They are people seldom spoken of - the rural poor, landless and tribal people of India - at time when their country is being hailed as a new economic superpower. But last week they demanded to be heard, at the start of one of the biggest non-violent protests since Gandhi chased out the British.

Pacific churches need courage and wisdom to face the legacy of colonialism, migration problems, the downside of tourism, questions of democracy and good governance, the ravages of climate change and geo-political tensions, a gathering of Christians in the region has heard.

In order to fight poverty, Africa needs to mobilize similar efforts to those rallied against colonialism, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Dr Samuel Kobia has told Tanzanian church leaders.