Publications

JCTR - A "HOUSEHOLD NAME" IN ZAMBIA

“Promoting Faith and Justice” is the simple sub-title to the more complex major title, “Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection.”  It sums up very well what the JCTR is all about, as the social centre of the Zambia-Malawi Province of the Society of Jesus.  Now in its 15^th year, the JCTR is located immediately next to the campus of the University of Zambia in Lusaka.  Thirteen staff (eleven laity and two Jesuits) plus occasional interns, crowd our premises keeping busy with our four main tasks: research, education, advocacy and consultancy. 

Zambia and Malawi are two of the poorest countries in the world (ranking, respectively, 162 and 163 out of 173 nations on the UNDP “Human Development Index).  But both are countries of great riches – agricultural, minerals, climate, people, democracies, peace.  And the church is a young and vital force for good in society.  The Society of Jesus is growing with local vocations of great competence and dedication.

Our JCTR vision statement orients our work for the future in this context: “A society where faith promotes justice for all in all spheres of life, especially for the poor.”  For us, that is what “theological reflection” is: bringing the light of faith (inspired by scripture, the church’s social teaching, the experience of the poor, and personal witness of committed persons) to a critical understanding of current issues that will generate action for positive change.

The JCTR has become a “household word” in Zambia because of one of our major projects, the regular production of a “Basic Needs Basket.”  This research tells what a family of six needs to meet its basic food and non-food (housing, charcoal, soap) monthly requirements.  In mid-year 2003, the figure stood at about one million Zambian kwacha – two hundred US dollars.  But the average teacher and civil servant may be taking home about one quarter of that pay each month!  The Basket gets very wide circulation with extensive coverage in the media.  Academics and households use it as a measurement of well-being.  It is drawn on by trade unions as a basis for negotiations – indeed, the recent national strike of civil servants claimed salary increases because of the JCTR findings.  We use it in advocacy efforts for better wage conditions.

Our education strategies take several different approaches.  We teach courses in the local seminaries, offer workshops for laity and religious, and provide background materials for a variety of gatherings, both within the country and outside.  A quarterly Bulletin offers articles on social analysis and theological reflection; regular Policy Briefs on key social issues (e.g., GMO crops) go out to Parliamentarians, government offices and civil society groups; and our website contains up-dates on all our activities (see www.jctr.org.zm).  We use the print and electronic media extensively, with two or three items almost every week presenting our views to a national audience.  One very creative and enjoyable approach has been the employment of local “street theatre” groups to get across messages in local languages in the shanty (popular) compounds and rural areas. 

The church’s social teaching (CST) is both a project and a foundation for all other projects.  Each Advent and Lent we provide over 350 parishes and church organisations (many ecumenical) with homily guidelines linking the Sunday readings to current social justice concerns (e.g., treatment of women, government corruption, food security, HIV/AIDS).  These guidelines get wide use since they are translated into Zambia’s seven major local languages.  We published a 2003 calendar, with relevant daily quotations from scripture and CST documents both global and national.  A video series and short pamphlets for use by small Christian communities have been begun to promote wider knowledge about “our best kept secret.”  Several research papers have taken for their foundational framework key elements in the church’s social teaching, such as the option for the poor, solidarity and environmental concern.

The necessity and impact of research-backed advocacy is evident in two of our projects: the Jubilee-Zambia campaign for cancelling the country’s huge external debt (over seven billion US dollars for a country of ten million people!), and the movement for poverty reduction public policies.  We have been able to argue strongly about the ineffective and inequitable policies of the IMF and World Bank in dealing with Zambia’s debt, while at the same time pressuring the Government of Zambia to put in place priorities that meet the needs the estimated 80% of the population who live below the poverty line.

Two Task Forces complement JCTR’s work with interested individuals beyond our own staff.  The first addresses issues of inculturation (currently looking at pastoral issues and traditional healing practices); the second deals with the integrity of creation (currently looking at impact of solid waste disposal on poor urban communities).

The JCTR reaches out beyond the capital city of Lusaka through Task Forces on Jubilee and on Poverty Reduction in several provinces of the country and through close cooperation with the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.  But since the JCTR is a project of the Zambia-Malawi Province (the Provincial heads our Board of Trustees), we are also looking for wider participation in Malawi than we currently have.  This will involve collaboration on the ground with groups doing similar work, such as the Missionaries of Africa and the Catholic Commissions for Justice and Peace.

Pete Henriot, a member of the Zambia-Malawi Province and JCTR Director, has worked in Zambia for the past 15 years.  Prior to that, he directed the Center of Concern in Washington, DC.