Participants could hardly wait for the performance to begin. Participation was not manditory, however few of the sixth graders went home after this morning's activities. Many of the other grades were also in attendence, especially the eighth graders. „Participation“ is the key word in today's school concert because not only did the actors participate, but the audience did as well. It was one big African social event.



It's no wonder that many wanted to stay and  see the performance after four weeks of peperations: drummers had practiced three distinct rhythms and one musical scene in which the third grade preformed an african dance. The best part of all was the song „Baga gine“ sung in the dialect of Susu in Gvineji, a part of Africa from which our guest had come. All the sixth graders had practiced the song so well, that the entire audience also sang along. This uplifting atmosphere was the perfect introduction to Father Singboa's speach, in which he said that he had not felt this much at home in any other school and for a short time had travelled back to his homeland. And the homeland of Father Singbo is Benin.



Father Singbo says that he was sent to Croatia. A few years ago he had visited us in a student exchange oppourtunity.  He had returned to Benin and intended on staying there, but again he was sent to Croatia and now is a Vicar in Blaženog Alojzija Stepinac Church in Rakitju and in Sveti Križ Parish in Kerestinec, near Zagreb.

He spoke to us about his homeland in the Guinea Gulf. The grade six classes learned about it in geography and in history. They were learning about Africa for weeks, and in this way, preparing for today's meeting.
In Africa there is a great rise in population (now about 6 000 000) due to a large number of births. There are 40 different nations and languages present, but they are united by French. Beliefs include:  traditional African beliefs (amoung these Vudu is the most commom), Christianity is 35%, from which Catholicism is 25%. The GNP is only $400 per capita, 63% of the population are illiterate, and the life expectance is 52 years.

In Beninu there is a Door With No Hope, and a Door For Hope. Through the first door passed all the slaves which colonial France exported as a work force to America – which is why the population of Haiti have very similar traditions as those of Benin.  The second door, the Door For Hope is education.  Father Singboa told us that not all children can go to school, even if that is their wish. Going to school is a priviledge – a chance for a better life: more education is the key to an easier and better paid job.
Children from Father Singboa's villabe go to school by boat. In the photo we can see his cousin whom he had bought a small boat so that she could go to school. Other children go by boat-taxi, if they have the money to pay for it. The village is built on the water and is supported by wooded posts. Although the water is polluted, it is used for bathing, and occasionally for drinking. Father showed us a photo of where he went to school. He told us that in the fifth grade, he attented school in a barn. Your school, he said, would be a five-star hotel! The children of Benin love to go to school. What about you?
We saw a photo of a drinking well for one African school. It was build thanks to the help form an elementary school in Zagreb. The well is named with a Croatian name „Zdenac života“ (The Well of Life) and there is an inscription stating that it was a gift from their friends in Croatia.



After Father's talk and photo presentation, there was time for questions. Although the sixth graders were prepared with their questions on slips of paper in their pockets, they were probably overwhelmed and so didn't ask any questions. Instead, our guest pulled out three questions from a basket the students had prepared. There were three types: What is your first association with...What does something mean to you... What, in your opinion, is the greatest... Some of the questions weren't easy, here are his answers.

What does the word FRIEND mean to you?
For me, a true friend is someome who is with me not only when I am happy, but also when I am sad and in difficulty.

What does PRAYER mean to you?
For me, prayer means to create a bond between me and God. In other words, it is not only speaking to God, but to become aware of his presence in me. Why? Well, we speak a lot. If we say the words of the Our Father, for instance, or the Hail Mary, we may not know what we are saying, we may not realize when we said Amen. Prayer, for me, is that moment when I am aware of myself and of God, aware of what I am saying and of what He is saying to me.

What is your first association with tears?
My first association with tears. I don't know. For me it is an expression of both happiness and sadness. Why? Because we occasionally hear someone and say, "What that person said is so nice, it is so touching and then the tears start.“ Not because we are sad, but because we were so touched, isn't it like that?

What is your first association with a zebra?
I don't know which ones you mean – if you mean the ones on the street (cross-walk stripes), then they are white stripes, but if you mean the ones in Africa, I must admit that I have never seen a live zebra, so I am like you. I must go to the Maksimir zoo to see them!

What, in your opinion, is the greatest happiness?
Our greatest happiness is our parents. Because they not only take care of us, but they also show us the right path in our lives. If we begin to stray, then we can think about our teachers with whom we spend more time than with our parents. But our parents gave us the gift of life, so they are our greatest happiness because God lives in them and he speaks to us through them.
There were many more questions, and it would have continued until evening. We sang „Baga gine“ once again, „The Lion Sleeps Tonight“, and „Schnapi – kleines Krokodil aus Agypten“. Then we drank African tea...
Today we had a big African celebration...