The New Promised Land?

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  A country that offers freedom of religion, land for farming, maintains relatively low fuel prices and is free of Islamic jihadists? In fact, Muslims constitute less than 3% of the predominantly Christian population and are still facing difficulties in being officially recognized. Think Israel? No...perhaps, Australia or New Zealand then? Nope. The new promised land calling the Mennonites is an ocean and a continent away but it's certainly not Australia or New Zealand.
  The greener grass beckoning the "Russian" Mennonites is none other than Angola on the African continent. About 3 years ago a small group of Sommerfeld Mennonites from Mexico and Old Colony families departed the American continent and headed east. They partnered with a mining company and have since established several small villages, living in shipping containers and braving the new hardships that always accompany migration.
  Now the migration itch has reached its fingers into Belize. First Peru, then Suriname, and now Angola. I do not have specific information yet but there are a few families in Shipyard that are actively considering Africa. Shipyard is simply too "worldly" for them. Too many cellphones, too many young couples are seeking the easy life, too many government restrictions on logging and available farmland. Peru did not work out for certain of them and in Suriname legal hurdles are being faced.
  I am currently investigating more into this interesting report of traditional "Russian" Mennonites migrating to Angola.
 Note to readers: Mennonite is a religion, not a race. That said there are more Mennonites in Africa than in North and South America combined. However as far as I know this might possibly be the first time in modern history that a traditional German-speaking and ethnic European Mennonite group arrives to establish colonies on the African continent.












                        A. Mendoza
 
  

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