The International Fruit

From left: Fr. Hugo, Fr. Erick. Fr. Tony, Fr. Taneo and Fr. Geoffrey

Avocado is a fruit that can be found in many corners of the world. It is know for its healthy fats and other nutrients. It has many uses. Some of them include: manafucturing of cosmetics, making soap and eating as a fruit of or in cooking. Different cultures eat the avocado in different ways. Here in Tanzania, people eat avocado either directly as a fruit or they eat it with bread or in food. In Kenya, people add salt to it and eat as a fruit or with “Githeri”. In Spain, they put honey on it and scoop with a spoon while in Ghana they mix it with chilli and make a hot paste that can be either put in food or applied on bread. In The Philiphines they add some sugar on it while in Argentina they add vinegar. I mix it with eggs and little flour and I make a pancake. How do you eat Avocado in your culture?

This week we were graced by the visit of our provincial superior, Fr. Anthony Amissah, who came on an official meeting to the new Archbishop of Arusha Archdiocese. Also there was a delegation of confreres from Nairobi who had come to attend the funeral of the father of our Philosophy student from Maasai Parish in Simanjiro, Br. Boniface Motika.

It was on wednesday during lunch and there was avocado or “parachichi” as it is called in Swahili. We were confreres from Argentina, Kenya, Ghana, Philiphines and Indonesia. All had a slice of the sweet fruit and each was eating it in his own way. It is after seeing this that the Provincial remembered how he had once used the example of how people eat avocado, to demonstrate how different the cultures can be yet work together as one people. We all joked about it and we were happy.

The avocado fruit reminded us that our mission remains the same but each one of us contributes something different just as the avocado remains avocado no matter how it is eaten by different people from different parts of the world. We are missionaries from all over the world and our spirit of interculturality has enabled us to work together for the kingdom of God here in Kenya-Tanzania province.

We want to thank all the confreres who brought some laughter and warmth in our mission here in Arusha.

Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD