Friends further African interest
The Quaker African Interest Group met on 20 February
Twenty five members of Quaker African Interest Group (QAG) met at the Priory Rooms in Birmingham on 20 February. The event was for both ‘old Africa hands’ and newcomers to the network, organising group member Lee Taylor said. It was facilitated by Ann Floyd.
There was a great deal of sharing. Topics included the recent Friends World Committee for Consultation World Plenary, Quaker Peace & Social Witness work, the forthcoming Swarthmore Lecture and the first year’s work of the reconstituted World Relations Committee.
Participants heard first-hand accounts of the work of the Africa Peace Network, Friends of Monze (Zambia) and the Africa Great Lakes Peace Initiative. They also heard about the situation for African refugees in Calais and Dunkirk and listened to Abdul Kamara describe his experience as a refugee and how he came to Quakers.
Lee said that two passages from Quaker faith & practice resonated with participants. The first of these (25.13) was by William Penn, on the wretchedness of ‘wrong sharing’. The second (23.10) was by Gordon Matthews, on the need for a deeper spirituality and a more outspoken social witness.
