How Christians are Fostering Fraternity, Living Gospel in Niger’s Muslim-dominated Society

The BCCs that the Catholic Archdiocese of Niamey established are part of the organization of Parish life and a method and instrument of spreading the Gospel among followers of Christ.

In Dosso city that is covered by the Nigerien Archdiocese, Fr. Casamayor says that there are five BCCs and efforts are still underway to increase the numbers.

“This method and organization of Christian life comes to us from Latin America and has found its echo in several African countries with considerable success. I had the opportunity to use it when I was on a mission in Banikani, Benin, to launch it in Gaya and now in Dosso,” he says.

He adds that the Christian community in Niger is “quite heterogeneous” and attributes this to the fact that most people are immigrants from different ethnicities in Benin, Togo, or Burkina Faso.

The SMA Priest says that even those who were born in Dosso city keep their ties and their spirit rooted in their original ancestral lands, and uses the example of the citizens of Benin to explain, saying, “Most workers, blacksmiths, masons, carpenters, mechanics, are Beninese and live on unimaginable sacrifices. The rest is secondary for them.”

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“The other day, we spoke of the Gospel of the previous Sunday, of the beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the poor...those who weep...those who hunger and thirst for justice’...and immediately we stopped at the persecuted,” he shares in the February 14 report.

After speaking about the beatitudes, Fr. Casamayor says that Abel, a blacksmith, felt that Christians in the country are persecuted because they do not pray, fast, and that they are considered pagans.

“That's what they say; it bothers them that we are not Muslims and they try to convert us at all costs by offering us work, business, promising us gold and anything that comes to mind,” Abel told Fr. Casamayor, according to the Agenzia Fides report.

“It's true,” another participant in the community seconded Abel, and added, “But not all of them; there are those who respect us, those who understand our way of living the faith and some even call themselves hypocrites.”

In the report, Fr. Casamayor says that “it is not easy to be a Christian in Niger, especially after the growing influence of jihadist movements or the burning of churches in January 2015.”

“We find the development of grassroots Christian communities very positive, where Christians find support, solidarity, encouragement, and even joy when they meet with their families, different families, and share their faith,” the Catholic Missionary Priest says in the February 14 Agenzia Fides report. 

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.