Aid to the Church in Need: The Church is young – but the Faith is growing in Zambia's Northeast

The Church is young – but the Faith is growing in Zambia's Northeast

Posted by Project Description on 17/8/2009, 3:12 pm
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The Church is young – but the Faith is growing in Zambia's Northeast

By Reinhard backes

The Mambwe are an industrious people, who understand how to win their harvests from the infertile soil of southwest Tanzania and north-east Zambia. According to estimates, somewhere around half a million people speak Mambwe, the language of the same name, in these two countries of East Africa. The overwhelming majority of them live in Zambia, however. It is possible that the name "Mambwe" is derived from the word "Imambwe", meaning in essence, "no man's land" - a term possibly dating back to the time when the region was first settled. However, no one is really too sure about this.
But one thing is evident, nonetheless, and that is that many of the Mambwe have embraced Christianity, the first of them as far back as 118 years ago. In recent decades many more thousands have been added to their number. The Catholic Church in northeast Zambia is still young, very young. For many years it has above all been the laity who have lived the Faith, proclaimed it, and passed it on. True, the number of priests has also clearly risen, but this increase has not been able to keep pace with the growth of the Catholic communities.

Excited children at the ceremony for the Mambwe-Lungu tribe marking the event of publishing the full version of Roman Missal in Mambwe and the Mambwe - English dictionary

But of course a major impetus was also given by the missionaries from Europe, who fully embraced the austere life among the Mambwe people and preached the Faith by living it. In order to do this, they learnt the language of the people, translated the New Testament into the Mambwe language and published it. They also researched the language itself and among other things even published an English-Mambwe, Mambwe-English dictionary. At the same time they studied the religious and ethical values of this ethnic group that has been living in this area of Tanzania and Zambia for several hundred years now.
Additionally, the missionaries devised teaching materials for transmitting the Faith in the schools and catechism classes. Like the Church here, the Mambwe themselves are young, and it is estimated that over half of the population are still adolescents. Many schools have been established in which thousands of young Christians are now enthusiastically passing on their Faith to others. This has had a number of evident consequences, one striking thing being the fact that the percentage of those who are HIV positive is markedly lower among the Christian Mambwe than among the population generally. Zambia is actually one of the African countries in which AIDS is particularly widespread. Additionally, according to UN figures, this is among the poorest countries in the world, and it is also threatened by malaria.
In their homeland the Mambwe are seen as people who can look after themselves, who set themselves high goals – and achieve them. That is no less true of the Catholic Church here in her missionary outreach. Archbishop James Spaita, of Kasama in northeast Zambia, recently praised an initiative of the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) which has now funded the translation and printing of its Child's Bible, 'God speaks to His Children' in the Mambwe language. "For the young people in the Mambwe region, the Child's Bible is without doubt a blessing", he said. Just a few months before publication, the Archbishop had expressly urged ACN to double its originally planned printing of 10,000 copies.

Mgr. James Spaita, in white, at the ceremony for the Mambwe-Lungu tribe marking an event of publishing the full version of Roman Missal in Mambwe and Mambwe - English dictionary

His request was granted, so that the first printing will now be of 20,000 copies – and for a good reason. More than 370 catechists are now waiting for the publication so that they can use it in their prayer groups and preaching. The candidates for baptism will also receive one copy each. And not only this, but in the three parishes alone in the diocese of Kasama where they are Mambwe is principally spoken there are over 100 state-run or Church-run schools and over 5,000 pupils currently attend the religious education lessons that are given weekly by priests and religious.
Generally speaking, it is only those schools that pay their teachers a direct salary that can also afford to have teaching books; these are handed out during lessons. Where the teachers are paid directly by the parents, however, there is usually no money for books. In such cases the teaching is entirely by word of mouth. But now this has changed, for the Child's Bible has finally arrived.
This pocket sized 112 page book has had an astonishing story. It was 1979 when a version of the Child's Bible was first published by ACN. Now, 30 years later, the current version has been published in a total printing of 47 million copies – and in no fewer than 157 different languages. One reason for this astonishing success is the fact that the text, written by the German lay theologian Eleonore Beck, and the colourful illustrations by Spanish artist Miren Sorne, evidently appeal not only to children.
Clearly, in this northern province of Zambia as in many countries throughout Africa, one thing is apparent: Books play a crucial role in the transmission of the Faith, and many people who are only just discovering this Faith and currently preparing for baptism, benefit enormously from them.

To help the work of the Church in Zambia please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org