&

MESSENGER

AFRICA INTER-MENNONITE MISSION, INC.

Pastor and Mrs. Kabangu Lubadi Thomas

Pastor Kabangu was a Baluba refugee, went to the Kabeya Kamuanga area of South Kasai Orientale and is a noted, respected evangelist in the Zaire Mennonite Church.

WINTER 1974

THIS ISSUE. . .

Tribal Groups Represented Within the Zaire

Mennonite -Ghutch ie, cae ie tk ee ee et ee Cee geno) by James E. Bertsche Map of Zaire Indicating Areas of the Mennonite Church ...... 8

Beginnings of the Evangelical Mennonite Church in the

South Kasai Orientale ..........

by Levi Keidel

Varies |! Sciam nee S10, stom 6724

Dialogue - Baluba Exodus to South Kasai Orientale ........ 11, 14 The Nyanga Schootsfot:Girlsa a ew oer. eee een a 12a A General Report from the Evangelical Mennonite

Community in the South Kasai Orientale ........ 17 1857193.20,24,

by Kazadi Lukuna Muadianvita

THE AIMM MESSENGER

All correspondence regarding subscrip- tions, renewals, changes of address, or manuscripts for publication, should be sent to The AIMM Messenger, 226 West High, Elkhart, Ind. 46514.

Prompt notice should be given of

change of address, always giving both old and new addresses.

Published quarterly at North Newton, Kansas 67117.

Second Class postage paid at North Newton, Kansas 67117.

a THE AIMM MESSENGER

VOL. XLI Winter, 1974 NO. 4

Editor: Reuben Short Asst. Editor: Sue Barkman Women’s Page: Martini Janz

Publication Policy: The MESSENGER is sent to members of the loyal support- ing constituency of the Africa Inter- Mennonite Mission requesting it. It is our aim to publish four issues each year. There is no regular subscription charge. Publication costs are covered by free- will offerings of the readers who also are financial and prayer supporters of the AIMM.

FOREWORD - - -

Africa has been divided into countries. The countries have been sub- divided into provinces. Communities within those provinces are often identi- fied as clans or tribes.

At least ten tribal groups are united as one in Christ in the Zaire Menno- nite Church. Of course not all from each tribe claim to be committed Chris- tians. Each tribal group is characterized by some distinctives. In many in- stances, there are language differences. Tshiluba, Gipende and the Chokwe languages dominate in the Mennonite communities.

We have some interesting information about these tribal groups outlined by missionary James E. Bertsche - anthropologist missionary.

We also have some interesting highlights about the Baluba exodus to and settlement in the South Kasai Orientale. Missionary Levi Keidel interviewed Pastor Kazadi Lukuna Muadianvita who gave his version of the experience. Only a few details of this historical drama are given.

Archie and Irma Graber also supplied some information in a question and answer feature.

The attempt is to report objectively the story as told by the various indi- viduals without negation or endorsement of what happened. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances and events, a segment of the Baluba Christians separated from the original body and formed the Evangelical Mennonite Church of the South Kasai. Since that separation, there has been formal reconciliation with both groups continuing under separate corporations.

WINTER 1974 3

“If for non-Zairois, clan based tensions within the Zaire Church are clear- ly discernible, it may come as something of a surprise to learn that the North American Mennonite communities, when viewed through African eyes, ap- pear also as so many ‘clan’ groupings! For are not the various groups also often traceable to different ‘ancestors’ in different lands? Did they also not come to North ‘America via different migration routes amidst many priva- tions and hardships? Do not customs, traditions, local history, prejudices, dress, life-styles . . . and even language play important roles in maintaining the distinctions made between General Conference and Old Mennonite ‘tribes’ ... or the ‘clans’ of the Mennonite Brethren and the Evangelical Mennonite Church?”

TRIBAL GROUPS

represented within the ZAIRE MENNONITE CHURCH

by James E. Bertsche

The passage from chapter seven of the book of Revelation describing a throng of people ‘from every nation, tribe, people and tongue” calling out in unison: “Our salvation comes from God” is understandably taken by most western readers as primarily prophetic in nature and depicting an event that is still to come.

Among many of the younger emerging churches from around the world, how- ever, such a passage already has a ring of actuality and immediacy about it. It is so, simply because there are some church fellowships in some parts of the world within which a wide mixture of peoples and tongues already do say with a com- mon voice, “Our salvation comes from the Lord.”

One such is the Zaire Mennonite Church.

A bit of History

After much prayer and consultation, the first missionaries of the AIMM (for- merly the CIM) set up their first two posts along the west bank of the Kasai River in south central Zaire (ex-Congo). One was at Kalamba, a paramount chief’s village to the south toward the Angolan border, the other further north at Ndjoko Punda, a small government post which was reachable by riverboat from the capital, Kinshasa, hundreds of kilometers downstream. Both of these two locations lay within the traditional area of the Lulua people who became the first to be reached in a systematic and sustained fashion by AIMM’s early personnel.

4 THE AIMM MESSENGER

Ndjoko Punda, however, being a growing state post with commercial ac- tivities, soon drew other people as well, notably the Baluba. It was in their capac- ities as clerks, workmen and _ students that some came into contact with our early missionaries and became the first believers of what was later to become a significant segment of the Zaire Men- nonite Church.

Following World War I, there was increasing interest to push westward into what at that time was largely untouched, unevangelized territory. Pursuing this concern in the early 1920’s, a secondary post was opened to the west of Ndjoko Punda among the Bashilele people and the stations Nyanga and Mukedi were founded further south and west among the Apende bringing us, as a mission, into contact with the third and fourth major people of our area.

Working out from the newly founded station at Nyanga, missionary staff made contact with a fifth tribe to the south, the Bachokwe and a sixth small group to the north, the Bawongo. In the mean- time the staff at Kalamba had also con- tacted Bachokwe people plus a seventh group, the Balunda. In the 1950’s an eighth group, the Basonde, were reached. In the 1960’s with the establishing of new church groups in urban centers, the Bambala and the Bakete became the ninth and tenth groups to be touched with a consecutive ministry typically combining education, medical services and evangelism. All ten were distinct peoples with their own traditional areas and chiefs, each with their own language, traditions, history and customs.

Some Similarities

All ten of these groups belong to the population of central Africa that is often referred to as the “Bantu,” a term of several major African languages mean- ing “people.” Being all Bantu they do share some broad cultural traits. Among the more striking are the following:

—A social structure based upon the

clan or extended family characterized by:

-a deep, abiding loyalty to all. who share a common blood line.

-community ownership of land.

-shared resources.

-group activities, e.g., building, hunt- ing, dancing, harvesting.

—tThe institution of chiefship: -accompanied by a hierarchy of lesser chiefs.

-tribal grounds, streams, and natural resources considered to be in the cus- tody of the chief as titular head of the group.

—A broad framework of animistic beliefs.

-the African sees himself as _ sub- merged in a spirit world with all ani- mate objects (and on occasion some inanimate objects) possessing their own peculiar force and power.

—Respect for elders and departed clan members.

-clan units live very much under the guidance, influence and authority of the elders.

-the line of demarcation between the living and the dead is not “air tight.” Life is lived very much in the presence of the departed family members who are to be honored, remembered, and often, placated.

—An overwhelming belief in the re- ality of black magic and the power of its practitioners.

-a life view which casts the individual in a continual power struggle in which he must rally all available spiritual and supernatural strength possible against the negative and psychic forc- es which surround him.

-thus, the great dependence upon and

belief in the efficacy of charms, med-

icines and the benevolent intervention of departed family members.

Some Differences

But if there are broad similarities be-

WINTER 1974 5

tween the various groups represented within the Zaire Mennonite Church, there are also significant differences. Us- ing the following numbers as keys, the different groups disperse themselves in various patterns with regard to the fol- lowing criteria:

1—Lulua 6—Batshokwe 2—Baluba 7—Balunda 3—Apende 8—Bakete 4—Bashilele 9—Asonde 5—Bawongo 10—Bambala

Groups one and two share the same language with slight variations but all others have their own distinct languages.

Group eight lives in wooded areas; groups one, two, six, seven and ten in bush country and groups three, four and five in rolling grasslands.

Groups one, two, three and ten are primarily agricultural people while groups four, five, six and seven excel in hunting and fishing.

Groups one and two trace family lines on the father’s side of the house while all others do so on the mother’s side which gives rise to the interesting and important role of the maternal uncle.

Groups three, four and five weave raphis cloth; four and five are iron workers and do considerable wood carv- ing; groups three and six are well-known for their wooden masks.

Groups six and seven pay marriage dowries only after the wife dies; three and nine make dowry payments only after the birth of the first child; groups one and two have a system of gift-giv- ing throughout the life of the married couple.

Groups one and two trace the migra- tions of their forebears into Zaire from the southeast; group six from the south and the others from the southwest. These travels of their forefathers frequently brought different groups into conflict, record of which is kept and transmitted via oral history to the present day and contributes powerfully to the deep group

6 THE AIMM MESSENGER

awareness and loyalty manifested by ev- ery Zairois toward his own clan.

The Grace of God at Work

As our mission/church work grew through the years and touched all of these folk, there were varying degrees of response. Some, because of compara- tive isolation and more rigid adherence to cultural patterns and beliefs, were slower to respond to the claims of Christ the Lord. But with passing time there were more and more who through per- sonal encounter with Jesus experienced changed lives and who through public declaration of faith and the ordinance of baptism became members of the body of Christ.

With the growth and development of the church program, some new strange things were taking place. Early believ- ers, as they were invited to share with the missionary in proclaiming God’s Word, found themselves in situations of which their forefathers would never have dreamed. A catechist from group two came to work in a village of group three. A teacher from group three found himself at work in area nine. It was be- coming rapidly clear that Christ’s offer of salvation was for all men.

As the church grew there were more strange happenings. Churches have con- ferences and conferences have delegates. Thus it was that on occasion delegates from groups one, three and five found themselves with representatives from groups two, four and six the while dis- cussing a problem having to do with group nine! Not only had Christ come for all men, but it was also becoming clear that in Christ and through His love all men could become brothers. A new clan was in the making which was beginning to reach across old tradition- al barriers that had been so carefully respected and nurtured by their fore- fathers. This new clan was bringing them together in startling new ways.

Old Barriers Yield Slowly

Given the very real obstacles of tradi- tion, history and custom that stood be-

tween people in Central Africa, the emergence of the Church of Christ is nothing less than a miracle of grace. May the Lord be praised; the Church of Christ is a reality in Zaire. But this is not to say that fraternal love reigns everywhere and in all cases su- preme. Ancient barriers of language, customs, prejudice and tradition are still to be reckoned with in the land and within the Church.

Our own Zairian brotherhood was twice shaken by tumult within the space of a single decade. First, after the granting of political independence, our Christians from groups one and two were caught up in the violence of tri- bal conflict in the Kasai. Four years later our brethren of groups three, nine and ten of the Kwilu (now Bandundu) region were engulfed in the fury of the political rebellion of that era. Regional loyalties, interests and claims still have a way of surfacing in the life and pro- gram of our church all of which exer- cise an abrasive, disruptive role. There is repeated need for submission’ to the rebuke of God’s Word and the con- tinual necessity for reaffirmation of loyalty to the new clan which super- sedes all others, the clan of which Christ Himself is Head and Lord.

If for non-Zairois, clan based tensions within the Zaire Church are clearly discernible, it may come as something of a surprise to learn that the North American Mennonite communities, when viewed through African eyes, appear also as so many “clan” group- ings! For are not the various groups

also often traceable to different “an- cestors” in different lands? Did they also not come to North America via different migration routes amidst many privations and hardships? Do not cus- toms, traditions, local history, preju- dices, dress, life-styles . . . and even lan- guage play important roles in maintain- ing the distinctions made between Gen- eral Conference and Old Mennonite “tribes” . . . or the “clans” of the Men- nonite Brethren and the Evangelical Mennonite Church?

To be sure, the distinctives of traditions and interpretation held to each of our American fellowships are extremely significant to and for each one. But make no mistake, it is no less the case in Zaire. There is one signif- icant difference between North Ameri- ' ca and Zaire, however. Whereas pres- sures of tradition and culture and na- tionality were allowed to determine the shape of the multiple Mennonite fra- ternities in the first case, the struggle is one, in the second, to melt and mold widely divergent elements into a single new fellowship, a single new clan.

Just as there is continual need for the gentle moving of the breath of God’s Spirit across our own North American brotherhoods, so it is also greatly needed among our Zairian brethren . . . particularly at this juncture in the history of the Zaire Church as it seeks to find its way as a living part of the body of Christ and as a newly autonomous member of the world’s Mennonite Community.

WINTER 1974 7

LA fe Oa

REPUBLIC OF ZAIRE

Bas ; a dundu KasiaieOrtentad.

Kinshasa % re | an Sag + 4

j ke ee Ac Kashi Mbujigayi @ ad y Rg * a < Le 5 \ : Ss / pel — ie A m) j \ \ y : Katanga ee ets oe “ weeds : wel . prcnatrsin UAT WS

The Zaire Mennonite Church is scattered across three provinces - Ban- dundu, Kasai Occidental and Kasai Orientale.

The Bablba exodus was primarily to the east from where they were re- siding but it is referred to as South Kasai since they moved from the Kasai Occidental province to the southern section of the Kasai Orientale province— namely, the Mbujimayi area as indicated on the map.

8 THE AIMM MESSENGER

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BEGINNINGS of the EVANGELICAL MENNONITE CHURCH the SOUTH KASAI ORIENTALE

by Levi Keidel

Factors which provoked division in the Zaire Mennonite Fellowship - as told by Pastor Kazadi Lukuna Muadianvita to Levi Keidel. It is the struggle as Pastor Kazadi experienced it. It was a long, intense conflict mixed with mis- understandings, human failures and sometimes violence. But as Keidel ends, “Now, with our reconciled brethren, let us rejoice.”

For two reasons, this story has not been told. First, no one has gathered the facts in a way that would assure a reasonable degree of fairness to the par- ties concerned. Secondly, time was need- ed to allow wounds to heal and to see consequences in their proper light.

It is the story of conflict . . . conflict which provoked division in _ politics, tribes and eventually the church. A few readers may be so cruel as to hunt ele- ments in the story which might serve as gossip fodder, and thereby reopen wounds. At this point in history, there are many things which transcend in im- portance the fixing of blame. The read- er who has lost all his possessions in war, has fled as a refugee to save his life, and has stepped over the rotting corpses of his fellowmen who have died in starvation and in war, is qualified to set himself up as a judge and decide that “X” was more guilty than “Y”. The rest of us will read with great compas- sion.

Initial Disorders

Pastor Kazadi Matthew lived at the oldest station of the Congo Inland Mis- sion (now Africa Inter-Mennonite Mis- sion), on the north bank of the Kasai River at the port town of Charlesville. He had lived and labored in the CIM field for over forty years. He was presi- dent of the CIM Church and was recog- nized as its spiritual leader.

Then came political independence on

June 30, 1960. The national army mu- tinied. Social order disintegrated toward anarchy. Charlesville missionaries put the keys to their homes and personal ef- fects into the hands of Pastor Kazadi, and with other missionaries, left. To terminate internecine tribal warfare, the government had required the Lulua peo- ples to leave the mission station village, and relocate across the river. Now there remained some of the Baluba people in- cluding Kazadi, people of the Bakuba tribe which was native to that area, and small elements of population from ad- jacent tribes. The Bakuba were caught in the spirit of the times, and began to agitate for the Baluba to leave the area and return to the land of their forefa- thers three hundred miles east to the Province of South Kasai. Pastor Kazadi relates the story.

“Young Bakuba tribesmen stirred up their people,” he says. “They said, ‘The Baluba are preparing to steal all the missionaries’ things and flee with them; they'll leave us with empty hands.’ A great crowd of them carrying weapons arrived at my door. They were very an- gry. When Baluba tribesmen saw this, they began preparing for war.”

“When I saw these things, I called Ba- kuba tribal leaders to my house and we sat down to talk. I knew that if the Ba- luba started war to protect me, many people would die, and their blood would be on my hands. I had to leave; I want- ed to save my own life as well as the

WINTER 1974 9

lives of others. ‘I’m leaving for my home country,’ I told them. ‘Here are all the keys to the missionaries’ things. Take good care of them.’ ”

“When we were meeting, two truck- loads of U.N. soldiers arrived. They wanted to begin arresting people. ‘No,’ I said. “These people are those we’ve sat with for years. We’re arranging af- fairs between us.’ They took my wife and child to Tshikapa (one hundred miles south) where they would be safe.”

Dream

“That night I knelt and prayed. Things were bad. I said, ‘Father, we read in your Word that all the journeys of your people are in your hands. Why don’t you show me, in going ahead toward the des- tination I hope for, what affairs are waiting for me? Why don’t you show me that this path originates from you, and will have a pleasant ending?’ I prayed crying out with loud words, with tears in my eyes, and with a suffering heart. I sat in a chair to pass the hours of night. Sleep caught me, and I had the following dream:”

““A great crowd of women wore green leaves tied with vines around their waists; from the time of our ancestors, this is the way our women celebrate an affair of great joy. Some of them had hoes, others had brooms, others had baskets of lime powder. Some were hoeing a new path; others followed sweeping it clean; then others sprinkled lime upon it to make it white. Then I heard a voice say, ‘Kazadi, go.’”

“That dream gave me courage. When I awoke, I said, ‘God my Father has prepared a path before me. Ill reach my destination.’ ”

Departure

“A Young Catholic man from a- cross the river who could drive agreed to help me. We put two barrels of gas into a carryall left by the missionaries; I threw a few clothes into a small suit- case and that night we left.”

“We arrived at Nyanga _ Station among the Bampende people early the next morning. They had no affair with

10 THE AIMM MESSENGER

us. I explained to missionaries there why I had left. ‘I have no money for this trip, I don’t know what lies before me. I must have your help.’ They didn’t agree to give me money until I signed a paper giving them authority to take possession of my coffee mill and its diesel motor which remained at Charles- ville, until I repaid them the money; then they gave me 40,000 francs (about six hundred dollars).”

“We arrived at Tshikapa and I found my wife. There I learned from a soldier and a government authority that they planned to block my leaving. At that time, politics: was a tribal affair; to accuse and execute someone was an easy affair. I feared they would catch us. I told my wife and chauffeur, ‘It’s time to go.’ ”

Flight

“We took the road which led us back through Bampende country. We could not go east through Lulua country; they were at war with us. We hoped to reach Kikwit (three hundred and fifty miles west) where we could perhaps buy plane tickets to fly back east to our home country. One night we had ar- rived on the western border of our CIM field. We stopped at a village to sleep. During the night a _ great hubbub awakened me. I feared it was someone looking for me. When I opened the door, I found students from the Bam- pende tribe which had just come from Charlesville. ‘Your leaving Charles- ville shook up everybody,’ they said, ‘The night you left, people from all tribes, even from across the river, and from Luebo a distance of forty miles, ransacked the missionaries’ houses and ruined everything. No one remained to help us, so we left too.’ ”

Providence of God

“Many times we saw our Father hoe- ing the path before us.”

“Once we were terribly hungry. God sent us a Christian man, originally from our Mukedi Station, who gave us a letter to his wife in a village ahead. We

(Continued on page 15)

Dialogue BALUBA EXODUS to SOUTH KASAI

ORIENTALE

(Excerpts of dialogue between Archie and Irma Graber and Reuben Short)

Archie and Irma Graber directed the CPRA (Congo Protestant Relief Agen- cy) activities for the exodus of the Ba- luba people to the South Kasai Orientale. They knew many of the people person- ally, took personal interest in them, and served the dual purpose of relief officer and spiritual leader.

OK

Reuben: By South Kasai, what are we talking about geographically?

Archie: It is the southern part of the Kasai Orientale province. Zaire was di- vided into six provinces.

Reuben: How far is the South Kasai from where the Balubas had been living?

Archie: They came from nearly every direction. Practically all of them came from Ndjoko Punda - some from as far south as Lubumbashi. They had key places when the trouble arose. People were glad to see the Balubas leave. A lot of Balubas worked for the diamond company.

Reuben: Why did they go to the South Kasai?

Archie: That was the Balubas’ father- land, it is where their ancestors came from. When we tried to discourage them from going there because of lack of food, they said, “Even though we starve, we would like to go back to our own land to die.”

Reuben: How did they get started in the territory of other tribes?

Archie: They were something like the Jews. They were aggressive, held key positions, had the most money, got key men into new industries—at least at Tshi- kapa in the diamond mines, all key positions were held by Baluba people.

Reuben: What happened that the exodus was initiated?

Archie: They were choosing leadership for independent Zaire. Government po- sitions were being filled. Baluba people were getting into the prominent places in most areas and so became the hated. The people of the land said, “This land is ours and we do not want to be ruled by a stranger again.” So they decided, “We will just chase them out.”

Reuben: What happened when they went out?

Archie: They realized they were not safe. Rather than leave possessions they could not take, they destroyed them - even their homes. Some marriages were bro- ken because there was some inter-mar- riage with other tribes. Others had strong Christian convictions and stayed together. Not all left.

Reuben: When did this all take place? Irma: It began in 1960. Archie went back in September of 1960 and stayed until October 1961. He came back, was home until Christmas and then we went back as a family. In 1961 we were as- signed to empty the Lubumbashi camp. Archie: It took about three months to evacuate that camp.

Irma: There were lots of Balubas in Lubumbashi. They had gone there to find work, were ousted and didn’t dare go back to their jobs. The United Na- tions took them under their wing, let them form a camp with tar-paper shan- ties. There were about forty-six thou- sand. Everybody was afraid to go into. this camp because they were under the protectorate of the U.N. Because Archie knew the Balubas, knew their language, he was called from the South Kasai to serve as a go-between, to get these people from there to the South Kasai.

(Continued on page 14)

WINTER 1974 1]

Nyanga Girls’ Dormitories

New classroom and work building without roof - project of AIMM Ladies’ Auxiliary

Same building as above with roof partially com-

2 pleted. 7 ——— Classes are held in tempo- rary quarters until building is completed.

12 THE AIMM MESSENGER

1OOL for GIRLS

Genny Bertsche and LaVerna Dick seated at the entrance of the temporary class- room on registration day. Both teach at the school. Where was Frieda Guen- gerich, directress? Probably taking this picture.

Registered and ready to go to work. Genny Bertsche stands with ten of her pu- pils. These are single girls who in a few years will be wives and mothers teach- ing their knowledge and skills to their colleagues and children.

Thanks to the women of North America who have provided supporting pray- ers and funds. Additional capital investments will be required as the school de- velops.

WINTER 1974 13

BALUBA EXODUS... (Continued from page 11)

Reuben: Were there Mennonites among them? :

Archie: Oh yes. There were more Meth- odists of course. After about three months, we got twelve trucks to help move them. We put them on planes, trains and trucks.

Reuben: What about getting started at Mbujimayi?

Archie: Well, CPRA was gathering a huge supply of food and clothing in Kinshasa. Robert Bontrager was in charge then. From there it was sent by boat, and sometimes as many as twenty-five planes brought it in. There were also from ten to fifteen trucks in convoy bringing it. There was bulgar from Kan- sas, MCC meat, cornmeal, manioc flour, rice and I remember two big loads of Irish potatoes. There was also powd- ered milk, dried fish and beans. Mostly staples that wouldn’t perish. We had two Mercedes trucks and a VW Combi to get the food from the airport. We transported food and refugees. They were coming in carrying things on their heads, on bicycles, in baby carriages — it was a constant stream.

Irma: Actually, there were feeding cen- ters in the villages.

Reuben: What about people who died? Archie: There wasn’t time for a long funeral. We couldn’t even make coffins for them. You just tried to comfort the survivors the best you could.

Reuben: What was the prevailing mood of the people in the exodus?

Archie: It was mixed. They realized their homes and fields were destroyed. They left their work. Christians thanked the Lord - they were still alive. Glenn (Rocke) and I were helping one family set up a tent in the tall grass. They had four small children. It was getting dark and the father said, looking at the chil- dren, “My children will never know what we’ve gone through.”

Reuben: What about political -and so- cial concerns?

Irma: There was some violence. There was fear someone was against them. The political situation was shaky. Sol-

14 THE AIMM MESSENGER

diers were guarding and it was hard to get across borders. But I don’t think Archie had much trouble. He was known —he didn’t have that much trouble. Archie: We always gave out literature, a Bible or tracts. It seemed to create goodwill and we were able to get through. Company people gave beer and ciga- rettes, we gave literature. We never had trouble with roadblocks.

Reuben: Did the people all live around Mbujimayi?

Archie: Oh my no, they were scattered about around the size of Ohio.

Reuben: How long did it take to get started on their own?

Archie: They really got going within about six months or so. Well, it was longer - about two or three years. They had to build houses and it took a year to a year-and-a-half to get a manioc crop. But there were other things to develop like schools, the church... .

Reuben: What about worship?

Archie: Pastor Kazadi Lukuna Muadi- anvita is a terrific leader. They organized a church right away. As a community leader, Pastor Kazadi didn’t have an office, but his word was very, very im- portant. He has done something that goes down in history.

Reuben: What about the division of the church in that area?

Archie: It was a division among the Balubas themselves. I can’t explain this really. We don’t exactly know all the details.

Reuben: What do you think is the next big hurdle for the Zaire Church? Archie: Tll have to have about six months to think that one over.

Irma: It will have to find out what its needs are and try to figure out how to meet those needs on their own level— and that they’ve not come to yet. Many of the programs have served their pur- pose . . . many are no longer useful. The church will have to sit down and figure out what makes them a better church and then the big question is, “How are we going to make this work?” Reuben: About a year ago you finished building the Tshikapa Church Center. What did you sense happening?

Irma: We learned to know some of their groans. . . . We would go to them and say, “We've got a problem . . . we have this problem with the state.” They said, “Don’t worry, give us your papers.” We sat back and looked at it all and thought, this is really marvelous. This is our church in action and they are working without us. We’re just helping them. Once I ran out of flour. I went to Mrs. Kakesa and said, “Can you loan me some?” She did. We were neighbors. This was a capstone for our thirty-five years of service.

BEGINNINGS OF THE CHURCH... (Continued from page 10) found her house, gave her the letter, and she cooked us a good meal.” “Because our minds were caught with fear, we took a wrong road and ar- rived at a river ferry crossing which had been deserted years ago. My heart kept telling me that we would get across. To backtrack and use the right crossing downstream was over one hun- dred miles. We prayed, and then waited for God to perform a miracle. The hours passed. Those with me began scoffing. More hours passed. They be- came angry. After eight hours a man appeared in a dugout boat. ‘Is that Pas- tor Kazadi?’ he asked. ‘What are you doing here?’ In days past he had been a student at our Charlesville mission station school. He went back to his village and called about twenty-five men. They cut poles and dug ferry boats out of the sand, and got us across. “Near Kikwit soldiers had erected a roadblock. They arrested us and took me to their commander. He ordered me to open my suitcase. He found my Bible, hymnbook, and service medal the Belgians had awarded me. He said, ‘It looks like you are a person without political affairs; I don’t want it said that you died in the hands of my sol- diers. I want to give you two soldiers to see that you arrive safely in the hands of the missionaries in Kikwit.’ I praised God. On the following day, July 7, 1962, we entered a plane and arrived at

Mbujimayi, the capital city of South Kasai, the home of my forefathers.”

Suffering

“Archie Graber greeted me warmly. Then he wept. His heart carried a great burden. ‘Kazadi, you have arrived at a terrible time. People are dying of hunger. You should have stayed where you were.’ I said, ‘No, it is good that I have come. Now I can die among my own people.’ ”

“Archie introduced me to two pastors who helped me. One had welts and wounds on his body; they had accused him of political work; they had thrown him into prison and beaten him. We sat every day among the living and dead. There were so many, we walked over their bodies to make a path. Many were so shriveled, black and dirty and

_ decayed, one could not tell a man

from a woman. To tell about it now is just a breeze across the lips . . . but to see it with our eyes then was terrible. Archie gave us powdered milk and a few other things to distribute to the hungry.”

“Every evening we pastors met to pray. We cried to God strongly, with tears. Suffering surrounding us brought us to the end of ourselves. Slowly, other Christians from here and there joined us. My mind told me to gather together these suffering sheep and to establish a place for them to worship and pray. One day leaders of the group said, “You are the eldest among us. Be our shep- herd, and help us find our way. We will work with you.’ ”

We leave the story of Kazadi, to fill in necessary background information and to summarize subsequent events.

Political Developments

When missions began working in Zaire, each was assigned a geographic area in which to work. Different mission groups respected each other’s boundaries. Moreover, up to that time all public education had been in the hands of Catholic and Protestant missions. The Congo government accorded them fi- nancial grants to subsidize costs of edu- cation.

WINTER 1974 12)

South Kasai had always been the field of the American Southern Presby- terians. After considerable parleying, Presbyterian: leaders accepted for the Mennonites to establish their own work in the area; but because the Mennonites did not have corporation rights in South Kasai, Mennonites would set up classes necessary for the education of their children under the umbrella of the Presbyterian mission, and would be accorded their portion of government subsidy money through the recognized Presbyterian channel.

By this time, a man named Kalonji had emerged as the most powerful po- litical spokesman. He had gained added popularity by providing funds to finance the return of Baluba refugees. At a large meeting, Baluba chiefs named him “Mulopo . . . Chief of all chiefs, whose offspring will rule us forever.”

The founding father of the Baluba tribe had had two sons; Kalonji and his people were descendants of the younger son. Descendants of the firstborn son also had their political spokesman, whose name was Ngalula. These people said, “How is it that descendants of the younger brother have usurped rights of the descendants of the firstborn? If they declare Kalonji chief forever, we loose all our rights to inherit the chief- tanship of our founding father.” There was a coup d'etat; Ngalula established himself as governor of South Kasai Province, replacing Kalonji, and civil war ensued.

Separation

Inevitably, political conflict affected the church. It split the burgeoning num- ber of Mennonite refugees into two groups. Class subsidy to both groups was suspended. Pastor Kazadi was ethnically of the Ngalula faction. Gov- ernor Ngalula was replaced by a man named Munkamba, whose authority was recognized by the Congo National Gov- ernment, and who at the same time was son-in-law to Kazadi.

The school system of the Mennonite refugees was threatened with extinction. Georgraphic and ethnic separation from

16 THE AIMM MESSENGER

CIM administrative offices at Tshikapa gave Kazadi little hope of securing regular help through that channel. He wanted a kind of independence which would allow unhindered development of the Mennonite Church in South Kasai. With political factors in his favor, he recognized this as the propitious time to act. He went with appropriate docu- ments to national government author- ities in Kinshasa and secured full cor- poration rights for the Mennonites in South Kasai.

“When Kazadi returned from Kin- shasa, he called a meeting of all Men- nonite leaders,” reports Pastor Joseph Kalala, a Mennonite of the opposing Kalonji faction. “We did not feel he was giving us fair recognition in the selec- tion of leaders who were to represent us before the government. We could not find a compromise. Later, govern- ment subsidy monies due classes of our faction were cut off. A delegation of CIM leaders from Tshikapa came to try and resolve the matter. When they arrived at the Mbujimayi airport, they were arrested by military police and sent back out on the next plane. They flew to Kinshasa and explained the problem to high government officials. They se- cured a compromise for subsidy funds to be divided between the two groups. Thus we continued trusting the help of our mother church at Tshikapa, and Kazadi continued on his own.”

Kazadi Speaks His Heart

Pastor Kazadi says, “During those very hard days, all of us did some things we are now sorry for. I’ve heard that some people in America accuse me of purposely breaking off from CIM so that I could set up myself as chief of my own separate church kingdom. If I had gathered all my things together at Charlesville, and left at one time with a big group of followers, people would have reason to thus accuse me. But I left a fleeing refugee with only a suitcase in my hands. When I arrived at Mbujimayi, I found myself sitting under a tree in the high grass with a

(Continued on page 24)