Πέμπτη 15 Μαρτίου 2018

"The African man is the stranger of our time... He is the man whom our Lord Jesus Christ describes"



The Orthodox Arusha church of “Evangelismos” lived on Sunday one of the most majestic and dignified moments in its history. It is a relatively small parish of a hundred local people coming from Orthodox traditions.
It was a strong spiritual moment of unity in Christ, common witness (martyria) and hope, as archpriests and priests from almost all Orthodox WCC member churches celebrated the holy eucharist [photo from here & here]. The serious orthodox missionary work that started in Tanzania with Archbishop of Albania Anastasios is continued today from the Orthodox Metropolitan of Arusha Agathonikos and several priests.
“We are here to teach – only in sacrifice - love and truth by example, we are here to support organically those in need. In Africa we are truly carrying the cross of mission and there is no easy path to follow”,  Agathonikos said.
The church was founded in 1953 and is delivering important work in the field of education, by operating at the same space the “Saint Constantine International School”. Students from several African communities and others coming from several orthodox countries are following a very high-level international curriculum that equips them with important assets for their future. A place of giving and promise for a better future in Tanzania based in knowledge and faith.

World Council of Churches

See also 

ENTHRONEMENT CEREMONY OF HIS GRACE BISHOP OF AROUSA AND CENTRAL TANZANIA
 
"With Bishop Agathonikos of Arusha and Central Tanzania to explore development in new diocese... 30 churches and 18 clergy..."
The Church as the Liberated Zone: "All we Christians are terrorists..." (and 2 videos, from Tanzania, Maasai, & DRC)
  
Greeting
by Theodoros II
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa
to the International Congress on Mission and Evangelism,
of the World Council of Churches, on the topic:
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25)
(8 –13 March, Arusha Tanzania)
Orthodox Archbiscopic of Zimbabwe & Angola

Pope & Patriach Theodoros. Photo from here.
 
Dear Delegates,
On the occasion of the deliberations of the World Conference on Mission and Evangelism of the WCC on the African Continent, from the See of the venerable Ancient Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, the Great City of Alexandria, we greet the delegates coming from all countries in the world, from the five Continents and pray with you, with God’s help, for the success of the issues to be addressed by the Congress, for a better future for the Global Community, with the contribution of Christians, for the peaceful coexistence of Peoples and social well-being.
The contribution of the World Congress on Mission, which began in 1910, was the first important step to bring to maturity the initiative of our Churches, after the great tragedies experienced by Humanity with the two World Wars, to establish the WCC in the same year that the UN was organized, in 1948, for the protection of Global Security and the peaceful solution of complex problems through dialogue.
As rightly emphasized by my Predecessor of the Presidents of the WCC, the late Patriarch Parthenios of Alexandria, "The proponents of the Ecumenical Movement, as genuine disciples of Christ, realized their responsibilities for the unity of Christianity and the strengthening of the visible unity of the Church". The deliberations of the World Congress on Mission and Evangelism, which took place for the first time 60 years ago in Ghana in Africa, were also based on this framework. 

We especially congratulate the Members of the Mission and Evangelism Commission, the Members of the WCC and the Central Committee, on the subject and the preparation of this important congress, which, as we know, will move in four directions.
Α. The ministry and Theology of Mission today and its role in the unity of Christians, the re-evangelization of those who are called Christians but whose works are far removed from the works of Jesus Christ and His Disciples, as well as the evangelization of People who have not yet had the opportunity of hearing the Word of Christ.
Β. The Ecumenical Dimension of the Conference on the Role of Mission and Evangelization, to strengthen the visible unity and cooperation of the Churches to address the problems currently threatening the cause of world peace and the prosperity of the People. All Christians must reflect on the role of mission, reconciliation, social justice, eradication of poverty, equal opportunities for education, health and nutrition for the needy and orphaned children, as well as the priority of a dialogue of love and understanding of mutual respect and tolerance for dealing with, and preventing, ongoing war and violent conflicts.
C. This important conference, being held in Africa, is an opportunity for the voice of the African continent to be heard, not only to highlight the problems that the African People are currently facing, but also to realize the reasons that cause them, so that the social injustices we are currently experiencing on our Planet against millions of defenseless children, particularly in Africa, are eliminated.
D. It is important that among the participating delegates at this Congress, our young people have a special presence and, for the first time, a remarkable initiative of organizing a Theological Seminar, for a hundred new theologians from all Continents, in order to staff our Ecclesiastical Schools, for Christian education.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Matthew 25: 34-36, from the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (the 3rd Sunday of Triodion in the Orthodox Church - see here). The icon from  In Communion (page in Facebook).

 On the occasion of my communication with you, allow me to turn your attention to the responsibilities of Christians for the problem of Immigrants and Refugees, which is today a top problem in the world we live in, and we should all, through our missionary ministry, give priority to it, not just as a Christian duty, but as the self-evident moral responsibility of every person. I am glad that, as the representative of our Patriarchate and us, has informed me, His Eminence Seraphim Metropolitan of Zimbabwe, a member of the WCC Central and Executive Committee, this issue will have a central role in the deliberations of your Congress. I would therefore like to emphasize that for every Christian who wishes to experience the theme of your conference, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), we should, with the virtue of discrimination, to view every immigrant and every refugee, as a blessing from God.
Christian teaching shows a particular sensitivity towards the migrant and the refugee, Besides, its founder, our Lord Jesus Christ, begins His earthly life as a refugee when the holy Family flees to Egypt to be saved from the threat of Herod (Matthew 2:13-15) and continues His earthly activity, as an immigrant, having nowhere to lay His head. For this reason, the respect of the human person, the recognition of Christ Himself in the refugee and the migrant, and therefore the rejection of any form of conduct that offends, degrades, harms or threatens the refugee and the immigrant, who is made in the image of God, becomes a question of the authenticity of his faith and the attestation of his proper path in the steps of Christ, the Apostles and the Fathers of the Church.
So who is the "other", the immigrant, the refugee, the "stranger" for the Church?
The "other", the immigrant, the refugee, the "stranger," is my brother/sister.
Therefore, since he is my brother, then there must be no opposition and quarrel, not even in the area of intellect: “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Leviticus 19:17). And not only do not hate, but do not even cultivate the lie at the expense of your brother. On the contrary, you should open your hand and help him: ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor” (Deuteronomy 15:11). The "other", the immigrant and the refugee, the "stranger," are Christ Himself. In the face of "the other", the "stranger" I meet Christ Himself. The "other" is my salvation, and my entry into the Kingdom of Heaven depends on the relationship I have with him. Christ places Himself in the face of "the other", the "stranger," of my fellow man.

The Lord taught us that the only criterion for every believer to be next to Him, in His Church, is Love. In particular, he taught us that, as Christians, we must feel the need to give unlimited love to our neighbor, especially the suffering, especially the refugee and the immigrant, the "stranger", whom we are called to "draw in" and care for.
Our philanthropic care towards refugees and immigrants must be one of the most important tasks of the Christian because it is motivated by love for the neighbour.
But what is the meaning of “neighbour”?
Neighbour “according to Christian teaching is not only one who is locally or socially close, a relative, a compatriot, of the same faith and religion (…). A neighbor is not identified by external elements but is created with love and served with contribution and sacrifice. Christ came to the world as Messiah, in other words as Saviour and intercessor between God and man. And he accomplishes this work by approaching mankind as a neighbour. He appears as one who is hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, ill, imprisoned, one who needs help, hospitality and support. It is up to mankind to accept to respond to His coming. And if mankind offers Christ food, drink, a home, help, then Christ Himself will become for us food, drink, a home, help and eternal life. On the face of our neighbor is Christ Himself. That is why any offer to the neighbor is ultimately an offer to Christ, just as any refusal to offer to the neighbor is a refusal to offer to Christ. The real life of mankind lies in the face of his neighbour".
Let us come now, to the Africa of today, an area within our jurisdiction. The African man is the stranger of our time, an immigrant because of poverty, drought and disease and a refugee due to the ongoing warfare and terrorist phenomena. He is the man whom our Lord Jesus Christ describes.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, through its presence throughout the African continent, is far from intolerance, chauvinism and propaganda. Its basic aim is to unite all in multiformity and diversity, cultivating respect for the human person, harmonizing the polar oppositions of societies and peoples, "in the bond of peace", and by basing the love of Christ "who is the bond of perfection".


Today, Europe is shudders and balks at the wave of refugees and immigration, but the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria is experiencing this everyday on the vast African continent, where warfare, civil conflicts and biblical natural disasters create waves of impoverished refugees and immigrants.
This terrible need is experienced by tens of thousands of our African brothers in Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Congo, South Sudan and many other regions. Homeless and persecuted, refugees and migrants in their own country. Seeing these souls of God, the thousands of children who look at you with their great tearful and frightened eyes, we see the need for Church involvement in addressing and solving social problems. And this is natural, because the purpose of the Church is not to remain on the outskirts of life, but to approach man in all aspects and manifestations of his life.
Only in this way does he minister according to the example of Christ, who did not come to serve, but to serve and offer his life "as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45).
The purpose of Mission is the salvation of all people in Christ. At the same time, Mission cannot be indifferent to its contribution, to the extent that it is able to, in addressing the social problems of our fellow human beings. We must as Christians take care of solving the problems created by the current way of organizing and operating economic, political and social life. Exploitation, social injustice, violence, tyranny, unemployment, war, terrorism, migration, racism, environmental pollution, etc. are essential social problems that are naturally of concern to the faithful. And the interest in them remains mute, unless it is founded on man as a person "in the image of God"
Therefore,
As Christians, we must accept the stranger and the immigrant as a blessing and a gift from God.
To acknowledge that we are all made in God's image and have the same human rights for life, work, freedom.
To support the pain and sorrow of the victims of discrimination and to pray that Churches will welcome people of every race, color and nationality.

With prayers and love in Christ
Theodoros II
Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa

Note of our blog
For our brethren from the World Council of Churches, with love in Christ the posts:

 Getting to Know Your Church Fathers  
During the time that Luther and Calvin were formulating the Reformation...  
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Τετάρτη 14 Μαρτίου 2018

Ikons or idols?



Sunday of Orthodoxy at Sts. Anargyroi, in Nairobi, Kenya

Orthodoxy.faithweb (South Africa)
The photos (except the first) are from the page of the Orthodox Metropolis of Zambia and Malawi

Many Protestants, on visiting an Orthodox Church, are struck by the number of pictures, called ikons. In long-established churches, ikons cover just about all the available wall space and there are also stands with portable ikons. The visitor will notice that members of the church kiss these when they enter the building, and that many bow and touch the ground with their right hand before they kiss the ikons.
Some Protestants are shocked by this, and have been heard to say that Orthodox churches are full of "idols". And if they say this in the presence of Orthodox Christians, the Orthodox are inclined to dismiss the Protestants as heretics and iconoclasts.
During the first centuries of Christianity, Christians held different opinions about pictures of Christ and the apostles. Some rejected representational art, or were uneasy about it, believing that it was prohibited in the scriptures. Others accepted it, and ikons came to be used more commonly in churches. The issue was not resolved until he iconoclastic controversy of the 8th and 9th centuries.
 
The Iconoclastic Controversy
 
From here
Those opposed to the use of ikons were increasingly drawn from the heretical fringes of Christianity: the monophysites, who downplayed the human nature of Christ; those with gnostic tendencies, who thought that all matter was evil, and later the possible influence of Islam. The emperor Leo III believed that the use of ikons was hindering the conversion of Muslims and Jews to Christianity, and ordered that they be destroyed. The church was divided, and those who retained ikons (the iconodules) were persecuted by those who destroyed the ikons (the iconoclasts). After the death of the Emperor Leo IV in 780 his widow, the Empress Irene, encouraged the calling of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (the Second Council of Nicaea), which met in 787. The Council finally settled the issue from the theological point of view, and defined the way in which ikons were to be used, and carefully distinguished between the proper use and the misuse of ikons (which would be idolatry).
Many of the theological contributions to settle the dispute came from outside the empire, one of the most notable being that of St John of Damascus. His contribution was all the more significant since he lived in a place under Muslim rule.
Though the Church had settled the matter theologically, there was still opposition to ikons from the secular power, and some of the later emperors also supported iconoclasm. One of the things that persuaded the Church to accept ikons was John 1:18: "No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him." When God became incarnate in human form, when the Word became flesh, then men could see the incarnate God in the flesh, and Christ was the image of God. A picture of Christ, then, was a picture of the incarnate God.
Not only was Christ himself depicted in ikons, however, but so were the saints of the past. When Christians gathered to worship, the ikons of the saints helped to make them aware that we are "surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). The ikons therefore helped to make visible the invisible. They were also a reminder that the Church is a community not bounded by space and time. The ikons remind us that in Christ we have fellowship, communion, with Christians of other times and places.
This is perhaps seen most dramatically in the Paschal Vigil, where we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Members of the congregation come forward to greet the priest with a kiss, and they also kiss the book of the gospels, the deacon, the ikon of the risen Christ, and one another. We greet the risen Christ and our fellow Christians, both those who are with us in the flesh, and those whose presence is seen through their ikons. 

From here

Dead saints?
 
At this point some Protestants raise another objection. They object to the idea that we should either ask the dead to pray for us, or that we should pray for them. They see this as interposing dead saints as mediators between ourselves and God. Most Orthodox Christians find this objection very difficult to understand. St Paul insists that death cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Those who raise this particular objection seem to be revelling in being the most pitiable of all men (I Corinthians 15:18-19), for did not our Lord Jesus Christ himself say that "he who lives and believes in me shall never die"? Orthodox Christians therefore usually find such objections incomprehensible, and think that those who make them are denying the fundamentals of the Christian faith, yet still claiming to be Christians.

Windows into heaven
 
When Christians gather for the Divine Liturgy, they gather at a place on earth, but it is also a place where earth meets heaven. We have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, where millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole church where everyone is a first-born son and a citizen of heaven, with the spirits of the saints who have been made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23), and when we enter a temple where all the walls are covered with ikons of Christ and the saints and angels, this is made visible to our senses.
The ikons are not simply for decoration; nor are they purely didactic, to teach the scriptures to the illiterate (though they do these things). Their primary purpose is to enable us to see what is normally unseen, to make visible what is normally invisible. So ikons are an intrinsic part of our faith; they are evidence of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).
So when the iconoclastic controversy finally ended, Orthodox Christians celebrated the "Triumph of Orthodoxy", and still do so, on the first Sunday of Lent each year, going in procession around the church with ikons.

From here

Veneration and worship
 
We honour the ikons and greet those depicted there. But the ikon is a window, not a solid statue. The honour given to the image passes to the prototype. We may keep a photograph of someone we love, and, especially when we are far away from that person, the photo reminds us of them. We might even kiss the photo, if the absence has lasted a long time, but it is not the photo that we love, but the person shown in it. So with the ikons. We do not love them for themselves (which would be idolatry), but for the ones depicted on them.
So the Seventh Ecumenical Council decreed that ikons may be venerated, with honour (proskinesis) but we may not give them the worship (latria) that belongs to God alone. That latria is the "latry" in "idolatry".
The veneration of ikons, therefore, is nothing like idolatry, because it is ikons that draw us to worship God. Idolatry, on the contrary, is offering worship (latria) to something other than God, to something that is a substitute for God in our mind. Idolatry is when we worship and serve creatures rather than the creator (Romans 1:25), the gift rather than the giver. Ikons are not idols (except to those who collect them as works of art or as investments). Idols are created things that we substitute for the creator in our minds and hearts and loyalties. Wealth, or a luxurious life-style, loyalty to or family or country, the love of power, these things can become idols. In the world in which we live, idolatry is all around us. Ikons, however, lead us out of idolatry and back to God.
 
Bibliography
Ouspensky, Leonid & Lossky, Vladimir. 1989. The meaning of icons. Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir's Seminary Press.
 
Links
 
You can find out more about ikons and see more examples on the following 
sites:
http://www.skete.com/
Julia Bridget Hayes - ikonographer
 
See also The sanctification of art in Christianity

Kiss The Who's What?
Two Orthodox Christians iconographers from South Africa

Holy Icons (tag)
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Le meurtre injuste d'un jeune étudiant chrétien orthodoxe au Kenya

 
Traduction automatique. Il peut y avoir d’importantes erreurs de traduction.
Η άδικη δολοφονία ενός νεαρού αγιογράφου και κατηχητή στη Κένυα // The unjust murder of a young Orthodox Christian hagiographer and catechist in Kenya.
  

Aujourd’hui, je vous écris, parce que les nouvelles de l’assassiner de notre ami et frère très proche, tous attristés. Ce jeune homme n’était pas une coïncidence. Il était doté de nombreuses vertus et de dons spirituels rares. Il n’était pas familier et il n’aimait pas la réputation et la publicité du tout. Il savait de bébé, il est né en 1995 et ses parents étaient croyants et étroitement liée à notre ici au Kenya orthodoxe Eklisia. Depuis peu a été conduit à la piscine de notre union immédiate avec Dieu et l’enseignement de l’une et indivisible Eglise chrétienne orthodoxe. Ses parents l’ont prophétiquement dédié à Dieu. Il a été conduit au sanctuaire et était fidèle et humble. Il a servi silencieusement comme un ange. Les parents et encore l’ont appris à adorer Dieu et à respecter, à aimer toutes les personnes sans distinction de couleur ou d’origine. Son père était très proche, en particulier par des prêtres et des paroisses desservies par le lointain Kilimandjaro au Kenya centrale et la périphérie de Nairobi, à gauche mémoire partout bienveillante. Leur pauvreté était inégalée. Mais ces gens ne se sont jamais plaints à eux. Ce jeune homme était toujours modeste et humble. L’idée a ensuite été transformé en l’église, la paroisse qui aimait aussi et servi avec zèle tout particulier. Ils avaient tous les samedis pour aller au temple de l’Archange Gabriel pour nettoyer le sanctuaire et autour du temple, de sorte que le prochain est tout prêt pour la messe. Le plus frappant est que tous les samedis se préparant à la cérémonie nationale appropriée du sacrifice sans effusion de sang. Les gens qui le connaissaient nous ont assuré que ce bien était son grand plaisir que, gaita il considérait cette bénédiction spéciale d’avoir un tel diaconat. Et son horrible meurtre? Comme chaque jour pour ce jour-là et a commencé à marcher à venir du village qui vit avec sa grand-mère, de venir au Collège orthodoxe africain pour ses leçons. Rien a indiqué que ce serait la dernière visite du dernier sujet College situé dans les locaux de l’école patriarcales.

Comme toujours parlé avec ses camarades de classe, il a assisté à ses cours, les enseignants les ont accueillis avec respect et d’après-midi a commencé pour le dernier voyage sans retour. En raison de la pauvreté, il a voulu faire une petite station dans la maison de son oncle, pour se reposer et dîner avec eux, après avoir marché plusieurs kilomètres. En quelques minutes, l’inattendu est arrivé et personne ne sait encore dans quelles conditions les tueurs lui apoteleiosan. Il semble que, avant xepsychisei torturé brutalement, en particulier dans le visage et en particulier les yeux étaient presque tirer. La mort du martyr. Un nouveau dédié à Dieu d’accepter ce terrible coup, alors qu’il était vertueux et pur, chaste et humble de cœur, riche de tant de talents et vertus. C’était une étoile brillante qui les éclairait autour de lui.

   
Parmi les différentes personnes voulaient montrer leur amour pour la perte injuste de ce nouveau et était une chanson, qu’il murmure souvent seul. A propos dit ce qui suit: « Mon Dieu est en moi, mon ami et à tous mes disques sont présents. Cela me conduit toujours sur le chemin de l’éternité où nous finirons à la fin. Je ne veux pas que les richesses de ce monde soient respectées et appréciées par les gens. Et quand même rencontrer dans mes tests de la vie, Dieu est mon compagnon et mon ami «.
Parce que ses amis et surtout ses camarades et condisciple du Collège orthodoxe africain savait combien il aimait cette chanson, juste avant son enterrement tous ont chanté ensemble, croyant que cela lui remonter le moral où il était. Des voix angéliques l’ont accompagné jusqu’à sa dernière demeure. Quelqu’un at-il pensé que les anges sont descendus du ciel sur terre pour le recevoir avec joie … Comme chaque année, l’année dernière, nous invitons les jeunes dans notre région des pays voisins à venir ceux qui ont du talent dans la peinture venir ici dans les locaux de l’école pour les cours de Patriarcal hagiographie. En fin de compte, avec l’avis d’un professeur de peintre avait chaque élève de peindre une petite image à la classe, car à la fin toujours obtenir un certificat de participation. Elijah l’a fait comme tout le monde. Sur la photo, il semble garder l’image qu’il a peinte de ses propres mains. J’ai souligné dans son dialecte local et il montre clairement «Dieu le nôtre». Cette inscription a choqué le monde, car renfermant une bénédiction intime et sincère au tragique jeune peintre et katigichi représentant sa foi et sa croyance profonde en la présence de Dieu dans sa vie. C’était la conclusion de tout le cours ici sur terre.

Voir aussi
 

Héritage orthodoxe
L’héritage de la tradition chrétienne orthodoxe dans l’Afrique d’aujourd’hui Historique de l’accueil de la tradition de l’Église orthodoxe dans les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne au début du XXe siècle    
Patriarcat grec Orthodoxe d’Alexandrie et de toute l’Afrique  

How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
Orthodox Mission in Tropical Africa (& the Decolonization of Africa)
Ancient Christian faith (Orthodox Church) in Africa  
Hymn to the African saints 
The Orthodox Christian sentiment regarding the persecutions of Christians by Islamist   
Herod's best friend!
 
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Moja Jipya Orthodox Mashahidi wa Kikristo nchini Kenya


Tafsiri ya moja kwa moja. Kunaweza kuwa na makosa makubwa ya tafsiri.

Η άδικη δολοφονία ενός νεαρού αγιογράφου και κατηχητή στη Κένυα // The unjust murder of a young Orthodox Christian hagiographer and catechist in Kenya.
 
 
Leo ninaandika haya yote kwa sababu, kwa habari za mauaji ya rafiki wa karibu sana na ndugu, sote tumekuwa na huruma. Huyu kijana hakuwa na bahati mbaya. Alipewa vipaji vingi na zawadi za kiroho chache.
Alikuwa hajui na hakupenda sifa na utangazaji hata. Tulikutana naye tangu alizaliwa mwaka wa 1995 na wazazi wake walikuwa waaminifu na wanaohusishwa sana na Rite yetu ya Orthodox hapa nchini Kenya. Kuanzia umri mdogo aliongozwa na ubatizo wa umoja wetu wa moja kwa moja na Mungu na mafundisho ya Mica na indivisible Orthodox Christian Church.
Wazazi wake wanabii kumpa Mungu. Alipelekwa kwenye patakatifu na alikuwa mwaminifu na mnyenyekevu. Iliwahi kimya kama malaika.
Wazazi wake tena walimfundisha kumwabudu Mungu na kuheshimu, kumpenda watu wote wa rangi au asili isiyojali. Baba yake alikuwa karibu sana, hasa kwa makuhani na parokia kutumikia kwa mbali Kilimanjaro kwa Central Kenya na nje ya jiji la Nairobi, kushoto kumbukumbu kila mahali wema.
Umasikini wao haukuwa na uwezo. Lakini hawa watu hawajawahi kulalamika. Huyu kijana alikuwa mwingi na mwanyenyekevu.
Dhana yake ilikuwa inaongozwa daima katika kanisa, katika parokia yake kwamba yeye pia alipenda na kutumikia kwa bidii maalum. Walikuwa na kila Jumamosi kwenda hekalu la Malaika Mkuu Jibril kwa kusafisha patakatifu na duniani hekalu, hivyo ya yote ni tayari kwa ajili ya Misa.

Tabia zaidi ilikuwa kwamba kila Jumamosi alijitayarisha mwenyewe kwa ajili ya sherehe ya dhabihu isiyokufa. Watu ambao walimjua vizuri walituhakikishia kuwa ilikuwa furaha yake kubwa, kwa sababu aliona kuwa ni baraka ya pekee ya kuwa na joka kama hiyo.
Na mauaji yake ya kutisha? Kama kila siku ili siku hiyo ilianza kutembea kuja kutoka kijiji anayeishi na nyanyake kuja College African Orthodox kwa masomo yake. Hakuna kilichoonyesha kuwa hii itakuwa ziara yake ya mwisho, somo lake la mwisho katika Chuo cha Shule ya Patriarchal.
Kama siku zote alizungumza na wanafunzi wenzake, walihudhuria masomo yake, alisalimu walimu wake kwa heshima na mwishoni mwa jioni alianza safari yake ya mwisho bila kurudi.
Kwa sababu ya umaskini, alitaka kufanya kituo kidogo katika nyumba ya mjomba wake ili apumzika na kula pamoja nao baada ya kutembea kilomita kadhaa. Ndani ya dakika chache, haitatarajiwa kutokea na hakuna mtu aliyekuwa amefahamu mpaka chini ya hali gani wauaji waliifanya.
Inaonekana kwamba kabla ya kumfadhaika alimtesa kwa ukatili, hasa kwa uso wake, na hasa macho yake yalikuwa karibu. Kifo cha Martyr.
kujitolea mpya ya Mungu kukubali kiharusi hii ya kutisha wakati yeye alikuwa wema na safi, safi na mnyenyekevu wa moyo, na matajiri kwa vipaji vingi na fadhila. Ilikuwa nyota ya kipaji ambayo iliwaangazia karibu naye.
Miongoni mwa mbalimbali watu kutaka kuwaonyesha upendo wao kwa ajili ya kupoteza haki ya hii mpya na ilikuwa wimbo, ambayo yeye mara nyingi tetesi peke yake.


Alisema, «Mungu wangu yu ndani yangu, rafiki yangu, na katika hatua zangu zote nipo. Hiyo daima inaniongoza kwenye njia ya milele ambapo tutaisha mwishoni. Sitaki utajiri wa dunia hii kuheshimiwa na kuheshimiwa na watu.
Na wakati ninapokuwa na mateso katika maisha yangu, Mungu ni rafiki yangu na rafiki yangu. »
Kwa sababu marafiki zake na hasa wanafunzi wenzake na mwanafunzi mwenzake kutoka Chuo Orthodox African alijua jinsi alivyompenda wimbo huu, kabla ya mazishi yake yote aliimba pamoja, kwa kuamini kwamba hii itakuwa furaha yake ambapo alikuwa.
Maneno ya malaika waliongozana naye nyumbani kwake la mwisho. Je! Mtu yeyote anafikiri kwamba malaika walikuja kutoka mbinguni kwenda duniani ili kumpokea kwa furaha …
Kama kila mwaka, mwaka jana sisi kuwakaribisha vijana katika kanda yetu kutoka nchi jirani kuja wale ambao wana vipaji katika uchoraji kuja hapa katika majengo ya Mfumo dume Shule ya masomo hagiography.
Mwishowe, ushauri wa mwalimu mchoraji alikuwa na kila mwanafunzi kuchora picha ndogo na daraja, kwa vile katika mwisho siku zote kupata hati ya mahudhurio.
Eliya alifanya hivyo kama kila mtu. Katika picha anaonekana kuweka picha aliyojenga kwa mikono yake mwenyewe. Nilizungumza katika lugha yake ya ndani na inaonyesha waziwazi «Mungu wetu». uandishi Hii kutishwa dunia, kwa sababu enclosing baraka ndani na za dhati kwa kutisha vijana mchoraji na katigichi inayoonyesha imani yake na imani yake ya kina mbele ya Mungu katika maisha yake. Ilikuwa ni hitimisho la kozi zote hapa duniani.

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Τρίτη 13 Μαρτίου 2018

Two Orthodox Christians iconographers from South Africa


 

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Δευτέρα 12 Μαρτίου 2018

Helen Lieros' “Fresco Secco” in the Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangels in Mozambique’s capital (Maputo)


The Apocalypse

Lieros: Multifaceted, exceptional artist
The Herald

The photos of the icons are from the article Η εικονογράφηση του Ελληνορθόδοξου Ναού στο Μαπούτο της Μοζαμβίκης δια χειρός Helen Lieros / A Igreja Ortodoxa Grega no Maputo by fr Panayiotis Kapodistrias (in Greek).

Stephen Garan’anga : Visual Art

When we took up our artistic arms decades ago to venture into professional visual art through the then famous BAT Visual Arts Studios of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe we knew there existed a local venerate artist Helen Lieros and Gallery Delta. But we had not yet grasped what it is that makes one an exceptional artist and be widely recognised as a referral point in society. She was the first established artist to descend to the BAT Studios at the beginning of our foundation period and embraced us with her career art talk.
From that moment we were equipped with determination and genuine insight of the artistic journey that exterminate short cuts we had embarked on. We became highly inquisitive to perceive what she does and never missed out on most of her local participation in exhibitions especially at her confounded Gallery Delta.
Over the years what we have known on the surface of Helen locally is that she is a multifaceted no nonsense senior artist of high talent who expresses herself mostly in highly textural abstract painting work of rich colour from self-made pigments.


The Dormation of the Holy Mother (see here & here)
 
Her handmade paper too is a highly exploited surface of her work as a painter, drafts person and master printmaker and above all a generous warm-hearted and God fearing individual. Having highlighted the above few there are other critical attributes which need to be understood that uplifted her to reach the dizzy heights of creativity that we are accustomed to today.
This has a history, a tale of conquered obstacles through sheer hard work and resilience. Her recently launched art book at Gallery Delta Foundation for Art and the Humanities titled “Helen Lieros Mural Paintings” authored by her husband and co-founder of Gallery Delta, publisher Derek Huggins reveals she is a painter of the old masters’ calibre who executed great frescos of centuries still withstanding, appreciated and enjoyed by millions the world over by executing her own in Maputo, Mozambique.
The high definition images of her “Fresco Secco” which she locally first showed at Hellenic School in Harare when she gave her talk about the work now in a compact thick volume book illustrate magnificent human and animal anatomy with sublime flow of linear work of the drapery entailing what hard work and artistic talent is.
It is a rarity in this modern era to have an individual painter of one nation to be invited to another to partake such a mammoth task of furnishing the entirety of interior walls of an enormous iconic holly chapel with biblical events. She had to be the one fearless and capable to take us back to painting as we have known it.

 
The Panagia and Child (Moder of God the "The widest of the skies" / "more spacious than the heavens" with Jesus Christ)

Her “Fresco Secco” in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Mozambique’s capital attests to her remarkable consciousness of the subject, space, period and equally critical her incredible physical and mental strength which enabled her to well accomplish the masterpiece grafting even at above seventy. The work was executed over segmented periods of 1996 to 2002, 2008 to 2009 and finalised in 2013.
The project was conceived in 1996 when she was approached by the Honorary Greek Consul of Mozambique, George Tsihlakis, to paint murals in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Maputo. He had seen murals done just shy of three decades earlier by Helen in Harare’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. He furnished her with images of the naked interior walls and invited her to visit the holy space. She accepted to do justice to the call and with her typical whole painting kit from Zimbabwe she embarked on the execution of the “Apocalypse”, her first work of the fresco, with reference from the biblical book of Revelations. With the subject her intention was to have something which the general populace and worshippers would relate to and realise the necessity of peace.

The Crucifixion
 
Repeatedly before, Helen has exclaimed her worries about “Mankind Repeating History”. She is concerned with the archetypal, which exists still in the passions of man, and the apocalypse. Myth, art and fact in the ancient Greek civilisation revealed the struggles of man.
Now as then, we are confronted by natural disasters, civil unrest, conflicts and wars, and the search for justice and peace. In reality these events become apocalyptic as predicted.
Her thoughts are portrayed by archetypes in their battles, flights and migrations in their search for freedom and as related to the African continent.
The Ephitafios
In her statement on the execution of the “Apocalypse” she said “Considering the history and circumstances of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel at Maputo — atheism and communism had prevailed — my feelings were strong to eradicate the past in this beautiful but empty house of God by strong symbolism from the Book of Revelations, which I felt was apt.
I had many thoughts and had prepared many drawings and sketches. Climbing the scaffolding, I was in fear but started with zest by painting, on the left hand side of the wall, the Maputo Cathedral with Christ crucified in front and protecting it.
 
Then I put in the white ram and the “Alpha and Omega”, and surrounded by the four symbols of the winged lion, human, bird and bull. Further down lies Saint John who dreams as God tells him what to write. In the background are the seven churches and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Below, in the foreground lie dead figures, depicting wars, and illness by fling frogs as stated in the Book of Revelations that the people vomited”.
Her interpretations were created taking into account that it was a Greek Orthodox cathedral in Africa and necessity dictated figurative work. Encompassing narratives she has forsaken the traditional Byzantine style feeling that the essence should be vivid colour, impact and power. However, she respected the Orthodox tradition by the execution of such paintings as “The Panagia and Child” in a sanctuary behind the altar and “The Pantocrator” in a five-meter wide dome twenty five metres from the floor.

The Judgement
The Creation
In total she painted about 15 enormous works in the church which included “The Creation”, “The Nativity”, “The Crucifixion”, “The Entombment of Christ”, “The Dormation of the Holy Mother”, “The Judgement”, “Homage to the Holy Fathers” and concluded in 2002 with “The Pantocrator”. In 2008 she was asked again to come back and carry out more work on other walls and worked on “The Massacre of Infants”, “The Trial of Christ”, and “The Procession of Soldier Saints” and “The Ephitafios” completed in 2009. The final recall was in 2013 when she executed “The Baptism of Christ”, “Christ Asleep in the Tempest” and “The Healing of the Blind Man”.
Hats off to the local star and may her work continue to be of great inspiration to many.

Helen Lieros - Biography (from the article of fr Panayiotis Kapodistrias)
 
1958/62 Studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts, Geneva * 1960 First Prize, Association of Women Artists, awarded by the Swiss Government * 1961/62 Prix de Holzer & Bursary - State Scholarship * 1962 Diploma and Arts Degree with Honours, Geneva * 1962/3 Scholarship to the Institute da Statale d’Arte, Florence, awarded by the Italian Government * 1964 Returned home and taught at Chaplin School, Gweru for three years * 1985/86 Perfectionment Artistique, Ecole Superieure D’Art Visuel, Geneva: Awarded for improvisation of materials, pigments, colour and painting * 1967/2009 Lives and works in Harare

Workshops
 
1977/79/84/85/89 Attended Centre des Gravure Contemporaine, Geneva. Etching with D. Diovorne, Ecole Superieure D’Art Visual, Geneva. 1990 Invited Artist in Residence, Wanganui Summer Workshop, New Zealand.

Commissions 
 
1967 Executed four large murals at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Harare. 1996-2002 Executed murals (fresco secco) for the entire Greek Orthodox Cathedral at Maputo, Mozambique. 2008 Invited to return to Maputo to undertake new wall paintings in Greek Orthodox Cathederal. 
 

Permanent Collections 
 
Permanent Collection, National Gallery of Zimbabwe * The Cabinet des Estamps and Centre de la Gravure, Geneva. Museum of African Arts, Paris * Wilfredo Lam Museum, Cuba. Mini-Print International, Cadaques, Spain * Pinakothiki Sophia Laskaridou, Athens

Exhibitions (Solo)
 
1966 Naikes’ Gallery, Bulawayo. 1968 Polworth’s Galleries, Harare. 1970 Barbour’s Gallery, Harare. 1970 Stoa Texnis Gallery, Athens. 1972/75 Tara Arts & Seven Arts, Harare. 1973 Diogenes International Galleries, Athens. 1979 Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1983 Selected works, PG Gallery, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare. 1985 Galerie Chausse Coqs, Geneva. 1991 Major Retrospective Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare. 1995 “Diary of an Inheritance” Gallery Delta, Harare 1995 “Antithesis”, Mayfair Gallery, London. 1998 “Logos - The Word - Gallery Delta, Harare. 2004 Retrospective Exhibition - a selection of paintings and graphics over three decades 1974 -2004, Gallery Delta, Harare. 2004 “Diaspora” Sophia Laskaridou Pinakothiki (State Gallery) Athens, Greece. 2005 ‘Aeons,’ National Gallery of Zimbabwe. 2007 ‘Antithesis,’Sophia Laskaridou Pinakothiki, Athens, Greece. 
 
The Nativity
 
Exhibitions (Group)
 
1967 Federation of British Artists, London. 1971 Rhodesian Art, Beira, Mozambique. 1971 The National Annual Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe and frequently in ensuing years to present. 1972 American Embassy, Athens. 1974 Young Artists of Promise, Athens. 1974 The First Circle Exhibition, Harare. 1975 Rhodesian Select Exhibition, Ned-Art Gallery, Johannesburg. 1975 Graphics and Drawing Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1975 Art Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1976 Exhibition Arta, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1976 Select Rhodesian Artist’s Exhibition, Rand Show. 1977 Art Exhibition, Gallery Delta,, Harare. 1977 Aspects from Geneva, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1977 Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1977 Environmental and Experimental Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare. 1978 Emergent Art, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1979 International Etching Exhibition, Centre de la Gravure,
Geneva. 1979 Art Forms, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1980 Art Zimbabwe Exhibition, National Pavilion, Rand Show, Johannesburg. 1980 Expo 80: Graphics, Paintings, Ceramics and Sculpture, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1980 Creative Forms, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1980 Aspects from Geneva 2, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1981 Art Do Zimbabwe, Maputo, Mozambique. 1981 Graphics and Paintings Gallery Delta, Harare 1981 Summer Exhibition Gallery Delta, Harare. 1981/83 Recent Zimbabwean Literary & Art Exhibition, London and touring UK. 1981/82 Commonwealth Overseas League Exhibition, London. 1982 Art Forms 82, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1982 Paintings, Graphics and Ceramics, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1983 Solidarity Week, Beira, Mozambique. 1983 Spirit of Zimbabwe Exhibition, London. 1983 International All Africa Painting Exhibition, Dakar, Senegal. 1984 Black and White, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1984 Contemporary Graphics, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1985 Contemporary Graphics, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1985 Form and Symbol, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1985 Centre Genevois de la Gravure Contemporaine, Geneva. 1986 National Gallery of Zimbabwe Annual (NAM) Baringa Exhibition: (Special Mention in recognition of an artist who has made significant individual contribution “towards pinnacles of excellence in contemporary Zimbabwean art”). 1986 Wilfredo Lam Museum (Cuban Biennale). 1986 Mini-Print (Graphics) International, Cadaques, Spain and USA. 1986 Graphics 86, Gallery Delta, Harare 1986 Painting, Sculptures and Ceramics, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1986 Contemporary Zimbabwean Art, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1987 Platform 5 Images, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1987 Paintings and Sculptures, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1988 Paintings, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1988 Graphics, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1988 National Gallery of Zimbabwe Travelling Exhibition - New Delhi, India. 1988 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare. 1989 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Award of Merit (Painting), Award of Merit (Graphics). 1990 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, First Recipient of the President’s Award of Honour. 1990 Commonwealth Arts Festival & Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand: One of 5 Zimbabwean artists invited to participate. 1990 Graphics, Gallery Delta, Harare 1990 Mini-Print International Exhibition, Cadaques, Spain. 1990 The New Decade, Gallery Delta, Harare 1990 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1991 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Invited Artist. First of five selected artists presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II. 1991 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1992 Small Works by Prominent Artists, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1992 Contrasts, Gallery Delta, Harare 1992/94 Zimbabwe Heritage Exhibition, National Gallery of Zimbabwe: Invited Artist. 1992 War on Want, Savannah Gallery, London. 1992 Hope and Optimism Portfolio, Oxford, England. 1993 Graphics Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare 1993 Prominent Artists, Gallery Delta, Harare 1993 8 African Women Artists, Savannah Gallery, London. 1994 Graphics Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare 1994 The Land Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare 1994 Prominent Artists Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare 1994 Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare 1995 Gallery Delta - 20 Years, Gallery Delta, Harare 1995 Johannesburg Biennale, Zimbabwe Participant. 1996 The Land, The Landmark, The Landscape, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1996 Contemporary Art in Zimbabwe Today, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1996 Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta, Harare. 1997 Graphics Exhibition, Gallery Delta 1997 Prominent Artists Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 1997 Landscape - The Changing Scene, Gallery Delta 1997 Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta 1997 MBCA Decade of Award Winners, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare 1998 Crossing Boundaries, The International Museum of Twentieth Century Art, Unesco Headquarters, Paris and Expo, Lisbon - representing Zimbabwe. 1998 The Graphics Group Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 1998 The Prominent Artists’ Exhibition, Gallery Delta 1998 Invited Artist, First Biennale, National Gallery of Zimbabwe 1999 Works on Paper Exhibition - Gallery Delta 1999 Festival Exhibition - Gallery Delta 1999 The Land Exhibition - Gallery Delta 1999 Prominent Artists Exhibition, Gallery Delta 1999 The Eve of the New Millennium Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2000 Works on Paper Exhibition Gallery Delta 2000 Gallery Delta - 25th Anniversary Exhibition 2000 Earth Vision Exhibition - Gallery Delta. 2000 Post Election Selection - Gallery Delta 2000 Ikons, Gallery Delta. 2000 The summer Exhibition - Gallery Delta. 2001 Art from Zimbabwe. Art in Zimbabwe. Iwalelwa House University of Bayreuth, Germany. 2001 Eclectic - Gallery Delta. 2001 Wargames - Gallery Delta with Arthur Azevedo. 2001 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2002 Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Greece. 2002 The Small Works - View Point / Split Image Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2002 Explorations II, Gallery Delta.  2002 Totems Exhibition, Gallery Delta 2002 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2003 Olympiad 2004, Gallery Delta. 2003 Landscape Paintings, Gallery Delta 2003 Small Works - Insight, Gallery Delta. 2003 Ikons Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2003 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2004 The Collector’s Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2004 Fight Aids, Celebrate Life, Gallery Delta. 2004 A Collection of Small Works, Gallery Delta. 2004 Works on Paper - Drawings and Graphics, Gallery Delta. 2004 The Collector’s Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2004 Fight Aids, Celebrate Life, Gallery Delta. 2004 A Collection of Small Works. Gallery Delta. 2004 Old and Modern, Gallery Delta. 2004 Legacy, Pasinger Fabrik, Munich, Germany. 2004 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta 2005 Books, Words and Writings, Gallery Delta. 2005 Gallery Delta 30years, Gallery Delta. 2005 Black and White, Gallery Delta. 2005 Small Works, Gallery Delta. 2005 Landmark, Gallery Delta. 2005 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2006 Fragments of the Past – Lost Words, Lost Letters, Lost People: (With Marcos Villalta Pucci) Harare International Festival of Arts, National Gallery of Zimbabwe. 2005 Frame within a Frame, Gallery Delta. 2005 Expediency, Gallery Delta. 2005 The Post Election Selection, Gallery Delta. 2005 A Select Collection. 2006 Rembrandt: An African Response on his 400th Birthday, Gallery Delta. 2006 Drawings and Graphics, Gallery Delta. 2006 A Select Collection, Gallery Delta. 2007 Peace Through Unity In Diversity, Gallery Delta. 2008 The Summer Exhibition, Gallery Delta. 2009 The Land, Gallery Delta

Publications
 
Illustrated catalogues: National Gallery of Zimbabwe. * Arts Rhodesia, National Arts Foundation of Rhodesia, 1978 * Arts Zimbabwe, National Arts Foundation of Zimbabwe 1982 * Insight (Jan 1983) and other Newsletters of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe * Inflight Air Zimbabwe Magazine - cover.* Le Soleil, Dakar, 1983 * Africa Asia, Encyclopaedia Zimbabwe,1986 * Zimbabwean Stone Sculpture, Celia Winter-Irving, 1990 * Zimbabwe Heritage Catalogue 1990 - cover * 10 Jahre Zimbabwe Emotion and Kunst, Marie and Christian Schlaga, 1990 * Helen of Gweru, Fiona Lloyd, South Africa, 1991.* Article by the Artist, Southern African Art 1992 * Zimbabwean Women in Contemporary Culture, Diary, 1992 * Greek Artists Abroad, produced and published by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens * Africa World Art Review, Arts and Culture, 1993 * Gallery Magazine No. 4, and others in the series, Gallery Publications, 1995 * Zimbabwe: Legacies of Stone, Past and Present volumne II, Geert G. Bourgois, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium, 1997 * Gallery Magazine No 20 ,“Painting the Self”, Gallery Publications, 1999 * Gallery Magazine No 30, “Helen Lieros at Home”, Gallery Publications 2001.
 
See also 

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