Heart and Soul: Russia’s Africa crusade

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When the Russian Orthodox Church set up its own outpost in Africa in late 2021, just months before the invasion of Ukraine, it was considered a blatant challenge to the historic authority of the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. It sparked a major split in the global Orthodox community. Moscow’s move was in response to Alexandria’s support for the newly independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. But it was also an opportunity for Russia to try to extend its influence across the African continent. Lucy Ash hears how priests in Kenya have been lured into joining the Russian Orthodox Church and asks whether President Vladimir Putin’s crusade for hearts and minds will succeed.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The explanation from the BBC World Service takes a deep dive into the big stories affecting our lives,
0:06.7	giving you an unvernished explanation of the world.
0:10.9	Search for the explanation wherever you get your BBC podcasts. At the Church of the great martyr Pantalemon in the village of Ebuyangu Western Kenya, two dozen Kenyan priests
0:36.0	are celebrating the arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church in this part of the world.
0:41.0	Wershippers sing Gospadip amiloye, Lord have mercy on us.
0:51.4	The refrain they sing is not in Swahili nor Luo, but in church, Slavonic, a form of ancient Russian.
1:00.0	Moscow's church is on a crusade south of the Sahara.
1:04.0	We came in Africa forever and we will try our best to serve African people and help them.
1:12.0	But are the Russians and their newly found followers in
1:16.0	danger of undermining the Orthodox faith? It is an invasion that creates confusion and division and chaos.
1:25.8	This is a documentary from the BBC World Service.
1:29.2	I'm Lucy Ash and for this episode of Heart and Soul, is the Russian Orthodox Church in search of African
1:36.0	souls or anti-Western supremacy?
1:39.9	Beneath the clouds of incense is a new cold war underway on the continent of Africa. high-spirited small children follow their teachers.
1:54.0	Father, they say to all men.
1:59.0	High-spirited small children follow their teachers lead and sing,
2:04.0	Father, take me to school, take me to school so I can learn to read
2:08.0	to the tune of a popular nursery rhyme.
2:10.0	It's graduation day and the proud parents are sitting on plastic chairs as the head teacher welcomes them.
2:18.0	The greatness of God for us to be here today and we count it as a blessing for us to have this school here.
2:27.0	Standing beside her, a priest in a coffee-colored vestment with a large silver cross around his neck is handing out certificates.
2:35.7	A man with a lackey.
	...

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