Vlog October 2023

A Christian conservation group is fighting the Ghana government in court over plans to mine bauxite in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve. The protected highland forest north of the capital, Accra, is home to more than 700 species of butterflies, 239 different birds, and 1,134 plants and also provides water for millions of people.

The government reportedly granted a license to the Chinese state-owned Sinohydro Corp. to mine bauxite and build a refinery for the production of aluminium to pay back a $2 billion loan for infrastructure projects across the country. Experts say the mine would be catastrophic for plants and wildlife, not to mention the climate and clean water.

“We thought that if we didn’t take this step of faith, then we would not have acted well as Christians who are stewards of God’s creation,” said Seth Appiah-Kubi, the national director of A Rocha Ghana. “We’ve done all we’ve done because we are Christians.”

A Rocha Ghana is leading the legal challenge, joined by six other civil society groups and four private citizens. The case was filed three years ago and made its way to the Accra High Court in February. The conservation group has never filed suit before.

“Even though we’ve done advocacy and campaigns as part of our work, this is the first time we’ve taken legal action,” Appiah-Kubi said. “It’s a big learning curve.”

I was able to meet Seth a few weeks ago on a visit to Ghana, where I went to the Atewa Forest Reserve and saw some of its wonders, even as I could hear chain saws in the distance. I promised Seth that I would pray for him and A Rocha Ghana’s fight to protect the forest. I told him that I would also ask you to pray for him and we would try to raise funds for their work, beginning at the coffee morning at the vicarage at 11 on Tuesday the 17th of October.

I believe that what is happening to life on earth in our lifetimes is like what was happening to the Jews in Germany in the 1940s. We cannot ignore what is happening. We must do something. A poet recently wrote, “it’s 3.23 in the morning and I can’t sleep because my great great grandchildren ask me in dream what did you do while the earth was unravelling?” Supporting A Rocha is something we can do as a parish. I ask for your help.

The Rev’d Dr James Lawson, St Mary Magdalene Enfield, October 2023