(The Capuchin, Winter 1987, pp. 10-11)
There are 8 million refugees in the world, 5 million of them in Africa. Of these, 135,000 are in Zambia. They’ve come from Angola and Mozambique for the most part, with smaller groups from Uganda, Namibia, Zaire and South Africa.
In the Western Province of Zambia, where Irish Capuchin missionaries are stationed, there are about 25,000 refugees from Angola. They came in two waves: the first in the 1960’s, when Angola was struggling against Portugal for independence; the second after independence in 1975 when civil war began. What keeps the pot boiling in the civil war is the involvement of foreign governments on the two sides. The superpowers prefer to fight their wars by proxy. Add to that a tribal dimension, and you have the ingredients of a long-term struggle.
What kind of people are the refugees? Mostly, they are subsistence farmers, and fishermen. Few have ever lived in a town of any size. They are simple, uncomplicated people, somewhat bewildered at the changes imposed on them. They didn’t ask for any of this; they were simply caught in the political and military crossfire.
Peace is all they ask
What are they looking for? Nothing more than a chance to rear their families in peace. They’re not asking for hand-outs. They have never known luxuries or high living. Peace is all they ask.
Zambia has about 6½ million people in an area 9 times the size of Ireland. Some 60% of its arable land is uncultivated. The Western Province alone is about twice the size of Ireland, with very large areas of under-utilized land. The arrival of the refugees was a benefit for Zambia, since the new arrivals with their previous experience of farming under similar conditions were able to begin farming very quickly. They were not settled in camps, but were allowed to build their own villages, where they have integrated with the local population, with whom they share bonds of language, culture and history.
There is a strange twist of fate in all this. In 1884, the principal chief of the Western Province, the Litunga, Lewanika, was overthrown and fled to Angola, where he was well received by the Mashi people of south-eastern Angola. They helped restore him to power. Now, the roles are reversed, and the present Litunga, Yeta IV, who has overall responsibility for the Western Province, coordinates relief and development work for the assistance of the Mashi people, who form the bulk of the refugees.
Self-Help
The refugees, in their immediate need, were provided with food, clothing and medical care. The next step was to help them with simple agricultural implements and seeds. They built their own villages, and cleared ground for planting. A number of schools and clinics were set up. This same assistance was also provided to Zambian citizens living in the same area, as their needs were almost equally great owing to prolonged drought.
The money to pay for this came principally from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the Lutheran World Federation, the Catholic Secretariat in Lusaka and the Irish government. The Zambian army and air force helped substantially in transporting and distributing supplies. A significant part in the work was played by Fr. Benignus Buckley, a Capuchin from Kilkenny, and two Zambian Capuchins, Fr. Patrick Mayungo and Brother Raphael Maliti. In the final analysis, however, most of the effort came from the refugees themselves.
People of Hope and Determination
Apart from their skills as farmers and fishermen, the refugees brought with them their Catholic faith, which they received from Portuguese missionaries. They built churches with their own hands, and without outside help. The experience of suffering together has given them a unity and a toughness which does not allow difficulties to overcome them. Although educational and medical services are inadequate, as they are in most parts of rural Zambia, they are not asking the rest of the world to come and solve their problems for them. They help themselves, and find a focus for community action in the Church, which helps to train local leaders and encourages a self-help mentality.
The story of Angolan refugees in the Western Province of Zambia is a success story, insofar as any refugee story can be described as a success. The war in Angola continues, and there is little immediate hope of a settlement which would allow them to return. But at least they now have a breathing space, a chance to sort themselves out, and to find a new direction. Hope is kept alive. In an imperfect world, that’s no small achievement.