It's that year again - the World Cup. Scheduled every 4 years this year it is in Qatar, Qatar is very hot so it will take place in November instead of the Northern Hemisphere summer as previously. This gives me nice time to head round the 32 qualifying countries and this time I want to pick out one church in each one. I am not going to choose only churches that are to my liking. This is a exploration not a recommendation! To see all in the series select the label World Cup Churches.
Senegal's churches are found mostly along its coast, the part of the land in which various colonials made their homes. This is often a sad story, however, of the ultimate exploitation of any people - human slavery. Today there is a significant, but small Christian presence in a largely Muslim nation. Today the Christian presence is itself African.
On the very edge of Atlantic Senegal is a (Catholic) Church in an astonishing setting which I remember reading about some time ago. The church in Fadiouth.
Fadiouth is no ordinary island. It is made up of clam shells.
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And there on the island is a church - itself and its graveyard made largely of shells too.
Though it is a construction phenomenon in a unique setting, perhaps the deeper and happier fact of the island is that it is, rarely for west Africa, a close-knit community where heritage Christians and heritage Muslims co-exist in proper peace - sharing life together as well, not merely putting up with each other tolerantly.
If only that were true for larger parts of the the continent and the wider world.
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