A MISSIONARY APPROACH IS WHAT IS NEEDED TO DEVELOP AFRICA

 

HOW TO DEVELOP AFRICA

When I first heard about Dr. Ludwig Krapf’s visit to Kenya in 1844, I was in class seven or eight in my primary school, at that time, I was 13 years old. It was important to know him and several other names of early missionaries, because no pupil was in control over which name would be tested in the national examination. The questions in the examination at that level would mostly take the shape of – Who was the first Missionary to come to Kenya, or which year they came, and the multiple choices would be provided for you to choose from.

Long before that, when I was just a few days old in this word, I had been introduced to early missionaries work and the indoctrination had begun. My mum, who I love so much had voluntarily presented me to church so I could be blessed and be given a name. A Christian name. The shaping of my identity, who I would become and how I would view the world had voluntarily been designed for me. My parents especially my mum, was assigned naturally the task of ensuring I learn and become that person. The society had also been designed to nurture me into being that spiritual animal. And I say this with pride, not regrets.

As I grew through various stages of my life, there was sufficient support, systems and structures to naturally bend me towards spirituality.

THE LONG-TERM VIEW OF MISSIONARY WORK AND LESSONS WE MUST LEARN FROM IT

Just like Dr. Ludwig and all other early missionaries, they understood the power of time and that if they would succeed, theirs was to lay a foundation and build a framework upon which the future work would unfold. It was not in their place to change everything, but rather theirs was to get it started. As I have reflected on their works and that of the many pioneering missionaries, I have picked several significant lessons that I think are critical, if not fundamental for development and moving of Africa out-off shackles of extreme poverty.

1.       The doctrine of identity, purpose and Hope

We are children of God and He loves us all.

Early missionaries in Africa took time to live with the people, they learned their ways, without losing sight of their goal- they suffered the harsh climatic conditions, language and cultural barriers including the wilderness effect, history reports many having died from malaria, cholera and many other threatening conditions. But for every suffering and death, so was one more heart won, Suffering and conquering or living for greater purpose was not only preached but practiced. Every time, I drive around Western Kenya for Example, I can’t help but notice many institutions called Friends School…..., Friends Church…., Friends Something…..., Such identifications were normal and important with missionaries if at all they were to make headway. 

Even as they sought to identify with the people and be acknowledged as part of them, their sense of purpose and goal never escaped their mind. Each and every day, they melted the hearts through acts of charity, benevolence, willingness to learn, suffering and but ultimately converting the hearts of the people and bending them towards spirituality and belief in a higher being of their perspective.

Curating hope and sense of a better future was not only critical to their course, but in entrenching the values of long suffering and looking forward to greater and better life, if not in this life, in post mortality. This defines the long-term view of their work, the almost infinite concept that kept my grandmother going, my mum and I am enthusiastically passing it to my children.

2.       The imagery and Institutions of Change-

Seeing is believing-

Missionaries never traveled to a place and left, without leaving a mark- a physical, tangible mark- whether it was as small as a rosary cross handed to an old woman or dressed round the neck of a young boy, A big monument of a cross with a curving of Jesus Christ, His head plaited with thorns erected at the center of the village- or A church built in the middle of no where to bring together the new followers.

Let me analyze the Church buildings a little bit more-

Building a church in an area should be considered the highest on the hierarchy of achievements of all the missionaries. In my small village of just 100 or so households and approximately 400 to 750 people, we had three major churches in 1997, when I started primary school. Its important to mention this because, my family shares a fence with a Church and I know the people in my community who are the pioneers, they worked tirelessly with the head mission to bring the church in our village.

Establishing of churches, meant converts have a place to congregate and strengthen one another, as they met once a week, their faith grew and their sense of purpose increased. But a church was more than that, it represented an institution.

As written in the bible, ‘where two or more are gathered in my name, there my presence is’. It means that an overwhelming higher power beyond any individual person takes precedence whenever a group is gathered. Such power is even twofold when the people are gathered in pursuit of higher ideals. 

 As the gathering happened so was the institutionalization of the work of the missionaries. In this little place of gathering more than praying happened. People became agents of change unto themselves, talents of who could be local missionaries were discovered, leaders were born, leaders were baptized, followers were gathered, followers were converted and followers were baptized in these places of worship and everyone became engaged in the work… Including my lovely sweet mum.

Outside the building, those who were not members wrestled with the idea of joining or not- some eventually did join, while others who sought different identities waited for different sets of missionaries to come.

Growing up, the church in my village became that symbol of faith and spirituality and from generation to generation, it has been passed down not by the missionaries, but by the community itself that has assumed ownership.

Imagine if this was a banking or a food producing company that was being worked on....

3.       Ownership and continuity

Missionaries understood that the longest they could be around was 99 years if at all they started their work when they were one day old. And so, as they traveled, they made it their business to recruit and affirm local agents and leaders. They trained altar boys, organized pastoring seminars and where needed shipped potential bishops and leaders abroad to prepare them for the greater call and mission. It was not very difficult to start with Father- John from Italy and just below 10 years the community could have Father Luke who looked like everyone in the congregation and came from a stone throw away from the church.

Making it easy to learn the ways, believing that everyone can be called of God and never needed any special capabilities prior, beside the willing heart and commitment to serve, allowed people like my mum to be a Church treasurers, a position she has held since I was 10 years old, even though she never attended any accounting school. Trust like this can make people mess-up, but it can also make wonders to happen, from all the churches I see in the rural communities and I have seen them for years, it shows that wonders happened.

The doctrinal approach demonstrated by missionaries that sought to convert people into doers of the word- Is what we need to apply to have people become doers and partakers of development initiatives. Investing in community ownership, developing economic institutions that empower local communities and having a long term view, has potential of turning fortunes of even the most desolated communities in vibrant and thriving economic hubs.

 The article has been authored by 

Zachuas Ogonji Olopi

Executive Director- Plomuna Project Investment Limited

Founder of www.villagetoglobal.org and many other grassroots based organizations that champion for development of rural communities.