the Basongye People of Central Congo
Question 1. : What did the Basongye believe before the Missionaries arrived and how did they act on their beliefs?
They were animists or [spirit and ancestor worshipers].
- Because they believe that every tree, hill, river creek etc has a spirit then they have to appease the spirits all the time with offerings.
Illustration No 1. : At Lwamba Mission in the Congo they had a hydro-power plant in mountain behind the mission. A spring had been capped and the Hydro introduction Pipe feed down the mountain into a turbine and supplied power to the Hospital and mission. One day a huge tree fell into the gorge and smashed the pipe carrying the water to the turbine.. This was not an accident according to the local fetishers. The spirits of the creek and the tree were not pleased with the Mission diverting the water and had to be appeased. The locals unbelievers brought in a witchdoctor to do his incantations and offering to the spirits. A chicken or something else was offered. This happened in the 1990’s
Illustration. No 2.
I was asked to go and destroy a fetish in a village called Bantamba Route.
The couple had had four children and wanted one more. They couldn’t conceive so they contacted the Witch-doctor and he made a fetish and they hid this thing in their outdoor back kitchen. After they had hidden this thing in the mud floor, their four living children died one after the other. They blamed the fetish. Now they wanted me to get rid of it as they were terrified that they would die too..
I went there and they showed me the out-kitchen and gave me a little hoe. The floor was red mud, rock solid dry. They all fled and hid behind the house peeping around the corner every so often to see if I was still alive. This fetish eventually was found and it was a goats horn filled with pig dung and some other trinkets in a small clay pot. We think this is rubbish but they are terrified by these things. Witchcraft causes death.
- How did the Missionaries change the lives of the Basonge people.
The Preaching of the Good News of Yesu brings deliverance to those who are bound by fetishes and witchcraft.
Instead of praying to their great-grandfather buried at the village cemetery and pouring beer down a bamboo pipe to feed him at Exam time, now they pray to the The Efile Mukulu [the Great God] in the name of Yesu [Jesus} and they are helped in their exams.
Instead of blaming a relative for a death in the family they know that there is sickness and disease. Before this they would kill the culprit.
The church became the spiritual centre of Village life and the pray meetings became powerful tools for Revival.
They built schools and dispensaries trained teachers, nurses midwives, pastors and evangelists.
- Did the missionaries treat the people the same way as the the Belgian government?
Answer. From 1885 until June 30th 1960 the Belgians controlled the Country first as the Congo Free State then as the Belgian Congo.
The Belgians built roads, established cities and towns, started industries such as the Cotton industry amongst the Basongye.
The locals were cannibals when the Belgians arrived and they tried to stamp out cannibalism.
The Paramount chief Lumpungu was hanged because he ate the fresh heart of a teenage Mulato [half-caste] girl one new moon. This had been his custom to get power and spiritual strength.
The early missionaries were severe on the locals. The first missionary to the Basonge had a man [a local Musongye] who caned rebels. Mind you I even was caned in school in those days. I got 6 of the best here in Australia.
Early Missionaries arriving at Kipushya in East Kasai, Congo
Pastor Elvin Lee arrived about 1944 at Kipushya Mission where Mrs.Robyn.Clark was born. He refused to beat the locals instead he prayed. He told them if they didn’t put new thatch on their church then it would not rain on their crops and it didn’t until the roof was thatched. They were scared.
I would make students to the secondary school who arrived late after the holidays cut a cubic metre of firewood for the Boarding school for every day they were late without an excuse.
- What were the positive outcomes for the Basongye People.
They have their own trained Pastors teachers Doctors and nurses
They run all their own affairs and support themselves.
3rd Year -Teacher Trainees at the Kipushya Teacher Training Institute 1968
They have come so far but the whole country is huge with 69 million inhabitants with more than 200 local languages and tribes. This has caused terrible wars and continual tensions between the huge tribes. Baluba 6 million Basongye 1 million.
A short peek at the Basongye, their culture and history.
Other interesting stories in
http://baabakennet.blogspot.com.au/ More Stories from Africa 1
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