A new book, “The Africa We Pray For: On a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,” which highlights the voices of young people, will be co-released by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Globethics.net on 10th December, Human Rights Day.
The collection features the work of young people selected during an essay competition on thematic areas of African society, including truth, trauma, displacement, gender justice and racial justice, among others.
In the foreword, Rev. Dr Fidon R. Mwombeki, General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, congratulates the young authors and also underscores that the publication reflects a fruitful collaboration between the All Africa Conference of Churches and the WCC.
“Both institutions are on a pilgrimage, a common journey in our struggle for justice, peace, unity, and dignity of human life,” writes Mwombeki. “One ecumenical family must work together tirelessly to make the world a better place.”
The publication is a regional expression of the the WCC’s ongoing journey of faith, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, which began at the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan in 2013, and which continues to call people to join in concrete steps toward transforming injustices and violence.
In an introduction, the book’s co-editors, WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri and Collins Shava, a Zimbabwean and the All Africa Conference of Churches Executive Secretary for youth, reflect on why the book is important for its writers and readers alike.
“The essay competition provided a platform for youth to engage in research and write their aspirations of the Africa they want, an Africa they pray for, as they are the guardians of the future,” Phiri and Shava write. “Young African men and women are the path-breakers of African knowledge.”
