What is Azania?
When I (Erika) was beginning our organization, I consulted with friends across the globe on what we should name it. I looked for one word which encapsulates all the things we wanted our organization to be known for:
Themes
Fighting against injustice
Making mental health care equitable
Learning mutuality among those we serve alongside
Addressing human suffering in mass migration, poverty, and modern day slavery
Learning to lament while rooted in fidelity with God
While much of the work we do is rooted in raw, harsh humanity, there is an otherworldly nature about the work of healing that transcends our human reality. When liberation and healing happens, something miraculous ensues. Something that involves God. I often feel like I am a guest; simply a witness. It is deeply humbling to be present when a person goes to the very cellar of their brokenness with the cobwebs, muck, and darkness to seek healing. And while the turmoil is tangible, there is this constant force that creates harmonious stability.
And it is this: God hears.
God is listening. The Divine hears our groans as we work beyond exertion for liberation. God sees our suffering as we beat our chests in anger and despair. Divine presence doesn’t just take up space. God is the inception and the completion of our hope and healing.
One friend recommended I call our organization, Azania. In some languages it means, “God hears”. In South Africa, it has anti-apartheid and radical liberation underpinnings. In Greek mythology, it is a fictitious place off the coast of South Africa that represents Afrocentric utopia. It speaks of the grit that those who seek liberation and healing have. One word. Azania. It seems to encapsulate the essence of it all.