Tarcisio Ceriani
 

When I was a boy, remained always very impressed by the missionary stories (usually with a long white beard) did during the day world mission.
He spoke always of distant lands, children who died of hunger and many need every day had to be addressed.
Crescendo in the years I have begun to ask the questions: can affect everything in a bid once a year to silence our conscience? It's all here what can be done?
You just leave alone missionaries for the rest of the year and remind them only during the day world mission?
Many times these questions make me evil star, but I could not find a solution (perhaps because not tried in the right way or the right commitment).
In the late seventies (1976/1977), I had an encounter with an almost random priest who had recently arrived in Magenta: Don Bruno Pegoraro that, I heard, is especially interested in the problems missionaries.He made me know Dr. Mario Leone and with a group of a dozen people have begun the journey Center Missionary Magentino.
Initially, we were the first Tuesday of every month and after a short prayer, he talked of projects that could start after having examined the various proposals that were made there.
Meanwhile began to take correspondence with some missionary to collect medicines and clothes used to make packages to be sent on mission, to organize moments of aggregation to collect money, etc.. After a short time we had the opportunity to know Msgr. Cipriano Kihangire, who was bishop of a city, Gulu, which is located in the north of Uganda. He came among us to help our Archbishop to give the Confirmations in the Diocese of Milan and was hosted by Dr home. Mario Leone in Ponte Nuovo Magenta.
Speaking of his people, the Bishop asked the doctor to help build a school to teach women the Diocese of its first notions of cutting and sewing.
In this year 2005, we celebrate the twenty-fifth year of our commitment with the Diocese of Gulu and yet today our volunteers are there for about four months each year: January / February and July / August.
Our commitment was greatly appreciated by missionaries and the local people because even in times heavier we did not miss our presence and not have felt forgotten.Despite the serious difficulties due to the many years of guerrilla warfare, we have seen the great desire to improve their situation; young people consider important attend schools and make many sacrifices, working hard during the holidays, in order to pay school fees.
One reason for great satisfaction on our part is to see the girls left the school cutting and sewing forming cooperatives and become independent workers who have learned that we do masons, electricians, carpenters, etc..
For the future we hope to be able to always be at their side to walk with them as we have always done: we bring our capabilities and we teach them to face life as a gift.

Padre Giulio Albanese

In recent years I have followed with great interest the initiatives of the Center Missionary Magentino against the Archdiocese of Gulu and Ugandan I was built by his extraordinary testimony of solidarity. Yes solidarity The A word that this from the point of view etymological, expresses a strong practical, too often diluted in our language sometimes superficial and genericista. Payments "in solidum" at the end of the fourth century, indicated the obligation on the part of an individual belonging to a group of debtors to pay the full debt. And it is precisely for this reason that it is from the Latin word "in solidum" that comes even our money. At the time of Romany it was a coin, originally gold, the value of which would have to remain stable over time. But it was only from 1789, in France, that the Solidarity (Solidarity) took the value today as sentiment of brotherhood that must prove among them citizens of the same free and democratic nation. Today, the value of solidarity in the global village has expanded to the point where they include the whole of humanity without distinction of race or culture of political or religious beliefs. For this and we share a real race of solidarity in favour of those who are affected by disasters or other misfortunes as in the case of people Acioli.

Anna Rita Cislaghi

A JOURNEY IN UGANDA: THE DISCOVERY OF ANOTHER WORLD

Commenting on this trip, a friend of mine said: "We have made and above all we received, the people have in their hearts and their way of life was a true example of life".
This may be the synthesis of three and a half weeks spent in a country so different from our for climate, culture, politics and economics.
I saw a part of 'Africa for the most part where nobody dies of hunger, but not familiar with the suffering and poverty. How many children dressed in rags or half-naked you were meeting asking a sweet! How many girls and women with their beautiful baby on the shoulders, saw walk for miles and miles to draw water from the well and then bring the heavy cans on their heads! How many people saw suffering because of the evil which has no cure AIDS and that affects most of '80% of the population! How much effort to find that single daily meal for all members of the large family! Not to mention the precarious conditions of hygiene and high infant mortality. Despite all this, their enthusiasm will envelops: their love for dance and songs, their tranquillity in doing things, following the motto unknown to us. . . "Finally today because as you might continue tomorrow." . . , But especially their religion and their faith.
In a village priest arrives maybe once a month, and when this happens the Mass which is celebrated is a large party that lasts a couple of hours and even more, where there are songs, sounds and music that you come in and seem more elevate your soul. Here everyone can then intervene thanking God or exposing their problems, making her a true communion, just like the first Christians.
As I said at the beginning we gave a lot: for example, I am taught to a group of girls to embroider a point-cross, while the afternoon was working as " Women bricklayer " in the school yard of women cutting and sewing St.. Monica. "
Perhaps, however, has been given to us even more: the effort not only physical but also to communicate (them speak English and Acholi language) and especially to accept what we saw without judging, were dwarfed by the human warmth of the people met who wanted to share with us all! from cobs that cultivated, where dances were trying to involve us, from festivals to their daily lives.
Living in our world we have some 'forgotten the importance of meeting with each other.
To remind had to be a trip to a country where we know that in 2000 only because there are calendars to mark, where the little progress that there has "affected" and "cooled" the human warmth.

 

Anna Rita Cislaghi volunteer CMM

Agosto 2000 Gulu - Uganda

Gian Mario Crespi

LIGHT IN DARKNESS

Uganda, August 2000

The flight "Sabena" from Brussels is landing on Entebbe: Airport Kampala, the capital of Uganda located on the shores of Lake Victoria the largest of all Africa and the third world. From Lake Victoria in Jinja Nile born, the so-called "Nile of the mountains", because Uganda is on a plateau 1200m although there are mountains that touch the 5000m.
The Nile crosses all Uganda forming several spectacular waterfalls and then plunge into the lake from Lake Albert and Alberto exit and cross all the Sudan, where they call him "the White Nile" and then all Egypt and after this very long path in the lead Mediterranean.
When we descend the plane is already evening and many young local attack us, we offer to bring the suitcases, almost there is tear of the hand, we offer a step, insisting too, so hungry for work, everything is fine, just tick some US dollars more and if goes wrong ... You disappears the suitcase.
Fortunately we see our friends volunteers ahead with the off-road, our Toyota with the inscription: CENTRE MISSIONARY MAGENTINO and below: Voluntary Organization for International Cooperation.

We accompany suffered in Kampala.
On the equator is dark early and you can not see anything of this chaotic city only countless lights of the airport, the best of houses or shacks, cars or better than that kind of taxi-vans and booths to be scrapped, the chaos and noise.
I am almost disappointed, I no longer recognize my Africa I had known many years ago: quiet, quiet with many palm trees and clay huts with straw roofs of the tam-tam night and day sorcerer, sunsets film .. , Africa magic that no more.
But expect to judge the saying goes, tomorrow is another day and we will see.
Tomorrow we expect a journey of 350 kilometres of asphalt road (so to speak), which goes towards the north through savannah and some little 'forest to get to the town of Gulu, the Acholi homeland, where there is the our mission.
Tonight we slept the best with a blanket on the floor all Stay home of Father Edo, a missionary Milan writer.
We did find a good dinner first and then send in bed, we will entertain telling us

 one of his witty pieces in dialect: " EI Vangel del dì d'incò"
Tomorrow is the alarm at seven because there are various programs and then we get to Gulu for a decent time so as not to find somewhere blocking done by the military, as often happens in those parts.
But the six I have already standing, because I hurry to see it, to this day Africa and then I woke up singing birds weavers who have hung hundreds nests on the trees in the courtyard of the mission.

It starts to Gulu, the road is straight and asphalted but full of holes and bumps, ascents and descents. We are many and crushed inside our Toyota, we warn that dancer very ... It will harm the head.
This road connects to the entire Uganda from south to north, and is the main route of communication and therefore very popular. They face innumerable amount of bikes, almost all of the same type, and bicycle ¬ taxis and taxi-vans or taxi-truck where people are put in place as sardines, and then so much, so many people walking especially women and children. All carry something: Who on the bike, one head, who pulling a cart.
All they sell or buy something, and who knows what else village or town, and who knows how many km walk: four, six, ten or twenty, and no matter if it rains or if a lot hits the midday sun, if it is currently five in the morning or seven o'clock in the evening.
We meet an old truck (Fiat ¬ sixty years) stopped, and we will stop to see what happened: very full of sacks of rice donated by UNICEF and was leading in the north, where they most need, but broke l ' axis of the wheels and stopped there for two nights and two days and the driver has also malaria.
You ask us if we anti malaria pad, but then you satisfied with a cigarette.
There we can take with us because we Very full and then he must star there to guard the rice.
Leave as soon as possible and notify those concerned.
On the road occasionally meet small villages of huts and some "cities" of the barracks where to find everything.
We stop in one of these, Kigumba, to petrol, the pump is a crank and self-service, the operator checks and withdraw money only.
Every time we stop we are surrounded by women and children that we want to sell cobs of roasted corn, citrus fruits of various kinds, pieces of roast chicken.

It strikes me the sign of a bar opposite "MILLENNIUM 2000 BAR"?
It is also true here we are in 2000, except that, if you do not read ... Not know.
Come to make us a Nile Special Beer, beer NILO, excellent when you thirsty and after so many miles in savannah; hoping not be done with water from the Nile, just as they do with the plastic bottles, thrown by tourists, recycled and filled water that you do not believe but at least say mineral drinking if all goes well you beaks of the famous traveller diarrhoea, if goes wrong hepatitis.
Having purchased pineapple, papaya, and giant white mushrooms (already tested as edible by our predecessors), the distance to Gulu.
Now the road is frequented by many baboons, indifferent to our step can be photographed. Some 'are less tolerant soldiers we meet immediately after many camped Sides the road and some of armed guards on the same road, but I am lucky because our parent company, Tarcisio dear, I warned in time to disappear soon camera (which I as a good reporter I always hand) if no problems are!
After passing a bridge over rapids of the Nile and even travelled for hours to finally arrive Gulu, the House of volunteers, also called the House of Magenta, near the Comboni Mission.
To dinner with those great white mushrooms and some tuna or box of meat that we brought in a suitcase, then to bed early because tomorrow we start work.
This is the first evening there to Gulu and strikes me something unusual. A long row of many children and some adult rare, are arriving in the courtyard behind our house who has a hand little bag, who a mat, a blanket chi; everything possess. Children largest lead in the shoulder smallest. Will slip there the better, I say, but safe. They are afraid to sleep in their hut in the villages, fear of being abducted by LRA rebels (Lord's Resistance Army), the Lord's Resistance Army, but the Lord does not own central anything, in fact I know that the Devil centres:
A group of madmen visionaries from southern Sudan and inspired by a person half-sorcerer who says be visionary and to be guided by.

Children abducted after several ill-treatment, they will be forced to fight and girls serve as alcove and servitude, if not worse: a horror that has continued for over ten years.
Those who try to escape are to be killed by other children, who is not taken on landmines ends and leaves us the leg or legs or a hand or arm entire (because these mines are made disastrous affixed to kill you but not to make you evil and create terror).
Those who go well and are not taken and does not end on landmines no longer his home and his family and ends at Camp Refugees.
Tonight, I say, other children and women, thousands sleep in the courtyard at the Italian who is close to us "St. MARY'S HOSPITAL" and made great by Doctors Piero and Lucille  Corti the protagonists of the book and film truth "FOR A DREAM THE LIFE ".
The wonderful LucilIe is already dead for some years, having devoted his whole life to this nation that has already defined Santa.
She died of AIDS that took operating. At work day and night without stopping.
The Uganda is full of AIDS: A legend says that AIDS was created by Lake Victoria.
Not enough Malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, now the rebels, mines, AIDS.
But tonight sleep children safe in our yard and in the hospital. Presto closed the gates key and the fence protected by barbed wire. .
After having divided the little food that have led some adult them feel pray together, aloud, until take sleeping.

I can not sleep ... We will feel almost all night coughing and smaller complains
At come woke up from a thin unusual noise which are the children who leave, almost in silence, as they arrived back to their huts, their villages.
This miserable scene will be repeated every day until we remain there to Gulu.
We leave for the yard that is for the high school built by volunteers of CM And now working but still needs to finish.
The project this year is to create the installation of water and then connect pipes, taps, 'toilets, showers, etc.. To the reservoir built a few months before.
Now the water is taken from a single hand pump located in the middle of the courtyard and children needs them in the fields around the school:
There is also some isolated latrine, cement, but we must have the courage to enter.
Students are about three hundred, some of whom sleep and eat in college, others only attend classes and meet every day to school on foot or by bicycle, sometimes walking several km.

The road that we reach for the college track is made of the reddish clay. Which is typical of these places and out considerably at odds with green savannah that is around.
The road is very popular for couples of different ages who are hurrying to get to the various schools in the area, and greet the passage of our car with joy and smile, typical of these people.
At the college, the central courtyard is already full of students, arrived as many uniformed soldiers, each group in front of their teacher, waiting to get into class.
Others in the courtyard behind are still queuing for breakfast: all composed and silent, with a cup in his hand that will be filled with a ladle hot milk when pass in front of the hut as a field kitchen.
Descend the car and before starting work put me to take some pictures of reportage and strikes me one thing: the school teaches.
A large sign written: BISHOP ANGELO NEGRI COLLEGE and under: LIGHT IN DARKNESS.
... The school is a light at night!
There in the midst of all that Uganda called stagnation, the school is a solution, it is a hope for the near future, a means to go out of ignorance, disease, hunger, violence.
What that here in Europe, often our children have forgotten ......
But the volunteers of CM Have not only built the college but also the vocational school cutting and sewing for girls, St. Monica Tailoring Centre and the Home orphanage St. Jude Children who go to visit.
AI our arrival, the children we are meeting festive and smiling.

They know already that give many sweets and other gifts.
One not only smiles, not tents, the hand is a small child who is in an old boom, the head back more than great body, slender arms and falling, moves only one hand to chase flies that the rest on the face.
Candy?
No answer ...
Candy?
Not extends his hand ... Opens just a moment his big eyes that penetrate into my and then closes them. He always open your mouth and has a breath.

Spoken with the doctor who is part of our group: Who is that girl? Are you dying? You can not idleness?
No, I am responding. He AIDS is already the hospital has already been discharged, we can make anything ...
Meanwhile the other children sing, dance and make us feast
Another day we go to visit the hospital in Gulu mutilated department of mines.
Here three or four volunteers of AVSI Italians, in a small workshop of luck, with a few old machine tools for building numerous prosthetic legs and arms for many many children.
At this moment I remember the first time that I saw on television the doctor Milan
, Gino Strada talk of mine- AgainstChild, stand up and shout, but you manufacturer of mine, you do not have children? Tell me how do you sleep?
Outside in the courtyard many children with legs and arms wooden learn to walk and move, greeted us and we do not deny a smile.

Meanwhile, work continued good days and go to the end and it is right that we take some 'leisure and then decide to spend a few days at KABALEGA NATIONAL PARK.
With a sail boat slowly towards the Nile from Lake Albert since under waterfalls Murchinson.
The banks of the river teem with all sorts of wild animals: hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, elephants, and after having suffered a terrible storm that we did some 'scare can be safely returned to our huts as if that were not enough are flooded.
The day after the shooting in our Toyota length and breadth of the vast savannah in search of the lion, as well as landscapes by film here with giraffes, gazelles, buffalos, all kinds of vegetation, but the lion even the shadow.
This is Africa that is!
But what Africa If it were not for the missionaries (almost all Italians) who share their lives with these poor people if not for the volunteers who lead the few aid to this population .....
But come on the day of departure and the flight to Brussels Sabena awaits us.
Sitting in an armchair am flying. I have dined and relaxed I am reading a book. The other passengers were almost all off the spotlights and sleep - ¬
Mine is on, because I can not sleep and then I am reading a book of fairy tales, which I gave Father Edo and I like both.
My companion on the seat behind me beats the shoulder and tells me: turn off the light, are all sleeping, we invented? Six with the only light turned on ...
I reply: "I do not sleep I am reading, and then it is a little light that gives discomfort!"
I am reading a book of fairy tales told me that as a child, I am thinking of the baby, who was dying ... In his eyes was like a light ... To her tales not ever tell...

 

True story: LIGHT IN DARKNESS
Published reduced for the Newspaper dell'IIS Magenta