15 years ago, I asked a confrere this question: Would you like a piece of chocolate? The reply from my confrere was negative. But why? – I asked. With a smile and a deep, profound conviction, he replied: because the price of cocoa on the world market is too low. I’ll eat chocolate when the price is just and the farmers have enough income to compensate for their work. I must admit that the taste of the chocolate I enjoyed suddenly became as bitter as the raw material used to produce it. This was in Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s leading cocoa-producing country. At that time, there were no factories to process this raw material to make life sweet. The first factory to process cocoa into a paste or powdered drink for breakfast was opened in 2015. This is over a hundred years after introducing cocoa into Côte d’Ivoire’s agricultural industry. Development takes time! If prices at the time were low, then what did producers gain from this sector, which was described as booming? Development takes time, especially sustainable and fair development. The cocoa sector is just one example among many, and the media assure us that this sector is booming. So I contacted a friend who owns cocoa plantations: her answer was simple: Cocoa? That’s a struggle! The evolution and increase of the price of cocoa in the world market haven’t necessarily increased the profits of the primary producers. I doubt if the confrère I offered chocolate still knows what it tastes like.

So what is it all about?

Sustainable development is a concept that has become a significant issue in global discussions over the last few years. The classic definition of the concept, when environmental, economic and social problems are becoming ever more pressing, points to the importance of thinking about long-term solutions that meet the needs of present generations while thinking about the future. This reminds me of the parable of Jesus about the talents (Matthew 25:14-21), where the servant who received five talents takes responsibility to ensure the future. So what do we do? The world is developing, and to think it is only about technical or economic development is a mistake. For development to be sustainable and equitable, it must encompass all the dimensions of our ‘stay’ on planet Earth. It cannot be successful unless it is just, i.e. rooted in values of solidarity, justice and respect for Creation, and guarantees a dignified future for all, especially the most vulnerable. It cannot be limited to economic, material or technical improvements. It extends to the human’s spiritual, emotional and social well-being.

Where and how can we get involved?

We can get involved in many areas: agriculture and food security, education and training, promoting social justice, protecting the environment, inter-faith dialogue and peace-building, support for vulnerable people and promoting dignified living conditions for local populations. This list of activities aimed at enabling local communities to assume responsibility for their development could go on and on. So, where do we go from here? The last General Chapter confirmed that, as a missionary Society, we respond to the challenges of the contemporary world by being sent to the fractured areas, to the peripheries of the world and the Church, where others would not want to go (AC, p.21). Do we have this zeal to go there? And if we do, how long will it last?

Development takes time

Time is an important factor if development is to be sustainable and equitable. Any action requires a good knowledge of the local situation, a close relationship with the people and serious community discernment.

Often, when we talk to senior colleagues who have spent twenty, thirty or even more years in the same place, the comment is that we move around too much. And when they say that, they have in mind stability in our communities: two years here, three years there, four years elsewhere… This reality touches us, and we know that managing human resources remains a major challenge for us today. However, we also need to understand that appointment to a community is not defined by the number of years. We are sent to a community on Mission and not to count the years. It would be a mistake to think that we are appointed to a community for three or at least six years, after which we must move to another place. This does not apply to particular responsibilities that have a clearly defined mandate.

What if we remained in one place much longer? This can only benefit sustainable and equitable development based on a deep understanding of local realities and a long-term commitment to the common good and, above all, to the good of the Mission.

Respectful development

The last aspect I would like to mention is respect for local cultures and traditions, one of the basic principles of missionary commitment. We can support sustainable and equitable development while ensuring that our action is integrated into respecting local populations’ cultural and social realities. We can do this without imposing anything but instead in collaboration with communities to find solutions best adapted to particular local contexts. Development also means preserving for the future.

I almost forgot! I just sent the following message to my confrere who refused to eat chocolate fifteen years ago: And now? do you eat chocolate? He replied: ‘Not yet. I’m waiting for the price to be just before I eat it. Development takes time.

By: Pawel Hulecki, M.Afr.