Outreach: Matembezi au Kazi fulani
Katika Shule, kila mwaka, Wanafunzi wanatembea katika Tanzania, au wanaenda katika Parokia au Kijiji kufanya kazi fulani.
Walking in the foot steps of the Missionaries of the first Caravan
First Part
11/4/2010 – 23/4/2010
In the year 2008 the Missionaries of Africa celebrated 130 years since the first ‘White Fathers’ entered Tanzania, in 1878. Various celebrations were held in different regions of Tanzania: Bagamoyo, Tabora, Mwanza and Kigoma. Those living in Dar-es-Salaam went to Bagamoyo to re-enact the arrival by boat of the 10 missionaries and the welcoming by the Holy Ghost Fathers, already established there since 1868. After a celebration in the first Catholic Church built in Tanzania, the whole crowd went up to the river Ruvu, where our missionaries encountered the first difficulties of their long trip up to Kigoma and Uganda via Tabora. But none among the crowd went further.
Since then I always wanted to cross the river Ruvu and to walk in their steps. This dream was partially realized in April 2010. In 2009 the Community of Agape opened a Formation House – of which I am in charge being the Chaplain of that Community – in the diocese of Morogoro, at the foot of Mount Kungwe. Reading the diary of the first caravan, I noticed that they passed on the Northern side of Mount Kungwe, only two hours walk from the new centre, established at the Southern side. So with the members of the Formation House we planned to walk from there up to Mpwapwa, about 250 kms, as a kind of spiritual experience before closing the year. It took us quite a time to prepare ourselves spiritually, psychologically and physically. During the whole Lent we fasted, skipping the midday lunch and prayed everyday, reading the bible and the diary of the first caravan.
Walking in the same path
We tried as much as possible to follow the road the Missionaries followed, which was in fact the main road the caravans of slaves were passing. In the preparation of the safari, we went by car to try to find the different places written on the map left by the Missionaries. We had to face some challenges. First, the spelling of many names written in the diary is different from the actual spelling which made the preparation of our safari more difficult. People are used to say that the European deformed the pronunciation of the names. Secondely, there were many names written in the diary which are not written on the actual. However, in our safari, with a little bit of observation, common sense and talking with the elders, we could find many places where the Missionaries really walked. People gave us some other names for the same places, and so we were able to identify the names written in the diary but which are not in the map of to-day. For example after staying at Kikundi, they did not sleep at Kiroka, the pagazi being afraid of lions, who have eaten the preceding years 5 people, but they pushed up to Mohale. Mohale is nowhere to be found in the actual map but after talking with elderly people, they explained to us that Mohale was on the other side of the Ngalo Pass. So the Missionaries, leaving Kikundi passed Kiroka, climbed for a whole hour passing through the défilé and finally, arriving on the top, they saw a ‘magnifique plaine’. They descended slowly up to Mohale, which is now part of Kingolwira, a sisal estate. On our safari we slept a Kiroka not knowing where Mohale was. But the next day we passed through the défilé and saw Mohale on our right as it is written in the diary.
On their journey between Kungwe to Mpwapwa, the Missionaires stayed at a place where there were bamboos, in Swahili, Mianzi. We slept at a small village called Vianzi and the people told us that there were a forest of bamboos formerly, still some parts remained, but we did not see any. In one place the environments are still as Fr. Deniaud wrote: ‘comme dans un parc‘.
But on the whole the environments are complety different. Instead of paths there are roads, sometimes tarmack roads, bridges over big rivers, railways, intead of ‘Pori‘, there are big villages or towns, and so on. Only the mountains and rivers are still there which give us some indications.
Nothing remained of Simbamwene, the famous village which H.M. Stanley described so enthousiastically. People showed me three different places which are believed to be Simbamwene: Kaole near le convent of Sisters at Kigurunyembe, Misongeni and still another place not too far. It seems to me that Simbamwene covered a large area. With Mama Mkuu, the Mother General of the Sisters of Mgolole, diocese of Morogoro, we went to see an old woman fully alive, Zuhula Hussein, the grand daughter of Simbamwene. According to the diary Simbamwene is a man.
Zuhura Hussein
Malkia, the Queen Simbamwene, is there in the middle of the town of Morogoro, while her father, Simbamwene himself, is buried near the Kingo Mosque.
Zuhula Hussein complained that a few years back some Germans came to see her and asked ther some questions about Simbamwene. They bought ‘her book’ and the throne of Simbamwene! Her stick and collar are still among her relatives but they were not present at that moment.
When the Missionaries established their camp near the river Mwere or Morogoro, at one km of Simbamwene, they chose a place under a Mparamusi tree surrounded by jungle. Now it is situated in the centre of Morogoro, a town of more than 150.000 inhabitants, spreading from Mbuyuni to Mazimbu. It took us one and half day to walk throught it on foot.
I was thrilled to pass through the valley of Mkondowa between Kilosa and Kidete, where no road has been built. The Germans constructed the first railways at the beginning of the XX century, following more or less the path of the caravans. The countryside is magnifique, forested hills on both side and fields in the valley near the river. Unfortunately, big innundations occured at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010 and brought a lot of destructions. No train is passing anymore. The waters of the mighty river destroyed two bridges and damaged the railways in nine different places. The fields of bananas, maize, rice and so on were all submerged and the crops destroyed. Now the river is large as 200-300m with a little bit of water flowing between the ‘bancs de sable’. The army is everywhere to help to reconstruct the railway. The lake Ugombo, mentionned in the diary, has disappeared completely since 1998 due to repeated innundations.
Mpwapwa under the tree where slaves were sold
The next day we met the retired Anglican bishop of Mpwapwa, the Right Rev. Simon Chiwanga, a former Minister of Education of Tanzania, in the year 1970. He was very happy to receive us, and being fond of the history of the past, he gave us some explanations about the beginning of Mpwapwa Mission. It was started in 1876 as a post to help the caravans of missionaries to reach Uganda. Following the appeal of Kabaka of Uganda to have missionaries, which H.M. Stanley published in the Herals News, the Church Missionary Society, CMS, answered by sending a team of 12 people. The easy road was via Kenya where the CMS was already established, but they prefered to pass through Tanganyika because of the fear which arised after the murder of bishop Hamington. As Mr. Stanley and Camreon were well received by the small chief of Mpwapwa, the CMS thought to establish a station not a mission, in 1876. Mr. Clark and Robinson were the first Europeans to live there. Later on in 1878 Dk. Bakta came and tarted a small clinic while Mr. Charles Prize and Henri Cole started the mission. The built the first church with a grass roof, a little bit on the hill. From there they could see the plain below. From that point the caravans of slaves led by the Arabs were could be seen from far. So the Missionaries were gathering the people and all together attacked them and set the slaves free, who became Christians. That’s why Busheri burnt this first church. At that time the Sultan of Zanzibar, Said Bargash, considered Tanganyika as his own country. In the beginning of 1905 Arabs were fighting the Germans. In Mpwapwa they succeeded for a time to overthrow them and ruled some years.
Mama Mkuu and Sisters walking with us
Before arriving to Kigurunyembe Mama Mkuu, with many sisters, welcome us at the foot of a Baobab tree, at Misongeni. From then on, with the sisters singing at the top of their voices, we walked five kms, up to their house built near the Mission. They received us and we spent the night here. The next day we went on with more sisters singing aloud, up to the Prokura, the bishop’s house of Morogoro, taking the old road made by the Holy Ghost Missionaries. His grace Telesfor Mkude spoke to us a word of encouragement and we went on up to the middle of the town to look for the tree – Mparamusi, taxus elongatus, as it is written in the diary – where the first Missionaries had their camp. Nothing is left. We found only a small foot bridge built in concrete by the Germans over the rive Mwere.
Restting after walking
What the young people learnt from this safari was essentially that everything is possible to him who believes. Nothing is impossible to God! If the Lord has spoken it will be done. This
is a word of our Lord Jesus which everyone knows by heart but few experience it to be true. Before starting our safari there were unspoken fears: what about being sick? What about to walk long distances? What will happen to us if we cannot cross the river? What will it be if it rains? And in fact it was the rainy season at its peak. And so on. Days were passing and fears disappeared.
I wanted to share with them the missionary spirit, to grow in the virtue of endurance, the virtue of the missionaries by excellence. In the victory of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit we can face any adversity. Christ wants the Gospel of salvation to be preached by words and deeds and enables us to do so.
We were tired each day arriving at the camp, but every morning we felt refreshed as it was the first day! Those who were sick were healed during the safari, no fungus anymore, no blisters, no fever and no malaria!
A warm welcome
They were happy too to learn more about the history of their country and they enjoyed its beauty.
Now they would like to repeat such an experience. May-be if the Lord wants, next year, with another batch of students, I will go on the safaris to look for the exact place where Fr. Pascal died and may-be to find out where more or less he was buried. Nothing is impossible to God.
Walking in the foot steps of the Missionaries of the first Caravan
Second Part
26/05/2012 – 09/06/2012
Two years ago the students of Kungwe Spiritual Centre and mself walked on the steps of the Missionaries of Africa of the first Caravan, from Kikundi – near Kungwe in Morogoro Region – up to Mpwapwa. This year 2012 we decided to push on and walk from Mpwapwa to Mahaka, where Fr. Joachim Pascal died. Our aim was to remember him in one way or another.
Wanafunzi wa Kungwe kwenda Mpwapwa
Fr. Joachim Pascal is the first of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa to die in the heart of East Africa. From Bagamayo up to Mahaka he walked more than 500 km in two months time. When he reached Kikundi, near Kungwe in Morogoro Region, he wrote: “All of us we walk with Sister Fever. All of us are enduring with joy the sufferings and the lack of anything. We are consoled to the thought that we are suffering with our Lord for the sake of the souls he has redeemed by his blood.“ On August the 15th his health was greatly detoriating. Day after day he was weaker and weaker, answering in an incoherent way when addressed to. On Saturday the 17th he did not sleep as he was in a state of delirium, but when it was time to get up and go, he refused to be carried in a hamac in order not to take the place of another missionary sick like him. He knew that he will die shortly, probably by a revelation, and continually he offered the sacrifice of his life to Our Lord Jesus Christ, exhorting his confrères to do the will of the Father.
On August the 19th , at 3h ½ in the afternoon he died in Moukondoukou – now called Mahaka – Parokia ya Chibumagwa, diocese of Singida, after receiving from the hands of Fr. Livinhac the sacrament of the sicks. His confrères could not bury him at that place, for fear of paying another tribute to the Sultan of the Wagogo. Two guides and six soldiers went in the night to bury him, outside the country of the Wagogo, deep in the forest, in a place which is not known up to now.
From Mpwapwa we followed as much as possible the path which they emprunted and sayed in the places where they pitched their tents. We did not succeed many a times, as the countryside has changend considerably. Mountains and valleys are still there, but forests disasppeared or great parts of them are cleard up, roads have been built, and above all where they didi not encounter any village, now people are cultivatng everywhere. From example from Chunyu to Ndebwe, they made, what they called a Tirikeza, in other words a Marche forcée of 13 h ½ with a rest of an half hour between because of lack of water. Now big villages are there, provided with water from sources far away, or from created ponds. As the first Missionaries we suffered from heath and lack of water. We took our precautions from drinding water but not enought water to have a good wash everywhere we pitched our tents.
Tayari kuanza matembezi
Wagogo wanatupokea kwa ngoma
In the diairy we read that the Missionaries had to pay a high passage toll (hongo) to the many chiefs of the Ugogo. To the Sultan of Mvumi they paid 80 dotis of good quality, a baril of 20 pounds of gun-powder. At Matumburu, they paid 140 dotis, a gun brought to a soldier for 20 dotis, six rolls of copper wire and 10 pounds of gun-powder. At Bihawana, they pay 20 dotis. At Kididimo, they paid 21 dotis and 5 pounds of gun-powder, a gun and 2 rolls of copper wire, plus one donkey stolen brought to the sultan who asked again 10 dotis to redeem it. At Nyambwa they paid 200 dotis. At Mhumpa 46 dotis, 2 barils of gun-powder. At Moukondoukou 40 doits, a roll of copper wire and a baril of 5 pounds of gun-powder. When the Sultan of Moudondoukou learnt of the death of Fr. Pascal they had to pay again 40 dotis and 2 rolls of copper wire. Altogether to pass through the country of the Wagogo they paid 606 dotis, 50 pounds of gun-powder and 11 rolls of copper wire to walk about 150 km!!!!
When we arrived at Kitunja/Mahaka, the place formerly called Moudondoukou/Muliche, Christians received us at the rythm of the tamtams, 2 km away from the church where nearby we pitched our tents. The church building is just a former shade of a grinding machine bought to an Arab. There we met Fr. Emmanuel and deacon Sosthene from Chibumagwa Mission. We planned together to meet Mtemi the next day and agreed to ask for a plot to build a church in rememberance of Fr. Pascal. Then they left to go back to Chibumagwa, while we said mass for the Christians there. On that day we were quite exhausted after a walk of 30 km in the burning sun through the Bahi swamp. Altogether we walked 230 km from Mpwapwa to Mahaka. Christians brought us drinking water, 2 bottles of Uhai water for each one of us. It was well appreciated. We relaxed and washed. In the evening we ate rice and goat meat killed for celebrating our coming.
Mtemi na Wanafunzi wa Kungwe
Pd. Etienne anapokea zawadi ya ng’ombe
On Friday, we, and the Christians of Kitunja, went to Mahaka and started to measure the future church building, a big church of 30 m long for 9 m large. The men dug the foundations, while the women with two elders went to gather stones from the dry water course, three km away. Unexpectedly while we were working the Mtemi came and gave me 10.000/- T.shs as he could not come to work with us, he had to go to herd his cattle. In the late afternoon we finished the work and went to relax, eat and pray. In the evening I read to the Students of Kungwe the life of Fr. Pascal.
On Saturday, the next day, early in the morning Christians gathered on the spot of the future church. I said mass and blessed the foundations of the church. Then we went to Chibumagwa Mission, 34 km away, and the day after came back to Kungwe, thanking the Lord for what he has done. Truly, if the blood of martyrs are the seed of Christianity, the sweat of the missionaries is like blessed water poured out on the land. Fr. Pascal did not do any missionary work as such, but the sacrifice of his life will be now remembered by the people of Mahaka. May be next year we will be back to Mahaka to go on with work which has been begun!
Misa katika eneo la Kanisa
Father J. Pascal was born in 1847 in the diocese of Viviers, France. He has a good character and the Lord has bestowed on him wisdom, humility and above all love. He always rejoiced to humble himself in front of others. His joy was to be the servant of all and to serve them in many ways. One day, in the neighbourood of Géryville, Algeria, he met a young boy badly wounded. He was abandonned by all, even by his parents. Fr. Pascal took him and brought him into the house. He rejoiced to look after him for the sake of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, as he said in one his letters. He knew that the boy could not be healed, but Fr. Pascal, with care, helped him to live his last days . He won his heart. Even if the Lord did not allow the boy to live, Fr. Pascal was overjoyed to give life in Heaven.
When he was in Algiers, in charge of the Pilgrimage at Our Lady of Africa, he showed his patience in an admirable way. Day and night he was at the service of all. His charity was without limit, ready to give what he has. On a feastday, one of the orphans could not change cloth, having nothing else. Fr. Pascal noticed it. He called him and told him to follow him. He gave him one of his shirt and told him: “Go to change and be careful not to be seen by anyone. Don’t tell anybody“. The young Arab, could not keep the secret. One missionary told Fr. Pascal that he must be rich to be able to do things like this. Fr. Pascal answered him: “I had three shirts, could I not give one for the sake of the Love of Jesus Christ!“
Another time, huko Algiers, a poor man came to ask money. He met Fr. Pascal coming out of the house to go to hear confession. Fr. Pascal had no money, but not wanting to send him back without helping him, he went back to his room, took a pair of sheets, the only one he had, and gave it to the poor man. As this man was going away, he was seen by people who thought that he was a thief. He explained to them that Fr. Pascal gave it to him. The Superior called Fr. Pascal who confirmed that it was the truth. Then Father Superior reproached him to be too prodigal. Fr. Pascal answered him that what cost him most was that it was a gift of his mother.
When he was in seminary at St Laurent-d’Olt, France, many a times he was seen, during winter nights to sleep on the floor without a blanket. One confrère told him one day: “I cannot sleep in bed, with two blankets, without trembling because of the cold, and you on the bare ground!“ Fr. Pascal answered him gently: “Our temperaments are different, I have no merit of doing that“.
The courage of Fr. Pascal was as great as his mortification. One day he was told that two Arabs were querelling with knives in their hands ready to stab each other. Fr. Pascal ran up to them and he threw himself on his knees between them, telling in Arabic to the one who was the most furious: “Hit me if you have the courage!“ Seeing this the Arab went back and Fr. Pascal jumped to him and embraced him.
Because of his qualities he was chosen to led the first caravan to go to Kigoma, Tanzania. He did not reach there, God had another plan. In his safari God prepared him to be a pure victim, without defects, offered for the salvation of the people of Tanzania. Cardinal Lavigerie wrote about him: “This man was truly a saint, still young but already consumed with the virtues of humility, charity, purity and zeal to preach the Good News of the Gospel. He died, as Moses, before entering the land which he was hoping to see.“
Fr. Pascal pray for us and all the people of Tanzania that they may know Jesus Christ, their Saviour.
Building the Church in memorial of
Fr. Joachim Pascal at Mahaka
11/05/2013-24/05/2013
On Saturday, the 11th of May 2013, we, ie. I and the students of Kungwe Centre (Morogoro), altogether 14, went to Chibumagwa, a parish of Singida Diocese. We slept there. The next day, after celebrating the feast of the Ascension in the Parish Church, we went to Mahaka (formerly called Mukunduku), an outstation of Chibumagwa Parish, where Fr. Pascal died, on the 19th of August, 1878. The people received us well. Again the Mtemi gave us a small cow for our stay in the village. We pitched our tent and on Monday we started to build the church in memorial of Fr. Joachim Pascal. We worked ten days, making cement blocks, laying the foundations and building the walls of the Church.
Women and their donkeys bringing sand
The Parish Priest asked me to baptize children on Pentecost day, forgiving them for what happened the years before. So I baptized 17 children and one Catechumen. I was astonished to find so many Catholics in an area where we thought there were practically no Catholics. During the ceremony of baptism I got sick, vomiting and so on. At least I could finish the ceremony in shorting it. Then the fever got high, probably the same kind of fever that our forefathers in the faith got during their safari. Back to Agape I was sick for two weeks, having no strength. Anyway I thanked the Lord to make me experience a little bit what the Missionaries of the first caravan experienced all the way.
We met with many problems. In preparing our expedition, on Sunday the 28th of Arpil, I went to Dodoma and brought to the Parish Priest of Chibumagwa, two millions T.shs, a gift that the Province gave me for starting to build the church in memorial of Fr. Pascal. We agreed that he will buy 100 bags of cement and with their lorry to bring them to Mahaka. There the lorry will make trips to bring stones and sand, so that when we come we can start straight with the work. One week before we arrived to Chibumagwa, on the day they wanted to leave for Mahaka, 40 kms from Chibumwaga, with the lorry full of 100 bags of cement, just before passing the gate of the Parish compound, the housing of the gear box of the lorry broke into pieces. They could not repair it immediately. No money. So no cement, no stones, no sand when we arrived at Mahaka!
We, before arriving to Chibumagwa, we got a flat tyre. Amazing as it was, I could not find a place to repair it until I sent one of us to Manyoni, 50 kms away. We repaired it and got again Our camp and the escarpment
Mahaka is situated in the Rift Valley, between the Bahi swamp and the escarpment of the Rift Valley. A place where the sun is very hot during the day, and during the night, early in the morning, it is cold. Sleeping in the tents it was difficult to find some good rest. We had no mattrasses, no chairs to relax. So it is not astonishing that some of us also got sick with high fever and vomiting. However we went back to Kungwe tired but full of joy.
The walls of the Church after 10 days
We hope that in the future we will find money to go on to build this church. A memorial plaque will be placed on the walls of the church to remind people of the passage of the first caravan and the death of Fr. Pascal at that place. I am sure that confreres who love Tanzania will be happy to hear about it and will share in one way or another.
Fr. Etienne Sion, M.afr.
10/06/2013