CB from Africa
Christian Brothers from Ireland first came to the African continent at Kimberley in 1897. The Vice-Province of South Africa was constituted in 1950. In 1954 the Vice-Province extended into Zimbabwe when a house was opened in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and in 1966, the Province of Southern Africa [St Joseph's] was established.
American Christian Brothers arrived in Mazabuka, Zambia [then Northern Rhodesia] in 1964. In 1967 Brothers from Ireland came to Zambia to replace the American Brothers. The Zambian Region [Mater Dei] was formally constituted in 1984.
In 1969 Brothers from England opened a mission in Liberia and in 1985 in Sierra Leone. The Region of West Africa was constituted in 1994.
The Gambia became an Area with the arrival there of Brothers from India in 1988.
East Africa became an Area with the arrival of Brothers from Australia in Tanzania in 1988 and then in 1991 in Kenya.
Separate houses, initially under the jurisdiction of the CLT opened in Khartoum, Sudan [1988] and Yambio, South Sudan [1993]. In 2000, South Sudan became the responsibility of the Area of East Africa. Namibia was established in 1996 as an extra-Region house of the English Province.
Pan-African Formation Houses were established at Lusaka, Zambia [International Spirituality Centre, in partnership with the Presentation Sisters] 1997; at Tamale, Ghana [Paul Noonan Formation Centre] 2001; at Nairobi [House of Studies] 2003; Greenpoint, South Africa [2006] and Stellenbosch, South Africa [2007].
Coordination
Early attempts to provide coordination of the Christian Brothers Mission across Africa saw the establishment of the biennial Pan-African Conference in 1989 and the Pan-African Commission [meeting annually]1991.
These two forums were supplanted by the Pan-African Leaders Conference [meeting annually] in 1996. This latter group consisted of the Leaders of the five separate entities [i.e. one Province, two Regions, two Areas], together with a member of the CLT and the Leaders of the sponsoring Provinces in Ireland [SMI and SHI], England and Australia [SPA].
In 2001, a decision was taken that this larger grouping would no longer meet but rather the five African Leaders, together with a member of the CLT, would meet twice a year.
This Group, known as Pan-African Leaders [PAL] shared the chairing of the group on a rotating basis.
The existing administrative entities within Africa, namely the Province of Southern Africa, the Regions of Zambia and West Africa and the Areas of East Africa and the Gambia, were reconstituted into four Districts of equal status in 2004 - namely Southern Africa [South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia]; Zambia; East Africa [Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan]; and West Africa [the Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia].
A Leadership Team, known as the Pan African Leadership Team [PALT], consisting of the Pan African Leader and the Leaders of the four Districts within Africa, was constituted in 2004 and took office at the commencement of 2005. Hence was born the Pan African Province.
At the Province Chapter in 2008, a decision was taken to appoint a full time Deputy Province Leader and the name of the Province was changed from the Pan African to simply the African Province.
