008 which will demand debt cancellation for 36 poor countries which still desperately need it - ten years after the G8 promised to drop the debt The rich world needs to pick up the pace as these countries are still suffering under a huge debt burden, while millions of their people live in extreme poverty. The fast will begin as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hold their Spring Meetings on 12th April and end on Sunday 18 May when campaigners mark the 10th anniversary of the Birmingham G8 human chain. Each day the fast will focus on one country that urgently needs the chains of unpayable and unjust debts to be broken.
The day after our meeting: Friday 25 April is the Fast Day for ANGOLA
Perhaps you might like to do something on this in your parish? There are several suggestions on the JDC website and a very good questions and answers section which tackles questions of corruption and accountability.
c) Help needed - please contact SB if you can assist:
d) 2008 Visits – provisional list:
Please let me know if there are other visits planned – it is so good to have a complete record.
In February “Angola: the Weight of History” eds Patrick Chabal and Nuno Vidal was launched. (More information)
With all good wishes
Sheenagh