This morning, the liturgy proposed to us, in the book of Exodus (Ex. 3:1-6.9-12), the story of Moses, the adopted Egyptian prince who became an outlaw in exile in the desert not far from the Horeb mountain – Mount Sinai – the mountain of God. That took me back 25 years…
I was in Mbezi (Tanzania) with Brother John Abobo. We ran a centre for street children. On Friday evening, at nightfall, the boys were watching a video projected on a bed sheet stretched between two trees outside my office. They preferred action films, which they commented on as much as they wanted, because they did not understand the dialogues. But that evening, short of a film that would make them unanimous, I played them a cartoon, a VHS cassette – probably illegal – bought in the streets of Dar es Salaam. I feared their boredom, even their recriminations… In fact, there was even more noise than usual. I had trouble concentrating on my work in the office. Then, at some point, total silence, just the sound of the film that I hadn’t perceived from the beginning. Intrigued, I went out to see what was happening… They were all glued to the screen, as if hypnotized by what they saw and heard.
The “Lion King” is Simba’s story, from his birth to his ultimate vocation as “King of the Jungle”, in the noblest sense of the role – a protective king, a provider, a servant, a king respected and loved by his subjects….
Initiated by his father, King Mufasa, the young Simba took advantage of his leisurely years. But one day, he leads his childhood friend, the young lioness Nala, to explore a taboo place, forbidden for a good reason, it was an elephant cemetery, haunted by death. His father had warned him, however. His uncle Scar, unworthy brother of King Mufasa, took advantage of his young nephew’s innocent mischief and devised a diabolical plan to get rid of both the King and his heir to take over royal power. He puts Simba in mortal danger, forcing Mufasa to take great risks to save his son. With a little help from Scar, Mufasa will die there. Scar will deceive Simba by declaring him guilty of his father’s death and advise him to leave… far away… never to return again. Simba ran away… far into the desert where he was taken in, dying, by Pumba, a warthog whom no one wanted to approach anymore and by Timon the meerkat, a species of small mongoose that lived in the Namibian desert. Both were living carefree in the desert, singing and dancing, feeding on all kinds of insects and plants. They will introduce Simba to the same lifestyle, teaching him the song that reflected their philosophy so well: “Hakuna matata”, all you have to do is let yourself live and enjoy…