From the Land to Kenya

In the Nairobi of the Jubilee Year, the exhibit “From the Land to the Peoples” opened its doors. An initiative of the Archdiocese that attracted 3,500 visitors. A chance for many to encounter the history of their Christian origins

BY Giuliano Imbasciati

From the 14th to the 28th of October the exhibition “From the Land to the Peoples: The Spread of Christianity in the Early Centuries” was on display in Nairobi (Kenya). It was a photographic replica and a didactic version of the archaeological exhibition organized in Rimini, Italy, in 1996 by the “Meeting for Friendship Among the Peoples” Association.
It had already been displayed in Nairobi in 1997, but on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Communion and Liberation Movement of Kenya suggested to the Jubilee Committee of the Archdiocese of Nairobi to repeat the successful experience of 1997 in a more central and meaningful place: the Holy Family Basilica Hall. This is in fact just next to the Holy Family Basilica, the cathedral church of Nairobi, where the faithful would go on pilgrimage to obtain the indulgence.

On national TV
The exhibition was officially inaugurated by Archbishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana ‘a Nzeki in the presence of the national press and other important guests, including the Ambassador of Italy. For this special occasion, Dr. Giuliano Gargioni came from Uganda to give a general introduction of the exhibition and its sections to the guests. After the ribbon cutting, he guided them through the panels. The inauguration was shown for a few minutes on the national television news–a nice surprise for the little CL community of Kenya. But the major surprise was the great interest in and enthusiasm for the exhibition itself, not only of the visitors who came in great number, but also of the guides who had worked non-stop for two weeks. The guides were also numerous, attending several groups of visitors–common people, priests, nuns, and students coming from towns, parishes, schools, universities. By the end of the show, we had counted about 3,500 visitors and about 40 guides–not only from CL, but also university students and people from other groups. Among the guides were seminarians of the Consolata Fathers and of the Apostles of Jesus, some of whom became interested in the Movement. Mr. Gerard Adheru, an exhibit guide and professor at the KU university, explained why: “They did not expect somebody who teaches at the university to be a guide, and they were always asking me questions. My presence there struck them.” Why did a professor spend quite a long time working at the exhibition? He answered, “It is something that I cannot understand, but it was a strong desire I had. I don’t know where it was coming from, but it seemed as if I was pulled to the exhibition. I had other things to do, but I told myself, “Here is a task that I need to do.” It is actually by the grace of God that I was doing these things.” Santina, another enthusiastic and generous guide, said, “I realized that the exhibition has given me something that I have been searching for. The exhibition was a way of putting into action what I have met. The guides were not only taking people around the panels, they were giving a part of their lives.”, The exhibition was a sign of the unity of the Church of Nairobi, because many catholic groups were involved in its organization. The unity comes from the same faith, which is really recognizing the presence of Jesus among us, as Consolata said: “At the end of the exhibition, talking to the seminarians who had come to guide, I was struck because they had encountered something great in their lives during the exhibition.”
A great witness of unity was given by those of the CL Movement, who worked together, from the very beginning of the exhibition (building the supports of the panels in St. Kizito school, setting up the panels, positioning the lights, cleaning the hall), during the exposition days (guiding), until the end (dismounting the exhibition and cleaning the hall).

Where faith is born
The exhibition has been successful because of the cultural and religious environment of Kenya. Here there are many religions (Kenyan traditional religions, Muslim, Hindu, and Christian) and many different churches. Sometimes, for lack of catechetical education, the Catholics are weak in answering the Protestant provocation and in need of a deeper knowledge of the historical birth of the Church and of the faith. They need to know from where and when their faith comes–that is, the history of the Church, the Tradition. They showed this need when they asked questions, or simply by showing great attention. “I saw people even taken notes on what I was telling them,” said Mr. Adheru. Again, he explained why: “Sometimes the people in Nairobi are not able even to ask questions. There are things that are never known. The exhibition helps to ask questions. These people are willing to discover, to ask questions they have never asked before.”
Another example of this will comes from Santina: “I met a girl, a university student, who wanted to write a paper on the Catholic faith because she said in her class most of the people are Protestants and they have asked her why she is Catholic, what are the reasons why she belongs to that Church. So she wanted to know about the Church, so that she can defend her faith in front of all these people.”
But perhaps the clearest demonstration of the importance of this exhibition for Kenyans is what Santina said, answering the question, “Which people were the most interested?” “The ones I found to be most enthusiastic were people who just happened to see the exhibition announced and decided to come in and, after that, they were so exited about it that they brought other people to what they had seen.”