"This is the place where I should be": Why Africans convert to Orthodoxy
The Russian Orthodox Church is actively strengthening its position in Africa. Western media see this as an instrument of Russian "soft power," but in practice the reasons for the interest are much deeper. Izvestia talked to local residents about the role of Orthodoxy in the region, the salaries of priests, and why they join the Russian Orthodox Church.
Why is Orthodoxy growing in Africa
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is actively expanding its presence in Africa, and it may become the largest in its history. Previously, the Moscow Patriarchate's activities were limited to several countries — Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and South Africa, but today its geography has grown to at least 34 countries on the continent.
According to Bloomberg, there are now more than 350 parishes and communities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa, and the number of clergy has reached 270. At the same time, the agency believes that the expansion of the church's presence is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Russian influence in the region.
However, the key reasons for the growth are related to internal processes within Orthodoxy itself. Until recently, the African parishes were under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, headed by Patriarch Theodore II. In 2019, after his recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a crisis arose in world Orthodoxy. In response, the Moscow Patriarchate established a new structure, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa. In a number of countries, entire parishes, along with their rectors, came under his control.
Today, the exarchate conducts active missionary and humanitarian work. Divine services and meetings with believers are held in different countries, priests pray for the sick, and in poor areas they organize assistance to those in need — they prepare hot meals and distribute groceries.
When the exarchate was created in 2019, it was considered primarily as a response to the decision of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, religious scholar Roman Lunkin said in an interview with Izvestia. However, over time, the structure went beyond this task and began to expand rapidly.
— There are missionaries in the Russian Orthodox Church who are ready to work in difficult conditions. In addition, some of the local clergy previously lacked organizational and educational support. No one helped them or really explained how to serve and create parishes. The request for a full—fledged church life led to the creation of a powerful exarchate in a short time," the expert explains.
He added that Russian missionaries are creating new communities, including those consecrated in honor of Russian saints Sergius of Radonezh and Matrona of Moscow. An important part of the work was the symbiosis of preaching, training for priests, education and humanitarian aid.
Icons of St. Matrona of Moscow
— Sometimes, without clean water and even simple transportation, such as a motorcycle for the priest, it is impossible to improve the life of the parish. Behind the outwardly vivid images, where priests sing and dance with flower necklaces, there is painstaking and often difficult work in remote areas of Nigeria, Kenya and other countries where security problems persist and armed radical groups operate," the Izvestia interlocutor concluded.
A view from Africa
— My grandfather was a priest. All members of my family are Orthodox. I study theology and I believe that the Orthodox Church is the place where I should be," Paul Tresor Vuego, a 37—year—old resident of Kisumu, Kenya, said in an interview with Izvestia.
He also notes that interest in the Orthodox Church in the region is growing noticeably. One of the reasons is the opportunity to get an education. The parishes have programs that allow them to receive free theological training and a corresponding diploma. In fact, the church often performs the function of a social elevator. At the same time, despite the strengthening of the positions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Church still retains a leading position.
— In Kenya, we have four dioceses with their own Greek bishops. Most services are held on Sundays, but there are also other days, depending on the parish. Young people learn to sing and pronounce notes, and perform melodies in different languages and dialects, such as Swahili, English, and the local dialect. We also met another exarch from Russia, and he is also gaining popularity," he said.
One of the problems of the Patriarchate of the Greek Church is the lack of money. The clergy depend on the scholarships that the bishop allocates to them. And these funds can vary from month to month. He found it difficult to name the specific amount that clerics receive as salaries, since it is not fixed and "very insignificant."
— The church does not have the ability to fully support the parishioners. The priests themselves are very dependent on the bishop's stipend, which is very small. Sometimes clergymen have difficulties in supporting their families," the source told Izvestia.
In these circumstances, financial support becomes one of the factors influencing the choice of church affiliation. According to local clergy, the Russian Orthodox Church offers a more stable system of payments and assistance to parishes.
However, despite the schism in the Orthodox world, it is poorly felt at the level of the daily life of believers. Many parishioners continue to visit their usual churches and may not even realize about the change of jurisdiction.
— At first, the parishioners did not even know about this: only the priests had information, who did not want to bring the situation to the level of the flock. There is no serious competition between the parties at the domestic level now," said Vuego.
From gold to the automotive industry
Bloomberg calls the expansion of Russia's religious presence in Africa an element of "soft power." Russian Russian homes are being opened in Moscow, media projects are being developed, and Russian language learning programs are being launched, according to the agency. However, Izvestia experts believe that these processes have deeper causes.
— Russia is forming a pool of local specialists and managers who will work at joint ventures in the future. This is a long-term investment in human resources for the economy that will develop in the region in the coming years. Russia's strategic interest is not in short-term benefits, but in integrating African countries into the processes of sovereign development. This is not about exploiting resources according to the old colonial models, but about technological partnership," explains Ahmed Yusupov, partner at the Goldman Agency communications agency.
And work is already underway on a number of joint projects, the specialist continues. For example, a large African expedition of the Russian Fisheries Agency has been completed, for which the first practical results have already been achieved. Within the framework of cooperation with Morocco, the Russian catch in its Atlantic zone can grow to 90-100 thousand tons per year. And Sierra Leone will provide a quota of 40,000 tons for 20 Russian vessels.
In parallel, active work is underway in the energy and mining sectors. At the end of last year, Russia and Ethiopia signed an Action Plan for the development of the NPP project. In Addis Ababa, it is expected that the station will be built in the next 10 years. There are plans for reactors in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
And in gold mining, Russia not only produces, but also acts as an integrator: the largest refining plant in the region with a capacity of 200 tons of gold per year is being built in Mali, and Ghana has expressed its readiness to export its gold to Russia, Yusupov emphasizes.
"And of course, we must not forget about the non—resource sector," he reminds. — Now, for example, the localization of the assembly of KAMAZ trucks, GAZ and UAZ in Ethiopia is being worked out, taking into account their requirements for gas-powered transport. So the work is proceeding systematically, on all fronts, without unnecessary noise, but with an understandable result.
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