With my friend, Fr. Horácio

Church built by Fr. Horácio
with the people of Kawama, Chililabombwe

This week, I have been with my sister Sabina in Queimada (which means burnt), a small Parish near the river Douro area. The landscape is full of vineyards and apple tree plantations. It is time to pick up the apples and one can see the passing trucks full of apple boxes. Very soon, the vintage will start as well.

Yesterday, I spent some time together with Fr. Horácio, who came to see me. We worked together in Chililabombwe. He was in charge of Konkola Parish, with all the outstations. With his motorbike, he would go everywhere, spending time with people. In Kawama, which was a poor compound near Chililabombwe, he was able to motivate people and working with them he built a church that is like a cathedral. It always surprised me the way he motivated the people, so that they got involved and contributed with their work, being able to put up a big structure with very little money. He was always in the forefront, being the first to climb up the scaffolds and to hold the hammer or the trowel.

With him, I learnt that one must always be present and involved if he wants people to get involved as well. How can people believe in a project if they don’t see you believing in it? That is the big problem with most of our leaders, mainly political leaders: they stay away from people, being aloof and disinterested in the situation of the people or even in the projects that they themselves started. Will the ones that present themselves to election be different? If they were not up to now, they will not be in the future as well.