In one of the booths in the Plaza Mayor, the Mundo Negro publishing house, of the Comboni Missionaries, presents its publications, always linked to the African continent and its mission places.
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Jaime Calvera arrives at the Salamanca Book Fair with the latest news from its publisher, Black World, of the Comboni Missionaries. After 16 years as a missionary in South Africa, he knows this continent well and passionately recounts each book exhibited for the Salamanca public.
The first thing he relates is the purpose of this editorial, “specialized in Africa, missions and missionaries”, with the common thread of that continent, “which is a very broad topic.” In this regard, they have publications for all ages, from children’s stories and fables, which they have collected among the people of different African nations, especially Ethiopia, “to more serious books about African art, peoples and cultures, literature, history, etc.”
The objective of the Comboni Missionaries is to raise awareness among the population, and as they emphasize, they work in Africa, America and some in Asia, “but it is in Africa where we were born at the hand of the founder, Saint Daniel Comboni.” And when they are not there carrying out their mission, “we make Africa known here.” As Calvera argues, sometimes it is not talked about in depth: “The topics are not discussed in depth, and we understand that our purpose, due to the congregation’s own charisma, is to talk about Africa, and not to speak either good or bad, but objectively.” .
The testimonies
Among the publications presented at this fair, the books of African testimonies stand out, with some new features, such as “Nicole Landongala. From immigrant to international mediator”. It tells the story of a young woman from Congo who emigrated to Madrid at the age of 20, “and today she is the director of a reception center for African immigrants and an international mediator.”
In the same style, and also based on a testimony, is: “The boy who never gave up”, which tells the story of Emmanuel Taban, from South Sudan. At just 16 years old, he escaped the war and for two years walked across South Sudan all the way south to South Africa. His dream was to be a doctor, and he contacted the Comboni missionaries who helped him, “and today he is a dedicated pulmonologist, and is among the 100 most influential people on the African continent.”
Another novelty from the Mundo Negro publishing house is “African”which collects the testimony of African women of different profiles, such as doctors, artists, scientists, and as the head of the editorial points out, “very relevant people.”
