In-depth articles by columnists
The U.S. Christmas Day airstrike in Nigeria may have been framed as a counter-terrorism success. For Nigerians and Africans, it should instead provoke grief, sober reflection, and an urgent national conversation about sovereignty, violence, and the future of the Nigerian state.” — Stan Chu Ilo The U.S. Christmas Day airstrike on Nigeria should worry Nigerians and all Africans. Rather than…
The Diocese of Dori, at the heart of Burkina Faso’s Sahel region, was once a land of vibrant faith. From the parish of Sebba to Gorom-Gorom and Gorgadji, the sound of church bells mingled with the songs of the faithful, and priests travelled freely to serve their communities. Today, that same land bears the wounds of violence and fear. The…
“Gen Z” (Generation Zoomer), a term borrowed from the practice of using zoom, refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. This generation saw the massive expansion of the Internet, a gigantic information warehouse, and the dizzying rise and global spread of different social media platforms. Their period of growing up also included the Great Recession (late 2007–mid-2009) and the…
The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have released a bold and prophetic statement on the state of the nation—one that echoes from the depths of our moral conscience with spiritual authority and pastoral urgency. With clarity and grief, the bishops lament the persistent violence that has “claimed many lives, destroyed homes, and displaced families.” Their sorrow is rooted in the disproportionate…
When Lydia Polgreen sat down with Howard W. French for The New York Times podcast The Opinions, they confronted one of the most important questions facing Africa and the world today: Can the world afford to turn its back on Africa? French’s answer, grounded in history and moral realism, is an emphatic no. A retreat from Africa would not only…
The post-election protests in Tanzania shook many across Africa, exposing once again the deep wounds of governance and democracy on the continent. They reminded us that when elections are stripped of fairness, they become instruments of domination rather than expressions of the people’s will. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the national election, “winning” by a staggering…
The recent reflections of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah in Rome and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe’s powerful testimony before the U.S. Congress in Washington have reopened one of the most urgent moral questions of our time: Are Nigerian Christians persecuted? Their differing tones—Bishop Anagbe’s cry from the valley of suffering and Bishop Kukah’s call for nuance and hope, reflect the two sides…
A Reflection on Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”) Under the scorching Sahelian sun, a mother carries her infant across the sand, fleeing violence that has ravaged her village. She is not just a refugee; she is, in the words of Dilexi Te, “the very flesh of Christ” (DT 3). Throughout Africa, displaced women and…
The story of Paul, a 30-year-old former Catholic, reveals what Gen Z thinks of Christianity in Africa today. For him, the Church no longer speaks to his pain. “Going to church is for fools,” he said. “The Church exploits the poor while clergy dine with corrupt politicians.” When reminded of Church schools and hospitals as agents of charity, he replied,…
❝ The digital environment is not a parallel or purely virtual world but is part of the daily experience of many people, especially the young.” “ — Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day, 2014 A Call to Discernment In this month’s edition of Young Faith, New Horizons, we explore how media literacy is becoming an essential tool…