Gentrification in Central Africa

I just read a heartbreaking article on allAfrica.com. The article outlines the plight of many people living in poverty in and around Africa's cities. Specifically it refers to the current situation in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Government of Rwanda is on a mission to modernize the city of Kigali that began immediately after the 1994 Genocide. Slums are being destroyed and modern highrises are going in their place. It seems that this "progress" is a way to help Rwandans feel as though they are moving forward, beyond the suffering that accompanies the loss of 800,000 of their own.

But is this really progress? Urban Rwandans are now forced to ask the same questions that urban moderns have been asking for some time now. Is it really right to displace the "unsightly" poor in order to bring in new development, upper-class residences and businesses? Our cities may look cleaner and nicer, but at what cost? These are the questions Africans are facing as they experience the rapid modernization of their cities.

Micah 6:8 is a foundational verse for the work we hope to accomplish in Africa: "He has shown you what is good and what the Lord requires - to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (paraphrase).

We are working to come alongside innovative African leaders who are asking these questions, and searching for a solution, a solution that has justice, mercy, and humility at it's core. Please pray for these leaders, that they would be instrumental in bringing about God's Kingdom in Africa.

To read the article about Kigali, go to: http://allafrica.com/stories/200609130073.html

Luke Miller | North American Coordinator