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How do ordinary Africans sustain hope and faith in a world marked by rising poverty, inequality, extremism, poor governance, and unrest—despite the rapid growth of Christianity across the continent? In this book, Stan Chu Ilo explores the spiritual resilience of African communities through the lens of a deeply-felt cultural expression: “suffering and smiling,” a phrase popularized by Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Drawing from the lived experiences of everyday African believers, Ilo examines the deep wells of strength, community, tradition, and religious faith that help them endure—and even thrive—amid hardship.
Stan Chu Ilo, a Catholic priest and theologian from Nigeria, is currently a senior research professor at the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology, DePaul University, Chicago, and coordinating servant of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN). He is author of A Poor and Merciful Church and editor of Handbook of African Catholicism.
