Africa
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Christianity flowed from Europe and North America to Africa, often carried by missionaries. But in the 21st century, the pattern has reversed. African-led churches are now sending their own missionaries abroad, and many are planting churches in many former colonial capitals.
Zachariah Fufeyin, a priest hailing from the Catholic Diocese of Bomadi in southern Nigeria, had only one mission when he started livestock farming at Our Lady of the Waters Farm in November 2019: To help the poor and provide animal protein to low-income families.
Two years after gaining political independence from Britain in 1980, Zimbabwe plunged into another dark era. The government sanctioned a military operation named “Gukurahundi,” which means “the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains.” More than 20,000 civilians were murdered in the 1980s — and now churches are being called on to help with the reckoning.
Nigeria’s size, population and underdeveloped infrastructure make full and accurate data on such attacks difficult to obtain, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said at a Capitol Hill hearing on religious freedom in Nigeria, but the country is the deadliest in the world for Christians.
Belief in the supernatural — including life after death and the idea that animals and nature can possess spirits — is common across diverse cultures and religions, with younger and older generations sharing similar views, a new survey reveals. The findings paint a nuanced picture of global spirituality, suggesting that beliefs in the unseen are deeply rooted in human cultures and persist even as traditional faith fades.
(ANALYSIS) This may be unsettling to those who’ve invested in the idea of a steadily secularizing globe, but the numbers don’t lie. In the long run, the groups that reproduce tend to shape the narrative. If religion continues to dominate global culture through the 21st century, it won’t be because it won a war of ideas. It’ll be because believers have more babies.
President Trump, whose administration has cut USAID and slapped tariffs on other nations in recent weeks, imposed sanctions on South Africa, stating white farmers are being killed and their farms forcefully seized without compensation. He signed an executive order in February saying he was addressing what he described as serious human rights violations occurring in South Africa.
(ANALYSIS) Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, along with Gallup and the Center for Open Science, released on Wednesday the first findings of their ongoing worldwide survey examining what makes for human flourishing.
(ANALYSIS) In the United States, April is designated as Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month and is aimed at commemorating and raising awareness about genocides that occurred in the past, including the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide.
More than 240 Christians were massacred in attacks on villages in Plateau and Benue states during Lent and Easter, some as they worshiped, news agencies and religious liberty advocates reported.
Political and religious leaders from around the world offered condolences and tributes following the death of Pope Francis on Monday. The White House’s official X account posted two photos of the pope, one with President Donald Trump and his wife Melania, and the other with Vice President J.D. Vance, with a caption that read: “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.”
Towering on top of one of the many hills that overlook Lodwar, is a gigantic statue of Jesus Christ with His hands spread apart. It is a mirror image of the iconic Christ The Redeemer sculpture that defines Rio de Jenairo. The statue’s appeal goes beyond its architectural dimensions and spiritual importance. It has also emerged as a charming tourist magnet and iconic local landmark.
For Uganda’s Christians, the Way of the Cross is more than a ritual — it is a powerful affirmation of faith, an expression of gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice and a moment of deep collective introspection. By uniting believers across denominations and walks of life, the procession continues to embody the core message of Easter: In Christ, there is redemption, unity and the promise of eternal life.
Here’s a fun fact many may not know: Most of the world’s Quakers live in Africa. Also known as the Religious Society of Friends, Quakers have a significant presence on the continent when it comes to building schools and hospitals. They are also involved in peacebuilding in a number of countries, including Kenya and other Central African countries, notably Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
(ANALYSIS) In March 2025, eight survivors of the Tigray War filed a groundbreaking criminal complaint with the German Federal Public Prosecutor alleging that twelve senior Ethiopian and Eritrean government officials and military officers committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict.
As always, the annual U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report focused on trends in nations known for bitter religious conflicts and the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians. The list of offenders of “particular concern” included China, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and others. The commission pushed to add Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Vietnam to that list.
(REVIEW) The book boldly gives a brave, honest and forceful account of the realities of the effect of colonialism on Anglicanism past and present, Percy critically examines how the Anglican Church, which served as both a spiritual arm and a moral justification for British imperial expansion, is now struggling with the enduring legacy of complicity in slavery and colonialism.
Worship centers in Kenya are increasingly facing scrutiny for conducting activities at noise levels that exceed acceptable limits. Concerns have been raised in various parts of the country about religious services blatantly violating existing regulations, disturbing the peace and quiet of neighborhoods.
Conditions in Afghanistan and India continued to deteriorate and remained poor in Nigeria and Vietnam, USCIRF commissioners said March 25 in its 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom, calling out countries where Christian minorities face murder, torture and other ills either sanctioned by the government or with little governmental intervention.
For the past few years, many TV dramas that air during Ramadan have tackled women's issues triggering public discussions that have led to cultural, social and legal changes. Dramas about women this Ramadan include “Hezbet Omri” (“The Sum of My Life”), which highlights the financial difficulties of the protagonist as she seeks alimony after divorce; and “Ikhwaati” (“My Sisters”), which features an all-female cast who face challenges outside traditional norms.
In recent years, Nigeria has seen a surge in kidnappings and violent attacks. Christians living in the country’s five southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo have said violence has affected their religious lives.
(ANALYSIS) Sudan has filed an application instituting proceedings against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with regard to a dispute concerning alleged violations by the UAE of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) in relation to the Masalit group in Sudan, most notably in West Darfur.
During a typical week, readers (or podcast listeners) send me emails or messages through various social-media platforms. Often, these people are frustrated or even angry. Most folks are not upset with me. More often than not, they are ticked off about something they have seen — or failed to see — in mainstream press coverage of the news.
March 8 holds painful memories for Ezekiel Batsi Batende, pastor of Swahili Baptist Church at Woodmont. On that day in 2008, he and his family fled their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo as rebels burned Machumbi village.
(REVIEW) Researcher and author Diana Darke argues that the connections between Islamic and Christian cultures during the medieval period were stronger than commonly believed. This cross-fertilization of cultures had an impact on society, religion and culture. Her extensive research, covering hundreds of buildings across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East led her to propose replacing the term “Romanesque” with “Islamesque.”
(ANALYSIS) Last month, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution agreeing to establish a fact-finding mission on the serious human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law committed in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pastors have reported that they have been forced to shelter rebels inside their churches as well as within their surrounding communities. The rebels are well aware that hiding in these sanctuaries guarantees them protection, given the government’s longstanding commitment to ensuring that attacks do not target civilians, churches or hospitals.
From a contemporary marketing perspective, the centenary of the discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s 3,200-year-old tomb found on Nov. 26, 1922 would have been the ideal date for the inauguration of Cairo’s spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum. In contemporary Egypt, life crawls at the pace known as shuwaya, shuwaya (meaning little, little). Not surprisingly, the much-delayed GEM — more than two decades in the making — is set to have its grand opening on July 3.
While the president takes a beating on social media for his USAID cuts, African pastors are silencing those blaming Trump for it. “President Trump is doing what must be done for the good of his country,” said Tinashe Hungwe, a cleric in Zimbabwe. “It is high time to make our governments accountable and provide for their people not to blame the U.S.”
(ANALYSIS) Much of the Christian world, especially the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, have been roiled by reports that an Egyptian court has mandated that St. Catherine's Monastery be taken over by the government. This issue is especially explosive because St. Catherine's is arguably Christianity's most important monastery — but the situation also appears to be complex.