EN
Operation Africa: the Miracle in the Forest
An exceptional story that began sixty years ago when the Bangoua tribe of Cameroon came into contact with young people from around the world. Their story is told in instalments, progressively uncovering a revolution that still calls us today.
Some stories really leave their mark! Life stories that, even years later, continue to speak directly to the heart of those who experienced them, but also to those who uphold their ideals. This is the story of the Gen Movement, the ‘young people’ of the Focolare Movement who were encouraged by Chiara Lubich (1920–2008), their founder, to become advocates of what they simply called a ‘revolution’ over sixty years ago. In the midst of the significant economic, political, and social change of the sixties – especially, but not solely, in Europe – these young people discovered that the kind of fraternity the Gospel hoped for was feasible, concrete, beautiful, and able to change history by responding to the great ‘why’s of life.
At the time these young people carried out thousands and thousands of initiatives, from the small streets of forgotten villages to great metropolises, in universities, sports and games contexts, work environments, and people’s homes. Each opportunity was ideal, and each tool was adapted to keep those who were suffering close, to console those who wept, but also to get the message across to as many people as possible that fraternity is no joke: rather, it gives life its spark.
What Is the Operation Africa Project
There was a cry coming from the Bangoua population – situated in a remote part of the African forest, in Cameroon – that simply could not go unheard. The Bangoua people were an ancient civilisation who profoundly benefited from the purest African values, with a strong sense of community, of being together.
A plague had hit the population, who didn’t know how to react, but did know that they could not just stand by and watch their people and civilisation fall into ruin. Desperate, they asked the Christian God for help, even though they did not know him well.
We still do not know today what journey that prayer took. We know that it reached the ears of a local bishop and Dutch missionary who had lived in Cameroon for years, Jules Peeters (1913–2002), who contacted Chiara Lubich immediately.
That cry marked the beginning of a story that feels like a miracle, a true ‘miracle in the forest’ that has involved countless people from all over the world. It has been a fully fledged international operation since 1969, with the young people of the Focolare Movement standing at the forefront of the world-renowned ‘Operation Africa’, for the Bangoua people.
Sixty years on from the founding of the Gen Movement, what better way to mark this anniversary than by telling that story through the voices of the people who experienced it, interwoven with those of the young and not-so-young people of today who are continuing its legacy.
The podcast we share here tells the whole story over a number of episodes, through the voices of the Bangoua people themselves, as well as young people from other parts of the world. What really happened to the Bangoua people? Why were young people from the Focolare Movement all over the world so committed during those years, and what remains of that experience today? What does the story of the Bangoua population teach young people who, even today, are embracing the principle of fraternity?
It may seem presumptuous to answer all these questions. But they needed to be asked, so we could understand what really happened during that time and shine a spotlight on how the operation became an invaluable touchstone in the lives of many young people and communities around the world.
So much so that the operation is still going strong today: initially launched as ‘Project Africa’ in the early 2000s, it has taken on various forms and existed in various contexts, and has been growing ever since.
As we said at the beginning, some stories leave their mark, and that mark is still calling us today. The Bangoua culture, for example – which is becoming more and more intertwined with other cultures across Africa and beyond – is increasingly seeking to address the question of the meaning of life by putting relationships with others at its core. And then there are tangible projects like ‘Together for a New Africa’, which was set up by young people from various African countries and aims to prepare the next generation for leadership roles to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges.
Not to mention everything that, in the spirit of reciprocity, African cultures continue to give us. Yes! There is still plenty more to tell… Happy listening!
Operation Africa on Spotify: Listen to the Four Episodes
- 1 – An introduction to Operation Africa and the health crisis that unfolded.
- 2 – An interview with Paola, Roberto, and Iride on their experience of this initiative in Europe and the rest of the world.
- 3 – An interview with Margaret Coen, an Irish journalist who moved from Gen to Fontem in January with a French member of the Gen group.
- 4 – An interview with Melchiorre from Together for New Humanity, who retraces the journey from Project Africa to Operation Africa.
Translated into English by Becca Webley