At the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, the Pan-African Women’s Ecumenical Empowerment Network held a hybrid workshop for all to come, learn about their mission, and hear their voices.
Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith received the Figel Ecumenism Award on 4 February, honoring her work toward unity in the ecumenical movement, particularly from the perspective of churches and ecclesial communities of Africa and African descent.
A Zoom panel on 30 January 2022 recalled the witness of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) and to celebrate the publication of a new book, Ecumenical Encounters with Desmond Mpilo Tutu, honouring his life and work and presented to him on his 90th birthday.
Women of faith who are African or of African descent held a powerful recent gathering, “Ubuntu: Remembrance, Diversity, and Advocacy in Unity Now!” in which they shared their call to action with a sense of Sankofa, or a season of now while looking back and forward. The event was organized by the Pan African Women’s Ecumenical Empowerment Network (PAWEEN) and Pan African Women of Faith (PAW).
Over 23-29 October, a Global Conference of Africa and Africans in the Diaspora (AAD) revisited the historical 1945 Manchester Pan-African Conference and critically reviewed progress made since then. Speakers and participants also worked to determine and develop effective global strategies to radically change the lot of Africans and people of African descent globally—and thereby defeat the scourge of racism in the world.