WYD 2023: African Digital Faith Influencers Urged to Be Faith Pilgrims, “not tourists”

Highlighting the significance of the venue to the ADYFI commissioning Mass, Fr. Ambrose who helped coordinate Pope Francis’ conversation with young people in Africa last year said, “It is at this very spot that the martyrs of Uganda started their journey to Namugongo, the place of their martyrdom. Munyonyo has retained this status in our faith. It is where any meaningful pilgrimage starts. That is why we are here to send off our faith influencers to the World Youth Day.”

In a Monday, July 24 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Pascal Mwakio, ASDYFI social media coordinator, said that members of the youth movement, which seeks to evangelize their peers living in digital peripheries will participate in the Lisbon event virtually and in-person.

He said that 15 young people from various African countries will participate in the ASDYFI events in Lisbon while a majority have registered to follow the events virtually.

“Many young people wanted to go in-person but they faced the challenge of finances. Others were locked out owing to challenges to do with their visa applications. A bigger number has registered to participate in the events virtually,” he said.

ADYFI has prepared an anthem that they plan to present in Lisbon, calling their peers to evangelize the continent. Their other activities include Holy Mass on August 3 and a festival on August 5.

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Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.