Christian dilemma: Anglican by day, African by night

First of all, can’t say the Catholic Church was wrong in refusing to conduct a requiem mass for the late Paul Kato Lubwama. I am no authority on Canon law, not even a Catholic or an ardent Christian for that matter.

It is alleged that Lubwama was a believer in ‘traditional religion’, elsewhere misguidedly vilified as witchcraft, paganism or animism. Others allege that he denounced Christianity and that he and his family never went to Church so the latter was not concerned with him. There was a small shrine in his compound where he worshiped, against the tenets of the Catholic and indeed Christian faith.

When the missionaries arrived at the court of the Kabaka of Buganda, Muteesa I in 1877 to introduce Christianity in Buganda, from where it spread to what would later become Uganda, they found very strong belief systems in place. Christianity/Anglicanism was part of the British Empire’s expansionist imperial project. 

The British purportedly wanted to civilize the native tribes in the interior of the so-called dark continent as Africa was known. They would show them the light by Christianizing them. The French did the same with Catholicism wherever they went.

In many aspects belief systems and worship are deeply ingrained and intertwined with tradition, culture and way of life. This meant that for Christianity to take root and genuinely be accepted as a new authentic religion, two things had to happen. First there was a need to gradually and totally vanquish; directly, whatever belief systems were in place.

 That is how sacred places of Buganda’s spirituality like Namirembe and Rubaga Hills ended up being revered places of worship for Christianity.
Secondly there was a need to introduce a new culture and tradition alien to the status quo; one that would create an environment that was conducive for Christianity to flourish and was not in conflict with its values. It had to, in a better way, provide spiritual answers and explanations to the physical questions and predicaments of individuals.

 For all intents and purposes spreading Christianity was an affront on African culture.

In real terms the task ahead was to create a totally new African from the one the colonialist found and also put them in a better place -especially materially.  That is where the aspect of commercialization of the native came in handy. He had to be thrown into the world of capitalism where; everything including the human being and his soul could be bought and sold.

So Christianity came along with sweeteners like education which would lead one to acquire a trade. That would be paid for with a salary in a system run by the colonialist and his agents. 

The former way of life of hunting and gathering would gradually be criminalized as ‘poaching’ and ‘environmental degradation’ or ‘trespass’ with titling of land, which would be punishable by law. It was smarter to follow the Christian route. It was a rather cynical and cunning approach which brought in many followers. Some of these were skin deep reluctant converts who enjoyed the goodies of the colonial Christianity wave but also still cherished their traditional way of life and belief.

In Francis Onapito Ekomoloit’s recently released autobiography, Tears & Triumph. My Life With Yoweri Museveni and Others, he tells the story about his father John Onapito who was a favorite of a White Christian Missionary, one Dr Bennet. Bennet terminated Onapito’s employment as a medical worker when he went against the Christian teaching forbidding polygamy the day he got a second wife who happened to be the author’s mother!

To survive in such a set up and avoid what befell Onapito Senior, the native had to perfect the balancing act of covertly existing in both worlds. This gave rise to what an analyst of BBC radio called the Christian who is ‘Anglican by day and African by night.’

Call this Christian double faced, call him confused, but they happen to be a great number in the African Christian church. The tradition and cultural context passed down and in which they have grown has proved to be too strong to abandon totally.

Take the case of last funeral rites and polygamy. Even the church has in many cases found itself powerless in case of the latter especially if those practicing are influential political power holders and brokers or have deep pockets to finance the church. They will wed them and their children will be baptized like those who steal, kill, commit adultery, do not honor their parents and have not kept the ten commandments as instructed. In fact many including violent election thieves, murderers and the corrupt are recognized and given a front seat in Church plus a moment to greet the congregation. They are prayed for when they die and left to God to judge.

That said, the maligned African traditional worship involves a lot of physical aspects like animal sacrifice, laying hands, sprinkling water, bathing and burning of herbs and verbally proclaiming blessing while calling upon the dead ancestors to intercede for their descendants. What is very interesting is that even among Christians these practices are common and acceptable. 

The only difference is that they are justified by references from the Bible. I have heard some calling on the dead Uganda Martyrs to ‘pray for us.’ Incense is burnt in the Church while holy water is sprinkled by priests. Also animals are brought as gifts and offerings to the altar although the priests do not slaughter them in the Church building, they will eventually be killed and eaten.

The difference is that Christianity has been better packaged than traditional belief systems. Where the latter has retained the unkempt grass thatch as its shrine, the Christian worship is housed in air conditioned palatial buildings that give a ting of superiority and modernity. It is much better financed and marketed as being progressive and to be proud of in all media unlike the latter.

 It is notable that when the US caught the bug of spreading its influence in the dark continent, they brought along Pentecostalism. The sharply dressed pastors drive out demons complete with people falling all over, speak incoherently in ‘tongues’ and purportedly make the blind see, the lame walk and resurrect the dead. Some have challenged Pastors to go to hospital mortuaries and practice their trade.

Pentecostalism has taken root in Africa because it includes a lot of the physical drama and theatrics coupled with mystery, promise and near magic, that we see with the traditional way of worship. It gives the physical feel of the power of God in action in real time just like traditional worship does.
If the shrine story is true, then Kato Lubwama’s only failing was that he didn’t hide his purported ‘sin’ from the righteous Christian soldiers.

Twitter: @nsengoba