The Boy and Girl Scouts of Central African Republic

Not enough credit has been given to the over 4, 000 boys and girls of Bangui who, under the banner of the scout movement, stood for hours on end as shields between Pope Francis and the exuberant crowds. 

No doubt the United Nations’ “blue helmets” working with other security agencies did a first class job of keeping peace in Bangui when Pope Francis visited. However, the boy and girl scouts also played a significant role. It was they that cordoned-off almost all the routes that Pope Francis took when he visited the Central African Republic (CAR), this week. 

Most of the young boys and girls, whose average age could not have been more than 17, volunteered their time and resisted the temptation to run along and be part of the big merry-making that Pope Francis’ visit ignited in Bangui. In the blazing Sun with temperatures ranging between 30 and 36°C, they kept crowds at bay thus ensuring a stampede-free visit.  In a way, the scouts of CAR epitomise the goodwill that exists in the young people of CAR. This goodwill needs nurturing. If this not done, the criminal gangs and the various rebel movements will get them thus feeding a never-ending circle of violence and crises that has been the bane of life in CAR.

In Bangui, I got to speak with one of the young men working at the hotel where we stayed, during the visit of Pope Francis. In faltering English, his wish list for CAR is a very clear: Peace, education and jobs for young people. Otherwise, “there is nothing to do here. Is to sit and sit and do nothing he told me. “In my family, I be the only one working. I want to be journaliste like the people (here) (sic),” he said.

Pope Francis, in an off-the-cuff address to the young people of CAR on the night of 29 November, after he inaugurated the Jubilee Year of Mercy, did his best to motivate them. He literally begged them not to abandon their homeland because of the violence and difficulties. “My dear friends, some of you want to leave your country, to go away. This is not a solution. Escaping the challenges of life is never a solution,” Pope Francis declared. 

He encouraged  the young people to marshall the necessary courage within themselves and resist the urge to abandon their country. Instead, he said, they must construct the peace they yearn for with their bare hands.

The preferred destination for many young people who leave CAR is neighbouring Cameroon.
(Fr. Paul Samasumo)

Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va