Plenary on Latin America

Where is God at work in Latin America?

The Brazilian anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro speaks of three major sources that have shaped race and culture in Latin America.

• There are the surviving indigenous people of the south of México, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, who maintain the pre-Colombian legacy of the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas.

• There are the new people, including inhabitants of Venezuela, Colombia, the Guyanas, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean, and Paraguay, mixed race descendents of Indigenous, European and African ancestors, whose distinctive identity is still being shaped.

• There are the transplanted people, European immigrants living in Argentina, Uruguay, the south of Brazil, and the south of Chile, who swamped the earlier Indigenous and mixed race populations. This group has been responsible for the second major wave of religious diversification in the continent, marked by the presence of all the forms of Protestantism brought by immigrants, various types of European Catholicism, the ancient Orthodox versions of Christianity from the East, plus other religions, such as Islam, Buddhism and Shintoism. The first wave was the distinctive cultural and religious diversity of the more than 2,500 indigenous peoples, which was smothered by the imposition of Christianity.

An important aspect is that our continent was built on the foundation of colonial political domination, confiscation of the land of indigenous peoples, their massacre, or their economic and social exploitation as forced labour; and the imposition of Spanish, Portuguese, French, English and Dutch culture, and of Catholic and Protestant Christianity.

The main challenge facing Christianity is the inequality and injustice that it has shared in and legitimized -and at times prophetically condemned. An important contribution by Christianity follows in the line of this more prophetic tradition. It has surfaced in the last forty years in the form of co-operation with popular movements, has nurtured the ecumenical movement, and has contributed to the flourishing of Latin American theology and its various accompanying strands taking up the cries of the poor and the cry of the earth for the integrity of creation.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the Pentecostal movement made its appearance in Latin America, formed by communities that, in the great majority of cases, have a strong sense of their calling to evangelize, an immense capacity to welcome the sick and the overburdened, and who celebrate their faith in cultural ways close to everyday life. These experiences, albeit with their inconsistencies, together with those of many churches in Latin America, have shown that Christianity has a great contribution to make towards affirming a spirituality and pastoral approach rooted in the life of the people. The basis of these movements and theologies is the popular reading of the Bible, which is both prayerful and liberating, and can be seen in the words of our various characters.

In our presentation we have indigenous faces (an indigenous woman and an elderly indigenous man), an Afro-Latin American face (our pilgrim), and the faces of transplanted peoples (a teenager and a revolutionary). The presentation using puppets is an attempt to show that fun and humour are part of our way of life and are elements in the struggle for survival and love of life.

We realize that the whole diversity and richness of the peoples of Latin America cannot be shown here in all their detail. However, we wish to invite you, the participants in this Plenary, to enter into this short experience of the Latin American way of being and living, and, above all, of surviving, of struggling for life and of dreaming of better days to come. In that way we shall be showing where God is at work in Latin America…

Resumé

In a multi-media presentation, using dummies, music and videos, different characters reflect on the question, ‘Where is God at work in Latin America?' Five individuals - puppets - offer their reflections on the most important historical events in Latin America, emphasizing the role of the churches and the ecumenical movement. Nine individuals from the region will also share their thoughts on these issues. The question, ‘Where is God at work in Latin America?' is explored by examining the various elements of the Assembly logo:  

• The hand of God illustrates the present situation of the continent with its various social contradictions (poverty, wealth, deprivation).
• Creation and the Cross symbolize the cruelty of colonizers towards the Indigenous and Black peoples. The cross, although violently forced on Latin America, is also the symbol of a Christianity that, despite its inconsistencies, has promoted a holistic and liberating Gospel.
• The spirit of peace reflects the richness of the different peoples living in the region, with their cultures and traditions, which, despite the wounds of the past, make it possible for them to live together in plural societies.
• The rainbow symbolizes the commitment of men and women of faith who have struggled for justice and life; people who believe in the importance of combining prophetic with pastoral activities; men and women forming the churches that have become healing communities.
• The transformed world shows that the humblest of people, with faith as their foundation, are building pathways of hope in our continent. 

Characters (Narrators)

TEENAGER (15 years old) - inquisitive, sensitive, naïve and with a sense of humour. She represents the persistent hope that a society with more justice and freedom can be built. She wants an answer to the question, ‘Where is God at work in Latin America?'

OLD INDIGENOUS MAN - the oldest character (70 years old), who easily shows his feelings and has lived through some of the most moving moments in the history of the continent. He represents suffering, resistance and longing for freedom. He is in favour of accepting people who are different, the quest for an inculturated Christianity, the demand for the conversion of the conquistadors and a plea for forgiveness from them, so that communion with them can come into being.

INDIGENOUS WOMAN - She represents the struggle of women and the reinstatement of the indigenous presence in Amerindian (45 years old). She describes the important campaigns of women in defense of human rights at various moments in the history of our continent. Her long plaits portray the legacy of other women who have responded to the challenges of being a woman in Latin America.

THE REVOLUTIONARY - (a reference to the revolutionaries of the 1950s-70s) A character who swings between anger and fun (55 years old). His appearing here points to the activity and ideas of those who acted against military repression, and to the continuing popular struggles in Latin America. He believes that democracy is one of the greatest achievements in Latin America and must be maintained.

THE PILGRIM (35 years old) - He is black. He represents the awareness that in vast areas of Latin America the economy and society were based on traffic in black people and slave labour, which was responsible for almost everything that was built and produced. His intention is to discover the challenges arising out of his own people, whose ancestors were so violently destroyed. His remarks show his concern with breaking the chains of injustice, and building up faith in the continent, with the God of the poor and the little ones, the God of life, as its foundation. He recalls the role of the churches and the ecumenical movement.

Videotaped testimonies will include:

• Julio Cesar Holguin, Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the Dominican Republic, and President of CLAI, the Latin American Council of Churches
• Adriel de Souza, Bishop of the Methodist Church of Brazil, and President of CONIC, the National Council of Churches
• Elsa Tamez, a Latin American theologian and Professor at the Latin American Biblical University
• Nora Cortiñas and Estela Carloto of Asociaciones de Madres y Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo", the Plaza de Mayo mothers and grandmothers
• Rigoberta Menchu, an indigenous women from Guatemala who, thanks to her personal struggle for justice as well as for her people, received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1992
• Antonio Olimpio Santana, Pastor and Director of CENACORA, defender of the rights of Blacks in Brazil and Latin America
• Federico Pagura, Bishop (E) of the Methodist Church of Argentina, and President of the WCC
• Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who was arrested by the Military Dictatorship in 1977 and was counted among the missing persons until he reappeared alive 14 months later thanks in part to the efforts of the ecumenical movement. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1992 for his work on peace and reconciliation.
• Juan Sepulveda, a Pentecostal theologian and a Professor of Theology in Chile 

Credits

Main contributors

- World Council of Churches/Latin American Working Group

- National Assembly Committee in Brazil

- Ecumenical Forum in Brazil/KOINONIA, Ecumenical Presence and Service/Anivaldo Padilha, Methodist University of São Paulo

- Latin American Advisory Group composed of the WCC and CLAI: Eugenio Poma, Benjamín Cortéz, Rui Bernhard, Juan Sepúlveda and Marta Palma. 

Production

Methodist University of São Paulo (Rectorship, Department of Communication and Marketing, Department of Technology and Information, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Department of the Arts)

Programme

Maria Aparecida Ruiz

Creator and General Director

Alvaro Petersen Jr.

Acting and Musical Director

Álvaro Petersen Jr.

Coordination

Magali do Nascimento Cunha

Production in Porto Alegre

Marcelo Schneider

Audio-visual production: Methodist RTV Agency

Marcio Kowalsk

Michelle Dantas Garcia

Audio Technician

Gustavo Cotomacci

Technicians

Moacyr Vezzani

Assistente de vídeo

Guilherme Bravo Alves

Filming

Marcelo Moreira

Márcio Antonio Kowalski

Michelle Dantas Garcia

Actors /Puppeteers: Chamelion Doll Theater Group

Andréa Perez

Adriana Azevedo

Carlos Azevedo

João França

Tânia de Castro

Doll Makers

Jesus de Moraes

Models

Antonio Rabadan

Scene design

Rafael Silva

Support

Vera Lucia Potthoff da Silva 

Programme Collaborators

São Paulo Methodist University Working Group

Álvaro Petersen

Claudia César da Silva

Davi Betts

Fábio Josgrilberg

João Plaça Jr.

Lauri Emilio Wirth

Luciano Sathler

Luiz Carlos Ramos

Magali do Nascimento Cunha

Paulo Roberto Garcia

Paulo Roberto Salles Garcia

Rui de Souza Josgrilberg

Tércio Bretanha Junker

Anivaldo Padilha, KOINONIA, Ecumenical Presence and Service

José Oscar Beozzo, Comissão Ecumênica sobre História da Igreja na América Latina

Content Advisors

Benjamin Cortés

Eugenio Poma

Juan Sepúlveda

Lucio Flores

Marta Palma

Rui Bernhard

Anivaldo Padilha

Production Advisor in Porto Alegre

Rui Bernard

Picture transmission

Benjamin Cortés

Humberto Shikiya

José Oscar Beozzo

KOINONIA, Ecumenical Presence and Service

Secretaria para a América Latina/CMI

Song selection

Álvaro Petersen Jr. with the collaboration of Anivaldo Padilha

Picture selection and digitalization

Priscila Munhoz

Thiago Siqueira

Ecumenical Journey Pictures and Testimony

Felipe Oscar Ino

Michele Dantas Garcia