Migration has been a major concern in Europe since 2015, when the European migration crisis erupted. In two years (2015-2016), 2.3 million migrants crossed the EU border illegally. There have been many videos on the Internet, some real and some made up, showing the fighting and the fighting on the Greek islands, allegedly perpetrated by immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. The fight against illegal migration has dominated the political debate across the EU, also influencing the course and outcome of the 2015-2018 parliamentary elections in Poland, among others. At that time, the societies of the so-called old EU began to take a more intensive stance on the issue of migration, and the societies of the new EU recognised that it was a problem of other countries – former colonial powers. There is also a growing belief that if you just temporarily close the border, the migrants will not show up.
The situation changed when the Polish-Belarusian border crisis began in the summer of 2021, followed by the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022. The mass influx of people (not only Ukrainians) to Central European countries has shown that citizens of African and Asian countries can also be found in the new EU countries. Moreover, in Algiers, where I have been living since August 2021, my local colleagues from the so-called popular class mentioned during conversations that they plan to fly to Belarus, and from there to get through Poland to Germany and France. They were convinced that it was an easy solution and were unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.
Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have become transit countries for migrants seeking to cross into Western Europe, as has Egypt for those dreaming of living in the EU. In the future, as the economy develops and living standards rise, Central Europe may even become a destination for migration, including for the African population. It is therefore worthwhile to look in advance both at potential migrants and at the institutions that can help them integrate. One of them is certainly the Catholic Church, which still plays an important role in the region, and its position in Africa seems even more similar to that of Europe in the first half of the 20th century. It is worth asking: Can a common religion help Africans to adjust to life in Europe? And how can the Catholic Church help? It is also worth considering how far away from us African Christians are in terms of worship, and what they have in common with us.
The purpose of this book is to answer these questions. It was originally meant to be my doctoral dissertation written under the supervision of dr hab. Karoliny Bielenin-Lenczowska from the University of Warsaw. However, by the time it was almost fully written, it was found to be too interdisciplinary for the standards of the UW Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology of the Warsaw University. It combines anthropological and political research. But it is not 100% pure anthropology and it is too poor in theoretical terms. In the later period together with dr hab. We tried to transfer the doctoral thesis to the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University. We managed to obtain support in this regard from Fr. prof. Ph.D. Jan Balicki (who, incidentally, formulated the final title of the work). Unfortunately, the change in my life situation meant that I could not afford to pay for my doctoral studies. So I decided to publish it as a book. First in Poland, then abroad.
This book was written in Cairo and Algiers. In the capital of Egypt, I conducted anthropological research on the titular community. After moving to Algiers, I explored the literature on the subject, which I obtained largely thanks to the kindness of Joanna Ławniczak and Karolina Dyl from the library of the Polish Institute of International Relations.
The structure of the book is as follows. In the first chapter I describe my social position as a researcher and the theoretical concepts used in the book. The aim of the second chapter is to present the roots of the group of migrants studied and the reasons why they left their homeland. For this reason, the history of South Sudan, its ethnic, religious, and political divisions, its economic weaknesses, and its social problems are examined. Chapter three shows what we officially know about the situation of South Sudanese migrants in Egypt: Egypt’s migration policy, relations between the two countries, Egypt’s social structure and the place of migrants in Egypt, as well as the problems of migrants reported by international organizations and media reports. Chapter four describes the history, mission and structure of the Catholic Church in Africa, including its activities in South Sudan and Egypt. The most important part of the book is the fifth chapter, which sums up my anthropological research. First, I’m going to share with you some observations of foreigners who have had the opportunity to live in South Sudan. What follows are the conclusions drawn from in-depth interviews with members of the community studied and from my observation of their participatory daily lives and religious practices. The conclusions will address the question of how well South Sudanese migrants are able to adapt to living conditions in Europe. And what role can the Catholic Church play in this regard? If you’re intrigued by the subject, I have no choice but to invite you to read it.
Maciej Pawłowski
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