Kiburara’s 1980 Christmas and the deification of Jesus

The moon was full; and so was the mood. The beautiful skyline had just recovered its graceful heavenly blue self from the marauding cumulonimbus clouds. The intermittent wave-after-wave of cloud offensives had, after all, been acts in futility; for the moon had re-appeared unscathed and beautiful to behold.

The mood was full; so full the clouds’ evil attempt to smother it and the far-reaches of the sky could not sap the energies of the youth under a full moon. The Bakonzo, the proud curators of what they call the sanctity of the Rwenzori Mountains, call a full moon ekighoma (drum) because of its likeness to the round top of Africa’s primeval percussion instrument: the drum. And a full moon to the Bakonzo comes with depth in meaning: female fertility and the concept of the completeness of life.

This particular full-moon fell on the day preceding the Christmas of 1980. Military ruler Field Marshal Idd Amin had left power and Uganda. The economic situation was real hard and manifested no weddings and parties. People looked forward to Noel Season with glee. For the residents of Kiburara looking for an excuse for partying, Noel was looked forward to by all: Muslim, Traditionalists and Christian alike. The Noel season compensated (inadequately though) for the sparse weddings and parties.

Minus the church leaders’ banal entreaties for spiritual refreshment, Noel Season was also an opportunity to see off the year and welcome another. We never held birthday parties; we all seemed to share birthdays with Jesus. And in spite of the hardships under which the Christmas of 1980 was celebrated, Kiburaranians made do with whatever was available. Christmas is Christmas, you know.

Man, Messiah and God
The story of Jesus has been told many times and there is now a universal concurrence that he is a figure of historical record; that is to say, he existed in flesh and walked the earth like Nelson Mandela or Sam Njuba.

We are not stupid to blasphemously compare Jesus Christ to Nelson and Sam; for we know that in addition to Jesus’ earthly historical record, he has been deified his followers and made the centre of human salvation (from the earthly evils of humanity).

The human pursuit of knowledge beyond man’s immediate existential being has been met by the limitations of human social anthropology. Here goes: God must have a face and a kingdom on whose throne he sits exacting feudal fealty from humanity.

And a God who put on flesh and walks the earth is more awesome. That is why Jesus’ birth, which we celebrate on December 25, is significant. However, scholarship of Christian canons tells us that it is the ‘incident’ at Calvary in which humanity owes its salvation to Jesus.

We are reluctant or have refused to fix or correct Jesus’ Birth Day. Because liberal Christian scholarship will explain (rationalise) it thus: ‘it is the fact and act of the birth that matters not the day and place of the birth’. That’s why even with its exacting demand for sharper exactness, Science’s tantalising revelations are also still limited to offer a round appreciation of human existence.

In Uganda, many may not avoid Christmas and the cheer that comes with it. It is, first of all, the centerpiece of the End of Year Season. Whether December 25 is Jesus Christ’s birthday or not, please let us cheer up and have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year?

The year 2023 was not an easy one for many. The hope that next year will be a better year is enough to cheer oneself up and give cheer to other people.

Asuman Bisiika is the executive editor of the East African Flagpost. [email protected]