SAMINE ...
is a small village located on the state highway between Kolda and Ziguinchor, in the Temento parish, a parish founded five years ago right at the end of the painful events that had assailed the entire Casamance region for 25 years. Samine is situated 75km (47 miles) from the regional capital, Ziguinchor and 101 km (63 miles) from Kolda, also a regional capital. Now a little history. At one time, these two regions were one: Casamance. In general, it is a place that makes one dream, leaves one curious and charms with its flora. Its labyrinths of backwaters, rivers, arms of the sea and its vegetation make it the unique and extraordinary region of Senegal that has earned its fame as “Casamance, lung of Senegal .” This is the Casamance of beaches, of sun, of the tam-tam with its rhythmic cadence, of golden rice fields smiling in the stirring wind, of pirogues (wooden canoes) in the moonlight, of palm trees with branches raised towards the sky in thanksgiving for flavorful bnouk (the local name for natural palm wine) and of its mangroves swaying at high tide. Its villages nestled in the cool shade of the trees are the definition of tropical calm. It is, in short, a land of great charm.
Its face alternates between gentleness and rebellion at the same time. While lower Casamance is populated by various ethnic groups, the principal group to have left its mark on the area is the Diola, nicknamed the “Bretons of Senegal” by the colonizers. The name of the capital, Ziguinchor, is said to come from the Portuguese expression “Cheguei choram” - meaning, “I came-they cry”. Unfortunately, they are still crying today. Because Casamance covers a vast area, the government was able to divide it in two, but from an ecclesiastical perspective, there was no change until Pope John Paul II - on the occasion of the Jubilee year in 2000 - chose the new bishop in order to entrust to him the poorest of all domains: Kolda. Kolda is a region populated mostly by nomads who live off their livestock and the remainder of the population is a mix of ethnic groups who work the land. It is a small diocese, counting only six religious congregations – three female and two male - distributed here and there, plus a core of clergy. Samine is one of Kolda's rural communities. It was the scene of turbulent events due to the fact that it borders Guinea-Bissau, a country experiencing civil conflict.
Let's return to our mission in Temento. This mission was born in 1941. There are documents illustrating its birth and the motivations driving its foundation. “Choosing Temento as a place to establish a new mission may seem curious…I prefer to live among a small group of Christians…The mission will be located on the bank of the river, which will provide me with the necessary fish each day…” Words of founding father, Le Hunsec (Spiritan). His main concern was to try to gather under the same Christian religion the Mankagne, who were spread throughout the many villages in the southern region and to hasten their full conversion so that they might gain a new spirit, which would allow them to combine the Gospel and their traditions, without betraying them. Over the course of the years the mission opened up to the Balante as well (one of the neighboring ethnic groups). The mission is populated by these Balantes, who constitute the majority of the Christians, by Mankagnes and by Mandinkas, all from the neighboring country. Their real reason for immigrating goes back to the search for fertile land after the Second World War. Each ethnic group maintains its identity through its customs and traditions, and above all, no mixing with the neighbors. Since 1999 the Oblates of Mary Immaculate have taken over. The parish includes about three thousand inhabitants spread out along 115 km (71 miles) from east to west and 17 km (10.5 miles) from the south to the magnificent river at the north, which generously provides its good fresh fish each day. It sprawls across twenty or so transportation points and multiple social and educational projects that are under development. There are more than 350 catechumens journeying little by little towards baptism, about 1000 baptized Christians and a few couples who have “regularized” their marriages, an average of one couple per year. The Marian Sanctuary, Notre Dame de la Paix (Our Lady of Peace) undoubtedly plays a defining role in the mission; it is a place of pilgrimage for the two dioceses, consisting of a small chapel that houses a statue of the Blessed Virgin offering her child and a space to celebrate the Eucharist, all on the banks of the Casamace river, under majestic trees. “It is a real green cathedral” where Mary calls her children to prayer, in silence and in a return to their roots. Here is a mission that wishes to respond to contemporary needs of evangelization regardless of delays, but thanks to its flourishing optimism and faith; with Mary, Our Lady of Peace, it too may write its little page of history. (words of Father Bruno Favero, Oblate of Mary, current parish priest) The Holy Spirit and Mother Frances' apostolic zeal for healing suffering strongly urge us on, so we have answered: “We are fully here,” wanting to bring our contribution to this new, young diocese that is so needy.
Our contribution to this mission consists in empowering the whole person over the entire course of his or her life through:
Evangelization remains our primary concern, the greatest motivation for our presence and our support of this baptized people, who have not had the opportunity to be evangelized in all the years since they received the Good News of Jesus. We remain committed to wanting to introduce Christ and to seeing that he is welcomed and reconciled with all cultures and traditions. For the Samine Community: Sr. Marie Augustine Ndione, sfp
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Franciscan Sisters of the Poor |
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