Africa prepares to host future WYD

Africa prepares to host future WYD

The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), is in the process of making a request to the Holy Father, Pope Francis to consider Africa to host the World Youth Day (WYD) in the near future.

Sir Benedict Assorow, Director of Communications of SECAM, who recently attended the WYD event in Rio de Janeiro with Rev. Fr. Joseph Komakoma, SECAM's Secretary General, told The Catholic Standard, in a recent interview, that the request for the continent to host it would possibly be in 2019 or thereafter.

He said although infrastructure and communications (logistics and transportation) remained a challenge in many African countries, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana were being considered as possible hosts.

He noted that even though the Secretariat was yet to put in the request for the Holy Father's consideration, many people were happy Africa was working towards hosting it.

To this end, ground works were underway to prepare the continent to host the event in future, as part of which a Pastoral Letter by Prelates of Africa has directed the organisation of the Regional and Continental WYD celebrations.

A section of the Youth from Benin at Rio  

Unlike Rio de Janeiro and other cities which hosted the event in the past with huge attendance, Sir Assorow suggested that because of the peculiar challenge of infrastructure and communications in Africa, a reasonable quota of delegates per country throughout the world should be allocated to help the continent host the event.

"Africa cannot afford to host two or three million young people but may be in position to host a million," he added.

Asked why SECAM participated in the event, the Director of Communications narrated that SECAM was invited to a meeting in Rome that was to prepare for  the Madrid 2011WYD and in Rio de Janeiro, where concerns for Africa host to WYD were raised.

He said a report was subsequently presented to SECAM Plenary Assembly which sanctioned Africa's bid to possibly host the event in 2019 to coincide with SECAM's 50th anniversary.

Sir Assorow sharing his experiences at Rio de Janeiro said the Catholic youth in Latin America were alive and very much involved in the growth of the Church, calling for more roles for Catholic youth in Africa.

Some participants of DR. Congo at the event

With much expectation on the Continent to host the WYD, SECAM's Director of Communications expressed the hope that Africa would rise up to the occasion.    

Concerns for Africa's bid was  raised again at the just ended 28th edition of the event in Rio de Janeiro, where expectations among Catholics for Africa to host a future World Youth Day (WYD) is high, especially after all the continents except Africa has hosted the event.

Rev. Fr. Patrick Tor Alumuku, a participant at this year's event, reports that African youth at the event rejoiced when the Archdiocese of Krakow in Poland was named host of the 2016 WYD event, but expressed the desire that the time has come for Africa to host the world event.

“This would give a chance for millions of African Catholic youth to also experience and participate in one of the major Church events of our time” they said.

He reports that the issue which began as a lobby has gained some prominence on social media, adding that "although they differ on where it should be held, African youth are unanimous that after having hosted the World Cup, the continent should be seen as having the capacity to host the WYD."

He noted that Ghanaian, Mozambican, Zimbabwean and South African youth he interviewed were all in favour of an African World Youth Day.

By Kwesi Yirenkyi Boateng