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Monday, January 29, 2018

Agricultural Fair 2018. 1



Agricultural Fair 2018.  1
Finally here we are again with the great Bozoum Agricultural Fair. Are at present 14 years we have been promoting this initiative. It’s the only one of its kind in the whole Country: dozens of small cooperatives on an area of 220 km, bring the agricultural products here, taking care of their display and trading them. It's a three-day festival, of exchanges, of trade. It is the peasant pride party. A dozen or so trucks were loaded with corn, millet, beans, peanuts, sesame, cassava, rice and what was produced by families and small cooperatives. The trucks arrive from Ngaundaye, Ndim, Bocaranga, Taley and other areas, within 220 km.
This year we have about 180 cooperatives. For the occasion our Caritas (with the support, this year of the Friends for the Central African Association) organizes the transportation of the merchandise, the organizing of the stands, the reception of the visitors and everything a similar event requires.
Over the years, the Fair has grown, becoming an important event for the all region and for the Country. It is the only Agricultural Fair. For the occasion, the President of the Central African Republic wanted to come and see for himself. At the last moment other important commitments didn’t allow him to come, but he still wanted to send three Ministers (Agriculture, Breeding and Youth).
This year, given the increasing volume of exhibited products and trading, the Fair lasts 3 days. This morning, Friday, there was the inauguration. Tomorrow we will continue until Saturday closing with the awarding of prizes to the best exhibiting cooperatives.
We go on with our peasant pride!







Le varie tappe del riso
les différentes ètapes du riz









Friday, January 19, 2018

Just married







Just married
Saturday, January 13th we joyfully celebrated the wedding of a nice couple: Sylvester and Valentine. He is the Dean of the state High School, and she is a teacher. Beautiful celebration and beautiful party, which is prolonged, after Mass, with food, drinks, dancing and music.
On Tuesday I go to Bouar, for some meetings, back home in the evening, together with Paolo Silvestro. His wife Chiara and the other two newly arrived volunteers, all of them are a bit sick, for this reason they are forced to stay home.
The preparation of the Fair is more intense day by day. The Fair will take place on January 26th -28th, so very few days left and still a lot to do. During the week we go around visiting the fields which appear already like beautiful gardens.
Last Sunday, in Bangui, the brick machine trainer (Hydraform) arrived and there is a good group of people wanting to learn. We also sent two masons, because in the future we could start building schools and chapels with this material. The work is proceeding well: on Wednesday alone they produced 2,250 bricks. It's very good news.
With this good news something not so good. The car accident which happened last week regarding the Caritas car it was a lot scaring. I received some pictures: the engine went off, the brakes did not work and the car started to back away until it fell from a bridge into the river below. We just have to thank that no one, I stress no one, got hurt!




 .





 







Sr Annita, Ada, Anna, Sr Lydie, Gauthier, Chiara, sr Anne Marie, Jacques e Ada

i mattoni Hydraform

  






Saturday, January 13, 2018

Visiting friends





Visiting friends
Here I am. In the city of Paoua north of Bozoum, 130 km from here, tens of thousands of people are fleeing from rebel fighting. What was a relatively calm area has become once more an outbreak of violence. For now, there are no fleeing people towards Bozoum yet, but the tension is high.
Sunday afternoon I go to Bouar and Baoro. On early Monday morning I go to Bangui. In theory at 9.30 we have a meeting in our Carmel convent, with the FAO. But ... I’m the first reaching the meeting place, though coming from 400 km away, well before of those living here in Bangui.
Tuesday I keep busy in meeting various Government Ministries in order to prepare the Bozoum Agricultural Fair, which is now approaching (26-28 January 2018).
Wednesday morning I welcome at Bangui airport Father Davide Sollami, Enrico Massone, Paolo Silvestro together with Chiara, Ada and Anna. All of them are here to get to know the environment and give help. In the afternoon I get a phone call: the Caritas car, which I sent to the North to prepare the Fair, ended in a car accident. Thank God, there are no wounded. Unfortunately, the car, I have to say very old, companion of many missions of help to many people, will be thrown away.
In the evening we welcome to the Carmel the new bishop of Bouar, Mirek Gucva. At the end of the dinner we give him a beautiful statue of the Child Jesus of Prague as sign of protection and prayer.
Thursday morning we leave towards Bozoum together with Paolo, Chiara, Anna and Ada. Despite yet another flat tire, the driving isn’t too bad, and after 7 and a half hours we arrive in Bozoum.
I wish everyone good work!


Orti al Carmel a Bangui
Jardins potager au Carmel à Bangui

Allevamento bovino al Carmel
élévage de boeufs au Carmel



I semi delle palme da olio


La vecchia macchina della Caritas, in gennaio 2014
la vieille voiture de Caritas, en janvier 2014

Il nuovo vescovo di Bouar
le nouvel eveque de Bouar




Monday, January 8, 2018

Bonne Année - Happy New Year!




Bonne Année - Happy New Year!
In Central Africa (and not only) wishing “Bonne Année” (Happy New Year) is a refrain never ending. It starts after Christmas going on until March.
At the end of the year came to  visit us, together with Father Marco Poggi, the six Indian Sisters living in Bouar at the Yolé, With them, Saturday afternoon, I go to visit the rice fields. And they, given their background, are great rice experts. They verify, taste and appreciate.
On Sunday, the liturgy offers us the celebration of the Holy Family of Nazareth. At the end of the Mass, we entrust all our families to the blessing of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
The New Year begins relatively quiet. In the city there is a lot of excitement: people singing and dancing, beer, games, a few fireworks. On Sunday evening we meet in a large number for a moment of prayer and adoration, during which we give thanks to God for the year 2017 He gave to us, and we entrust Him our lives, the parish and the Country asking for his blessing during the 2018. And we pray that it will be a year of grace anyhow.
And Wednesday, January 3rd  I go to Bocaranga. The situation is improved a lot. In these past weeks, about 150 families, after three months of refugee life, left Bozoum to return to Bocaranga.  On the occasion of Christmas, thanks to the help of the Czech Republic, we were able to distribute 8,800 soaps, more than 7,000 packages of coffee, 5 tons of salt and 4,400 kg of rice shared among more than 1,800 families. And the distribution was made by the various churches and mosques present in the area, reaching in this way a very large number of people, without discrimination.
And this too is a very Happy New Year!

Andd here you can see the last "Journal of Bozoum" :
 










Riso e orti
le riz et les jaridns potagers



Bocaranga

Toilettes con scuola annessa (dovrebbe essere il contrario...)
Toilettes avec école annéxée (ça devrait etre le contraire...)

Incendi in savana (stagione secca)
Incendies en brousse (dans la saison sèche)