Africa
God and Forgiveness on the Bathroom Floor: Immaculee Ilibagiza and the Rwandan Genocide
Some books are so powerful, so disturbing, I almost hesitates to recommend them or pass along a copy to a friend. Left to Tell, a spiritual autobiography written by a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, is one such book. A friend who read it at her church lent it to me, and the book spent [...]
17Jun2008 | Andrea Useem | 5 comments | ContinuedYour Grandmother’s Islam: Can Religion Be Separated from Culture?
Quick, identify this scene: At dusk, believers flock to a shrine, following the pounding of drums. They come to hear the rhythmic chanting of a living saint. A leafy stimulant is passed around, and the men and women chew it until they reach a transcendent state, rocking and dancing and chanting along with their leader [...]
4Sep2007 | Andrea Useem | 1 comment | ContinuedThe Moral Lives of Foreign Correspondents
Visiting a slum in Nairobi is like walking through a haunted house: a horror around every corner. You have to step carefully to avoid slipping into the open sewers. You see and hear and smell that people are living in situations very close to hell on earth. It’s hard to fight the overwhelming urge to [...]
27Aug2007 | Andrea Useem | 0 comments | Continued