Agricultural Fair.2

Agricultural Fair.2

Sunday was the second day of the Agricultural Exhibition in Bozoum.

The 145 cooperatives participating to the Fair continued in their products exhibition, selling them with good results: the total sale this year rose to approximately 45,000 Euros, compared to 30,000 of last year!!! On Sunday morning, after the celebration of two Masses, I went with some visitors to have a look to the rice fields in Bozoum. In the afternoon I’m back to the Fair site. The stands are empty: all the merchandise have been sold out. At 4.00pm we have a last moment of celebration with the announcement and recognition for the Exhibition Competition (the best exhibitors) and the gardens Competition winners. A lot of people followed this celebrating moment, congratulating the winners, many of which went to receive their award happily dancing.

On Monday we make order, and I am very proud of my staff: at 10.00am everything was pretty much removed and in order! On Monday we begin also a stage for about fifty people, to help them grow in social cohesion helping them to face with courage the challenges of peace.

On Wednesday and Thursday I’m in Baoro, 175 km from Bozoum, for a meeting with my Carmelites Friars debating on the economy. We analyze the accounts of each house and all their realities. We try to help as much as possible our people, yes, but also with careful management of what the providence entrusts us, through the help of many good people.

les medaglie
les medailles

La mamma di Hyppolite, che ha vinto il PRIMO premio per gli orti!
la maman de Hyppolite, qui a gagné le premier prix pour les jardins potagers

Aratro dono del Baramo (Cuneo)

Formazione sulla coesione sociale
Formation sur la Cohésion sociale

Bozoum Fair 2016

Bozoum Fair 2016

Are nearly two months that we are working, meeting cooperatives and preparing the organization, and here we are: this morning we opened the Fair of Bozoum!

It is a unique event in the panorama of Central Africa Republic! There are 145 cooperatives, coming from almost all over the region. Some of them covered 220 km to reach the location. The Fair is held by Caritas, with financial support of Cordaid, a Caritas of Holland. The theme is always the same: “The farmer pride” (paysan orgueil). It’s always a surprise and a great joy to see the pride on the faces of so many men and women displaying and selling the products of their work! We take care of everything: transportation by truck and the stands.

Each one of us is at work: who assembles, who keep the ground clean, who take care of refreshing the gardens or caring of the sound amplifier. Even the students of our high school Saint Augustin do their best in welcoming and supporting all participants.

On Saturday morning the kick off of the event: a small parade, a few speeches, visiting the stands, which are gorgeous! The cooperatives are busy on organizing the show of the products. Very beautiful colors and even some banana and coffee plants! In the afternoon we head to visit the gardens. This Fair is an initiative that we launched to develop farming in the city, helping people to create an opportunity to enrich the table with fresh vegetables and to earn some money.

The farmers pride: faces, colors, flavors, scents and sounds wanting to reward all of them after the silent and the exhausting work of thousands of farmers. It’s also an opportunity to show the positive face of agriculture helping people to believe in themselves as well as in working the fields.

Il bacino con i pesci
un petit bassin avec les possons

Sr.Christine e lo stand dei bambini dell'Arc en Ciel

La Giuria al lavoro
le Jury au travail

Here I’m, finally.

scene normali sulle nostre strade

Here I’m, finally.

I apologize for my last week silence. I was traveling! I have been for almost a week in Italy, to celebrate a wedding and attend a meeting with other Carmelite Fathers in Arenzano (Genoa). Wednesday, January 6st, (after a quick visit to Baoro on my way to Bangui) I left for Casablanca, Morocco, and the next day I was in Turin. Here I met Fr. Giustino waiting for me. He is my Provincial Superior. He drove me to our convent of Santa Teresa, and after lunch he took me up to Cuneo. Here I greeted my family and some friends.

On Friday afternoon I went to Milan, to meet friends of Cassina Amata, and work a bit with Eugenio, the architect, about some changes to the extension project of the church of Bozoum. On Saturday morning I leave for Creta, a small village near Castel San Giovanni (PC). Today is the wedding day of Davide Stefanini and Alberta Santini: Davide has been in Central Africa for many years now, as well as Alberta. They work with various NGOs, and they give the best of themselves helping those in need with their own various projects and initiatives. I celebrate the Wedding in a small church but so beautiful. A great number of relatives were present with lots of friends. Most of them I have known in Central Africa, when they came visiting and working with us for longer or shorter periods. After lunch, organized in a lovely farmhouse, surrounded by items and pictures from Central Africa, (even the cake was themed!), I did go back to Cuneo.

On early Monday I travel towards Liguria. Around 7am I meet Emanuela, Alessandra etc., the family that is hosting Hyppolite for several months. I hug Hyppolite, who is on his way to follow the many legal practices. He looks much better and strengthened; thanks to the treatments, but also to the sport of fencing which he began some time ago. He seems to succeed very well! Long live Zorro! We have coffee together, and then I go in a hurry to Arenzano. Here I find thirty Brothers gathered for a Plenary Council, a meeting of Carmelites in which we discuss some aspects of our life. I’m here to present the situation of the Mission, especially after the visit of Pope Francis. In the afternoon I’m back to Cuneo, from where the following morning, Tuesday January 12, four of us leave: I, Paul Silvestro, Lia Milanesio and Massimiliano Botta, all natives of Cuneo and its surroundings! After a technical stop in Casablanca, we fly to Bangui, where we arrive on Wednesday at 7 am. Unfortunately some suitcases did not arrive.  After a meeting in the capital, on Thursday morning we travel toward Baoro and Bouar, where we arrive in the evening. The day after we held a meeting for the preparation of some projects with Caritas, and in the afternoon we are back on the roads for the last 250 km. At 7.15pm we finally reach Bozoum, just in time for dinner! We find Fr. Enrico and Fr.Norberto welcoming us, and after arranging our guests I go finally for a much needed rest.

See you again next week for the great agricultural fair in Bozoum!

il presepe di Santa Teresa a Torino
la crèche de notre eglise à Turin

sulla strada tra Bossemptele e Bozoum
sur la route entre Bossemptele et Bozoum

Happy New Year!

Il voto a Bozoum
les élections à Bozoum

Happy New Year!

I’m coming out of few weeks of troubles with the internet; but seems that now it begins working a bit better.

Sunday, December 27, we have celebrated the feast of the Holy Family. I suggested to all married couples to take part to the Mass together as a couple. I asked also, to all those who were celebrating a wedding anniversary,  to share with me their names, in order to remember them during the celebration of the Eucharist. There were some couples with 51, 41 and 28 years of their life lived together!

Wednesday, December 30^th, is the great Election Day! Today we vote to choose a new President and members of parliament. After three years of war, the elections would be a milestone for change. There are 30 candidates for President! The election campaign has been very short (from December 14 to 28), and few candidates were able to get around in the Country. Here in Bozoum we did see three of them, one of which was welcomed by shots fired by the antibalaka. But, after receiving a good amount of money, the antibalaka went quietly at the meeting with the same candidate. The Election Day went on very quietly. It is one of the beautiful things of Central African Republic: the seriousness and the dignity at the time of the vote. People feel that moment as a right and as a great responsibility, and is not afraid to spend hours under a burning sun to wait their turn. It is a lesson of dignity that the candidates should pay attention to, with much respect. While waiting for the results. They will be ready in two weeks’ time.

The last night of the year is approaching. I celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass at 5.00pm and then we all have dinner all together with the Sisters: some chicken, fried bananas, and a cake. Meanwhile coming from the city we can hear songs and shouts of "Bonne Année", and numerous shots. The noise isn’t much fun, but the advantage is that such waste of ammunitions  can’t harm anymore in the future! Happy New Year!

During these days I enjoyed myself a little in doing statistic about this our blog of ours. For instance: how many people visit and read the blog, and from which countries! Here are the data!

Edition	N° posts	N° readers
Italian	219	68.914
French	191	33.638
English	163	21.218
Czech	181	16.950
German	144	10.913
Spanish	147	9.097
total		160.730

Country	Italian	Czech	German	English	French	Spanish	total	percentage
Italy	42.914	420	411	851	428	1.669	46.693	36,28%
United States of America	7.486	2.991	2.067	7.526	2.544	4.809	27.423	21,31%
Germany	4.493	678	2.378	1.073	530	1.184	10.336	8,03%
France	2.065	429	445	1.274	379	11.355	15.947	12,39%
Russia	1.742	1.183	1.259	2.370	909	1.841	9.304	7,23%
Czech Republic	861	8.837			71	559	10.328	8,03%
Central African Republic	430					1.062	1.492	1,16%
Ukraine	414		134	610			1.158	0,90%
Switzerland	228		455				683	0,53%
United Kingdom	221	132		406	56	355	1.170	0,91%
Singapore			108				108	0,08%
Poland		92	104				196	0,15%
Netherlands		104					104	0,08%
Finland		120			131		251	0,20%
China				320			320	0,25%
Turkey				990			990	0,77%
Spain					1.389		1.389	1,08%
Portugal					62		62	0,05%
Chad						372	372	0,29%
Cameroon						362	362	0,28%

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