We looked at something with you, What Japanese Orthodoxy looks like. Surprisingly, it is there.
There are also Orthodox churches in Africa, where local priests serve. Orthodoxy on this continent is very interesting, original and colorful. And the faith of the Africans is no less sincere than that of the European Orthodox.
Just a little different …
It is surprising, but in Africa there are approximately 5-7 million dark-skinned Orthodox Christians, and five years ago in Uganda even a community of Old Believers. Temples in African countries have a very simple look - it may even be an old shed. And inside - not as chic as in European aisles. The half-impoverished states of Africa cannot afford to build rich churches. The authorities do not prohibit Orthodoxy - it's already good.
African church services are not quite similar to ours: they are often accompanied by measured drumming and specific folk singing, and after the liturgy, parishioners usually arrange national dances. Nevertheless, this is also Orthodoxy, just not quite familiar to a European - with an African flavor. And if you get to know the dark-skinned priests and Orthodox laity more closely, it turns out that they are no less devoted to the Christian faith than their European brothers.
Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya were the first of the sub-Saharan African countries to adopt Orthodoxy. This happened only in the last century, but Orthodoxy is developing here at a rapid pace. Other countries are also "catching up" - for example, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Congo.
Promotional video:
Taking into account the specifics of African states, namely, the poverty of the population and problems with education, Orthodox missionary work here is inextricably linked with social charity. At the churches, as a rule, there are secondary and Sunday schools. For example, the Orthodox school in Ishamar (Kenya) is so in demand that many children go to it from neighboring villages, covering several kilometers every day. And the surrounding residents bring their mobile phones to the temple: to recharge.
Orthodox Kenyans
Despite the fact that Kenya is a poor country, in which everything is not in order with security (it has not yet been possible to overcome street crime), many of its citizens are very open, artless and sympathetic people. A hard life teaches them to share the last piece of bread with their neighbors, not to envy anyone, be content with what they have, and rejoice in little. Perhaps that is why Orthodoxy was so close to the Kenyans.
In 1952, when the liberation movement against the colonialists began in the country, Orthodox priests and parishioners took the side of the rebels. Considering them pagan savages, the authorities arrested Kenyan priests: for example, Father George, the first Kenyan African bishop, spent about 10 years behind bars, as did the future president of the country, Jomo Kenyatta, who was very sympathetic to Orthodoxy.
In most Orthodox parishes in Kenya, services are conducted in English, which is quite common in the country, but in some places the local language is also used. The country publishes books with texts of services and prayers in local languages, but not every temple can afford such a luxury. Therefore, most often Kenyan priests use handwritten texts.
During the liturgy, women and men pray in different parts of the church (this tradition is not strictly observed in Russia). The preaching is very important, since the decision to accept a particular faith is made by Africans precisely on the basis of what they hear from the priests. Although in some Kenyan temples you can see rows of benches, like in churches, it is customary to sit only during sermons and apostolic readings.
Today in Kenya there are about 700,000 Orthodox citizens, more than 200 clergymen and one bishop.
Orthodox Ethiopians
Christianity came to this country even earlier than to Russia. The Ethiopian Church considers itself to be an Orthodox branch, and today more than half of the local residents consider themselves Orthodox.
Here, like ours, believers observe Orthodox fasts and celebrate traditional church holidays, but at the same time circumcision is practiced (a tradition that came many centuries ago from Judaism). There is no shame in being a Christian in this country. Many young Ethiopians wear wooden crosses on their chests, and it is normal for them to look into the temple to pray and light a candle.
The temples themselves are found everywhere in the country - even in the villages. As in other African countries, in Ethiopia the churches are very ascetic, if not "poor." Real handwritten icons are not so common - mostly they are copies printed on a printer.
As in our country, the Ethiopian Liturgy is usually served twice a day, and there are also night services. It is customary for Orthodox Ethiopians to come to church in long white robes, and the vestments of priests are usually blue or red. If a parishioner is elderly, he often comes to church with a staff. On the one hand, this is a tribute to the ancient Ethiopian tradition, and on the other, a practice that helps to defend a long service.
Local believers say that Orthodoxy is what helped the Ethiopians to maintain their independence (in every sense) and withstand the pressure of European colonialists and gentiles.
Orthodox Hutu
Located in the east of Africa, the Republic of Burundi (most of its citizens are Hutu people) is one of the poorest and most backward countries on the continent. However, even here you can find Orthodox priests.
Orthodoxy in Burundi, like in many African states, came from the Greeks, who were very active and are carrying out missionary work on the continent. The first services and church ordinances in Burundi began about 60 years ago. True, from 1970 to 2005 there were no services in the country, which was due to the departure of the community of Orthodox Greeks from Burundi. But now religion has revived and their own African priests have appeared. Two churches operating in the country belong to the Alexandrian Orthodox Church.
Four years ago, Innocent, a black bishop of Burundi and Rwanda, performed a mass baptism of the local population - then several hundred Africans accepted Orthodoxy at the same time.