AFRICA - 50 years since the “Year of Africa,” the continent is increasingly urbanized

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - In 1960, the "Year of Africa," when most African states became independent, there was only one city in sub-Saharan Africa with a population of more than 1 million inhabitants (Johannesburg, South Africa). Now, in 2010, it is estimated that at least 33 African cities have a population of over 1 million inhabitants.
This development will have dramatic consequences particularly because according to data from UN-Habitat, a UN agency based in Nairobi, Kenya which deals with urban settlements, currently two thirds of Africa's population lives in urban slum settlements or at least in “informal” conditions, without running water, sewerage, transport systems and adequate sanitation. UN-Habitat predicts that by 2030 the African population will mainly live in urban settings rather than in the countryside. Therefore, there must be a serious prospect of living offered to young people in slums, who are uprooted from traditional African culture and likely to fall into the temptation of crime or even terrorism.
The rapid and chaotic urbanization is creating serious environmental hazards with serious consequences on the health of the inhabitants of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Among the risk factors include: contaminated water, lack of sanitation, air pollution, and the proliferation of disease-carrying insects. These problems are exacerbated by the use of chemicals in agriculture and industry. In addition to the diseases that have traditionally affected the African people (tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria, etc ...), other diseases typical of industrialized countries such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and asthma are also spreading, as a result of pollution.
From the standpoint of urban development, it should be noted that a large number of African cities were developed in colonial times as administrative centers and for trade, not as modern industrial centers and services designed to accommodate a large population. Consequently, several African cities have a structure based on a center with neighborhoods for the wealthy, for businesses, and for the government, surrounded by settlements (known by the countries as "slums," "shanty towns", “bidonvilles," “townships," etc ...). This presents a challenge for the Church and mission in Africa, where there have long been examples of missionary witness in the world's poorest slums, like those in Nairobi. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/1/2010)