African Mormons
The Book of Mormon Musical, which debuted in March, 2011, is perhaps the most obscene play ever to reach Broadway, yet it has been greeted with standing ovations and much favorable press. This kind of vile and slanderous material is the same sort that was mounted against the Jews prior to the Holocaust. Such material would never be presented against the Jews in modern America. If it were there would be an instant hue and cry of anti-Semitism, and yet it seems perfectly acceptable to the American population at large to vilify the Mormons. (Read the review at CNSNews.com.)
Part of the premise of the play is the sending of two eager young male Mormon Missionaries to Uganda, where they discover that all their training and talents are useless when faced with the overarching problems (such as AIDS and poverty) of Africa. Is this really the case? No, it is not. The LDS Church is growing quickly in Africa, and is not only bringing its members out of poverty, it is educating its members to live the Law of Chastity and to respect women. The Church also emphasizes education and sends senior missionaries to train members in hygiene and health care. Here are some images of African Mormons. Compare them to the images you usually see coming out of Africa and see whether the Mormon Church has had a good influence there.
Mormon membership in African nations was approximated as follows in 2010:
- Angola -- 2 congregations
- Benin -- 201 members
- Botswana -- 983 members
- Cameroon -- 843 members
- Cape Verde -- 4,000 members
- Central Africa Republic -- 404 members
- Ivory Coast -- 14,400 members
- DR Congo -- 23,615 members
- Ethiopia -- 949 members
- Ghana -- 40,872 members
- Kenya -- 9,370 members
- Lesotho -- 673 members
- Liberia -- 5,251 members
- Madagascar -- 5,516 members
- Malawi -- 798 members
- Mauritius -- 369 members
- Mozambique -- 5,079 members
- Namibia -- 605 members
- Nigeria -- 93,532 members
- Reunion -- 821 members
- Sierra Leone -- 8,330 members
- South Africa -- 51,710 members (fully integrated congregations)
- Swaziland -- 1,187 members
- Tanzania -- 950 members
- Togo -- 1,034 members
- Uganda -- 8,216 members
- Zambia -- 2,395 members
- Zimbabwe -- 17,632 members
Mormon Humanitarian Aid in Africa
The Mormon Church and organizations created and led by Mormons do much aid work in Africa. The Church has ongoing programs, such as clean water initiatives, measles vaccination initiatives, and neonatal resuscitation training, that operate in Africa. The Church sends humanitarian aid missionaries to many locations, but also organizes African Latter-day Saints to provide service in their own countries. The following are links to articles regarding Mormon humanitarian aid in Africa.
- Mormons Provide Help in Mozambique.
- Electricity-Generating Merry-Go-Rounds in Ghana
- Australian Mormons Prepare Birthing Kits for Madagascar
- Utah Mom Helps Albino Children in Africa
- LDS Church Helps Operation Smile
- Utah Pediatrician Saves Lives in Brazil and Africa
- So That Newborns Can Breathe
- 1985 Fast for Ethiopians
- Mormon Brings Hope to the Poor in Kenya
- Church Helps Bring Water to African Communities
- LDS Church Helps Dikembe Mutombo's Hospital
- LDS Church Provides Water for African Orphans
- All-Africa Service Project Mobilizes African Mormons
