Africa’s oldest surviving Catholic church is under threat

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🗞️ Driving the news: Africa’s oldest surviving Catholic church — the Portuguese Chapel in Malindi, Kenya— is under threat from rising sea levels, urban encroachment, and neglect
• Built around the early 1500s by Portuguese explorers accompanying Vasco da Gama, the chapel stands as a relic of Christianity’s early spread along the East African coast
• Its preservation is now uncertain, as climate and development pressures mount

🔭 The context: Constructed when Malindi was a prominent Muslim trading city, the chapel reflects the interwoven histories of commerce, colonialism, and faith on Africa’s Swahili coast
• The Portuguese presence introduced Catholicism to the region centuries before formal European colonisation
• Despite historical upheavals — including Islamic expansion, regional decline, and colonial shifts—the chapel remained intact, serving as a symbol of resilience and continuity

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The threat to the Malindi chapel exemplifies the broader vulnerability of coastal heritage sites to climate change
• Rising seas and coastal erosion imperil not just ecosystems and settlements, but also centuries of cultural history
• Preserving such landmarks is vital for maintaining links to Africa’s diverse religious and architectural past, and for fostering climate-resilient cultural heritage protection strategies globally

⏭️ What's next: Efforts to protect the site remain limited. Conservationists and local historians are urging Kenya’s government, UNESCO, and the Catholic Church to prioritize restoration and protection
• Without intervention, the chapel could soon be lost to environmental degradation or unchecked development
• The case also calls for broader integration of heritage sites into national climate adaptation and urban planning frameworks

💬 One quote: “Its survival is a miracle — but miracles alone won’t save it from the sea,” remarked a local historian advocating for its protection

📈 One stat: More than 13% of Africa’s cultural heritage sites are at risk from sea-level rise by 2100, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change

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