Life with Jehovah’s Witnesses in Africa
HAVE you ever wondered what life is like in a village in the wilds of Africa where all, or the majority, are Jehovah’s witnesses? What would you expect to find?
First, let us take a look at a typical African village. It is located in a small clearing, that is, where the “bush” has been cleared and the trees chopped down. In this clearing you will find a number of huts, from eight to twenty in the smaller villages, and most of the villages are small. The huts are built of poles daubed with mud and thatched with grass. Generally, the grass roof does not touch the walls, thus leaving an air space through which the smoke from the small campfire, used for heating the hut in cold weather, can escape. The huts are round in shape and, except for the air space at the top and the doorway, have no other ventilation. There are no streets in the village, for the native’s means of travel is by foot and his transportation problems are handled by a head, long skilled in balancing a heavy load, set on top of his strong neck. In most cases there is no particular plan about the village. Out from the village in all directions go well-worn trails leading off into the “bush”; some leading to the scattered garden patches, others leading off to other villages, or to dirt “trunk” roads that pass nearby.
In the center of each village one usually finds what might be described as a hut without walls. Its thatched roof is supported by poles, its sides left open. It is here that all matters affecting the village as a whole are discussed in the presence of all the inhabitants, old and young. Here the headman hears complaints of one villager against another. It is here that the village youngsters get their teaching of the unwritten tribal laws and customs by listening to their elders’ discussions. Throughout Northern Rhodesia it is in this kind of village that one often finds a majority of Jehovah’s witnesses, and sometimes the whole village attends the congregational meetings.
VILLAGE RULE
If you have never been in Africa and have never seen one of these small villages, you may wonder how the life of the village is ordered and how it is related to the general social and economic conditions of the country. Briefly, the situation is like this: In each village a headman is appointed, very often a hereditary office. The principal duties of the headman are to see that the village is kept clean, that the villagers conduct themselves in peace and good order, that they grow sufficient food for themselves and their families; to see that taxes are paid each year (a head tax is levied on each male African once a year) and to see that small roads and wood bridges are kept in fair repair. The village headman is responsible to the local chief, who may have many such villages under his jurisdiction. The chief will have a local native court to hear cases and will have kapasos, or messengers, who might be said to have limited police duties, in the way of keeping order, etc. The chief will have “counselors,” who assist him in the running of his area from the social and economic standpoint and who assist him in trying cases in the native court. These native courts have limited jurisdiction, dealing with not only civil cases such as accusations of adultery, but also minor criminal offenses such as theft, fighting, etc. Any cases of serious consequence are referred to the district commissioner, to whom the chief is responsible, and who acts as a magistrate.
The villagers live as a community under what might be almost a patriarchal arrangement. When such a village comes into the truth this does not really affect the chief, unless it is the chief’s own village. There are no courts or prisons in the villages except at the chief’s village. There is no military conscription of the Africans, as this would be impractical. The only form of municipal employment, if it can be called such, is that the chief will send around his messengers from time to time to recruit labor from each village for some local construction work, such as building a new road, repairing a major road, repairs to chief’s property, etc. This labor may be paid for or not, according to the chief.
VILLAGES ALL OR PREDOMINANTLY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
With this background in mind one can better appreciate what happens when a village takes to the truth. Of course, in the village it may be that it is just the majority who are dedicated witnesses of Jehovah or who come to the meetings, but there are a number of villages where all in the village are either active Christian witnesses themselves or at least attend the meetings. In fact, the casual observer on visiting one of such villages would perhaps not notice very much difference from the others, except for the one thing that is generally apparent, that is, the cleanliness of the village. The improvement in the cleanliness and the upkeep of villages that are inhabited either wholly or in large part by Jehovah’s witnesses has been remarked on often by government officers and other visitors to such areas. Commenting on this aspect is this report: “The houses are in rows with yards perfectly clean. Banana trees dot the shade in between. The main duty of the headman is to see that the village and houses are clean. When I asked him if he had any difficulty in this he simply smiled, as Jehovah’s witnesses are noted for their co-operation in this respect.”
However, if one stayed in the village for a while he would soon notice even more marked differences. He would note that there is more co-operation and help shown among the villagers. The people are happy and contented, and as they go about their work one will hear songs of praise to Jehovah being sung by the parents and children rather than the tribal and sometimes phallic songs of those who are pagan. In the evenings, instead of gathering for beer drinks or tribal dances and drum beating, one will find the villagers sitting around their fires singing together Kingdom songs or aiding one another in Bible study. All this makes for peace and tranquillity, with a lack of crime, fighting and squabbling. Indeed, villages of Jehovah’s witnesses are noted for these qualities and local authorities are generally impressed with them, unless they are too prejudiced. Gone too are the pagan rites and ceremonies of initiation, etc., accompanied by much pain and suffering for those who are the subjects of the rites, which many religious organizations have found difficult to stamp out.
In many cases the headman himself comes into the truth. He remains as headman and continues to care for his duties of looking after the cleanliness and social conditions of the village. He may also be an assistant minister, perhaps the presiding minister of the congregation, and that makes his work much easier. If he has become one of Jehovah’s witnesses and is a member of the congregation with some other villager as the presiding minister, then the headman continues to look after his particular duties, and the presiding minister cares for the spiritual needs of the village. There is good harmony and no difficulty or friction in this matter. The headman sees that the village is kept clean; indeed, he will be more particular about this since he is now a dedicated Christian and perhaps his village also contains the congregation meeting place, the Kingdom Hall, and so he wants the whole village to reflect an appropriate atmosphere. He now has no difficulty in seeing that taxes are paid, and he continues to co-operate with the local chief, arranging for a quota of labor to be supplied for various jobs, as before. One of the Watch Tower Society’s traveling representatives reports on this point in connection with villages in his area: “There has not been a single village of Jehovah’s witnesses that has given trouble to road conscription works; the chief’s messengers (‘kapasos’) have no trouble—they are the most willing ones. Several of the ‘kapasos’ are themselves Jehovah’s witnesses.”
RESPECT GIVEN AUTHORITIES
In other words, the pattern of social life continues much the same in such villages, except that there is a marked improvement in the cleanliness, peacefulness and orderly conduct of the villages. There is no attempt to set aside the authority of the chiefs or headmen, since this they recognize as necessary for law and order. Of course, some chiefs go beyond their stated functions. If prejudiced, they may try to victimize the witnesses, trying to pile on them an unfair amount of labor. A few still look for abject submission that amounts to worship from those in their territory, and since the giving of such would be a violation of the Christian’s worship of the only true God, Jehovah, Jehovah’s witnesses refrain from giving such. Because of this it is sometimes thought that they are disrespectful. Not so! In fact, many of the villages of Jehovah’s witnesses have become noted for their hospitality and kindness to chiefs and others when they pass through them. The district servant reporting on one area says: “When the chief tours through his villages he likes to stop overnight at the villages where Jehovah’s witnesses predominate as here he receives better hospitality.”
Note the following report describing life in a village in Barotseland, where, out of sixty persons, there are thirty-two Jehovah’s witnesses, with the remainder of no religious affiliation:
“The headman is a publisher. There is no drinking or dancing in the village. When the other villagers wish to drink and dance, they go elsewhere. The chief and indunas (counselors) choose this village to sleep in during visits to the area because it is quieter and cleaner than others.” The report adds that the villagers have also ceased from certain tribal customs, such as filing the teeth and marking the skin and the various rites practiced at puberty, etc.
At L—— congregation the presiding minister is also the headman and a brother of the chief. He is well respected in the community and the chief’s court often asks for his advice.
NEW WORLD CONDUCT AND ACTIVITIES
Jehovah’s witnesses in such villages have their regularly scheduled congregation meetings just like all other congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the world. They carry on their Christian preaching activity, visiting the neighboring villages, telling them about the good news of God’s kingdom and the new world. They pursue a normal village life caring for their gardens, fishing, and otherwise attending to the daily needs of themselves and their families. The general practice is for each family to have its own garden and to care for it. However, in some of these villages where there is a majority of Jehovah’s witnesses a common garden is worked. The proceeds go to provide for the entertainment of visitors such as full-time representatives of the Society or to help some sick or disabled member of the congregation. If there is a surplus it is sometimes sold and the proceeds put to the Kingdom work.
Located at one end of the village is a neat, clean building large enough to accommodate all the members of the village and others besides. It is the Kingdom Hall of the congregation. It is large because the village is the headquarters for the congregation, other members living in near-by villages. Inside are solid benches made of sun-dried bricks, and at one end there is an elevated platform. There are openings in the walls to provide for light and ventilation. In some cases, nearby will be another building somewhat smaller. This used to be the Kingdom Hall, but became too small for the growing congregation. So it is used as stopping-over quarters for those coming from a long distance to attend congregation meetings. After the meeting these persons will sleep during the night and then return to their villages, perhaps five or six hours’ walking distance away.
The peaceful activities and Bible-education work of Jehovah’s witnesses also have their effect in the larger African communities in Northern Rhodesia. In the large towns, such as on the Copperbelt, there are large African townships, sometimes housing as many as 30,000. In these communities are found large congregations of Jehovah’s witnesses, some with as many as four or five hundred. Concerning their activities a local paper commented:
“Watch Tower Christians in the townships of Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola, Mufulira and Luanshya (Northern Rhodesian towns) are very active, but I am glad to report that their activities are very good indeed and are reducing fighting among the Africans in these townships.
“Once they join the Watch Tower . . . these Christians do not fight among themselves, and they call one another ‘brother.’ They do not go to beer halls to be mixed up with other fellows or with women. Although one is not a member of their church yet one must say that they have love in their hearts.”—The African Weekly of August 30, 1950.
In recent years in Northern Rhodesia and Central Africa politics has been introduced to the African. Propaganda from European and African politicians has even found its disturbing way into the rural African villages, trying to convince the masses of Africans that in their schemes and policies lies the hope of their future peace and prosperity. But, in villages where the belief in the Bible predominates and where Jehovah’s witnesses live together as members of the New World society, such propaganda goes unheeded. Not allowing themselves to be disturbed and unsettled by human theories, they go about their daily life quietly, lawfully and in peace with one another, looking with confidence to the hope of a new world of God’s building under the righteous government of his Son, Christ Jesus.
And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children—Isa. 54:13, AS.