Kukohwa kwechiKristudhomu muAfrica
CHIROTO chaCharles Lavigerie chokushandura Algeria kuva “rudzi rwechiKristu” chakabvumikisa kuva izvozvo chaizvo—chiroto. Nhasi, 99 muzana yechiverengero chavagari veAlgeria vaMuslem, uye chiKristudhomu chakaneta mumativi eNorth Africa. Asi zvakadiniko nezvorutivi rwose rwasara rwenyika yacho?
“ChiKristu,” anodaro Dr. J. H. Kane, muA Concise History of the Christian World Mission, “chakaita vatendeuki vazhinji muAfrica yaVatema kupfuura murutivi rwose rwasara rweNyika Dzisina Kubudirira rwabatanidzwa.” Zvisinei, ko ava vatendeuki maKristu chaiwoiwo here? “Ngozi imwe huru muchechi yeAfrica,” anobvuma kudaro Dr. Kane, “kubatanidzwa kwepfungwa nemiitiro yechiKristu nechihedheni.” Uyewo, kutaura kwake kwokuti “chechi yeAfrica” izita rakaipa. Kune zviuru chaizvoizvo zvechechi dzeAfrica, imwe neimwe ine nzira yayo imene yokunamata. Neiko?
Kudyara Mbeu Dzokusanzwana
Mbeu dzokusanzwana dzakadyarwa kunyange vafundisi vasati vavamba kufamba nomugungwa vachiuya kuAfrica. London Missionary Society yakawana mitezo muchechi dzakasiana-siana, uye kakavadzano dzedzidziso dzokutsamwa dzakaitika pakati pavafundisi vaifamba mugungwa vachienda kumigove yavo. Rwisano yaisungirwa kuipa zvikuru pashure pokunge vagadzikana munzvimbo dzavo dzemishoni.
“Vafundisi,” akanyora kudaro Purofesa Robert Rotberg mubhuku rake Christian Missionaries and the Creation of Northern Rhodesia 1880-1924, “vakarwa zvakakomba nomumwe nomumwe uye navatungamiriri vavo vemhiri kwamakungwa, kazhinji kazhinji kukuvadziko yavo yamadonzo avo eevhangeri. . . . Vafundisi vairatidzika kuva vanopedza nguva yakawanda zvikuru nesimba vachinyora idzi kakavadzano sezvavaiita mukutsvaka kuita kutendeuka.”
Pane dzimwe nguva, kakavadzano dzavafundisi dzaiguma nokuumbwa kwemishoni dzinokwikwidzana. Mishoni dzeKaturike nePurotesitendi dzakakwikwidzana zvinotyisa nokuda kwavatendeuki. Kushaikwa kwechinzwano kumwe cheteku kwakasungirwa kuratidzwa pakati pavatendeuki vavo. Pashure penguva yakati mamirioni avaAfrica akasiya chechi dzemishoni ndokuumba chechi dzavo vamene.
“The African Independent Churches,” anonyora kudaro wezvenhau mufundisi Dr. Kane, “dzinowanwa muAfrica mose . . . Pamwe chete kune mapoka akaparadzana ane zviuru zvinomwe ari muiri sangano.” Makwikwi pakati pavafundisi vane zvitendero zvinorwisana akanga asiri chisakiso bedzi chaikoku. Mubhuku rake The Missionaries, Geoffrey Moorhouse anotsanangura kuti chimwe chisakiso che“chinjo yavatema” yakanga iri “pfundepfunde mukurwisana noukuru hwavachena.”
MaKristu Kana Kuti Vezvourudzi veEurope Here?
“Vafundisi,” anobvuma kudaro Dr. Kane, “vaiva noukuru.” Ivo “vaidavira kuti rudzidziso rwechiKristu runofanira kuperekedzwa netsika dzeEurope noutungamiriri hweEurope,” anodaro Adrian Hastings mubhuku rake African Christianity.
MuFrench Charles Lavigerie akanga ari mutungamiriri mumwe wavafundisi aiva nouyu murangariro. Mumwe akanga ari John Philip, mutarisiri wemishoni dzeLondon Missionary Society mumaodzanyemba eAfrica. “Vafundisi vedu,” iye akaganza kudaro muna 1828, “vari . . . kutambanudza fariro dzeBritain, pesvedzero yeBritain, uye umambo hweBritain. Munzvimbo ipi neipi umo mufundisi anovamba kutsvaka vatendeuki pakati porudzi rusina kupepuka, kufungira mano akaipa kwavo mukurwisana nehurumende yokune imwe nyika kunoguma; rutsamiro rwavo pahurumende yokumwe runowedzerwa nokutangwa kwezvinodikanwa zvisiri zvomusikirwo; . . . basa rokugadzira zvinhu, kutengeserana, uye kurima zvinotanga kamwe kamwe; uye mutendeuki wapachokwadi ari wose anobva pakati pavo . . . anova musonganiri neshamwari yehurumende yokumwe.”
Kunomboshamisa here kuti hurumende dzeEurope dzakaona vafundisi vakadaro savamiriri vanobetsera nokuda kwokukura kwehurumende dzokumwe? Kana vari ivo, vafundisi vakafarira kukurira Africa kwehurumende dzokumwe. Sezvavakazivisa paMusangano weNyika waVafundisi wa 1910 muEdinburgh: “Kwaizova . . . kusingabviri nguva dzose kuisa mutsetse unokamuranisa pakati pedonzo ravafundisi nedonzo reHurumende.”
Vakatonga saMadzimambo muAfrica
Kuti vatsigire chiremera chavo, vamwe vafundisi vaivimba nesimba rehondo rehurumende dzokumwe. Mataundi omumhenderekedzo dzegungwa pane dzimwe nguva aiparadzwa nengarava dzakashongedzerwa nganunu dzeBritain nemhaka yokuti vagari vomumisha vakanga varamba kugamuchira chiremera chavafundisi. Muna 1898, Dennis Kemp, mufundisi weWesley kuWest Africa, akataura “kupwiswa [kwake] kwakasimba kwokuti Hondo yeBritain neNgarava dzeHondo nhasi zvinoshandiswa naMwari nokuda kwokuitwa kwedonzo Rake.”
Pashure pokuzvisimbisa vamene, vafundisi pane dzimwe nguva vaitora simba renyika ramadzimambo amarudzi. “Vafundisi veLondon,” anonyora kudaro Purofesa Rotberg, “kazhinji kazhinji vaishandisa simba kuti vachengete mutemo wavo woubati ushe hwaMwari. Chishandiswa chinodikanwa chavaizivisa nacho kusatendera kwavo yakanga iri cikoti, tyava refu yakaitwa neganda rakasukutwa remvuu. Nayo, vaAfrica vaibhurwa norusununguko pachinodokuva chikonzero chipi nechipi.” “Mumwe mutendeuki weAfrica,” anodaro David Lamb mubhuku rake The Africans, “anoyeuka mufundisi weAnglican muUganda anozivikanwa saBwana Botri uyo aiwanzoburuka pachikuva chake mukati momunamato kuzorova vanononoka kuuya veAfrica.”
Akatyamadzwa nezviito zvakadaro, mumwe mufundisi, James Mackay, akapa nyunyuto kuvatungamiriri veLondon Missionary Society. “Panzvimbo pokurangarirwa savachena vanoendesa kwavari mashoko akanaka orudo rwaMwari,” iye akanyevera kudaro, “tinozivikanwa nokutyiwa.”
Hondo Dzenyika
“Kwezana rimwe ramakore uye kupfuura,” rinodaro bhuku rinonzi The Missionaries, “[vaAfrica] vakanga vaudzwa nguva dzose uye nesimba kuti kurwa nemirangariro yose youtsinye yakwakasunungura zvaiva zvose zviri zviviri zvisina maturo nezvakaipa.” Ipapo, muna 1914, Hondo yeNyika I yakatanga pakati pamarudzi anonzi echiKristu eEurope.
“Vafundisi vorunodokuva rudzi rwuri rwose vakapesvedzerwa kupinda muHondo Huru,” anotsanangura kudaro Moorhouse. Kumanyadzi avo, vafundisi vakakusvudzira vatendeuki vavo veAfrica kuti vatsigire. Vamwe vafundisi vakatotungamirira mauto eAfrica kupinda muhondo. Muuyo wehondo yacho unosanotaurwa naPurofesa Stephen Neill muHistory of Christian Missions yake: “Marudzi eEurope, nokutaura kwavo kunotaurwa nenzwi guru kukudzora chiKristu neshambidziko, akanga apinda noupofu uye nokuvhiringidzika muhondo yavagari vemo iyo yaizovasiya vava varombo mune zvemari uye asina runako rupi norupi.” “Hondo yeNyika yeChipiri,” anopfuurira kudaro Neill, “yakangopedza bedzi icho yokutanga yakanga yatoita. Kutaura kwenhema kwokuva netsika dzakanaka kwokuMadokero kwakaratidzwa kuva kwenhema; ‘chiKristudhomu’ chakaratidzirwa sechisingapfuuri ngano. Kwakanga kusati kuchabvira kutaura nezve‘Madokero echiKristu.’”
Nenzira inonzwisisika, kuchinja kwavatema kwakawedzera pashure peHondo yeNyika I. Asi zvakadiniko nezvavaAfrica vakaomerera kuchechi dzechiKristudhomu? Ivo pashure vakadzidziswa zvokwadi inobva muBhaibheri here?
Zvitendero Zvavakare veAfrica
Vafundisi vechiKristudhomu vakashurikidza miitiro yorudzidziso yeAfrica, zvakadai sokubvunza vauki kuti vanyaradze vakare vavo vakafa. Panguva imwe cheteyo, vafundisi vakataura kuti vanhu vose vane mweya usingafi. Ivo vakasimudzirawo kunamatwa kwaMaria nava“sande.” Idzi dzidziso dzakasimbisa chitendero cheAfrica chokuti vakare vavo vakafa vaiva vapenyu. Uyewo, kupfurikidza nokunamata mifananidzo yorudzidziso, zvakadai sechipiyaniso, vafundisi vakaruramisa kushandisa kweAfrica mazango somutoo wedziviriro pamidzimu yakaipa.
Purofesa C. G. Baëta anotsanangura mubhuku rake Christianity in Tropical Africa: “Kunobvira kuti muAfrica aimbe nembavarira muChechi, ‘Handina humwe hutiziro’, achiri kutakura zango pane imwe nzvimbo paari, kana kuti kukwanisa kubuda muChechi achienda zvakananga kumuuki wake, asinganzwi kuti ari kusiya nheyo ipi neipi.”—Enzanisa naDheuteronomio 18:10-12 uye 1 Johane 5:21.
Vafundisi vazhinji vakaudza vaAfrica kuti madzisekuru avo echihedheni akanga achitambudzwa muhero yomwoto uye kuti nguva yemberi imwe cheteyo yaizovawira kana vakaramba kugamuchira dzidziso dzavafundisi. Asi dzidziso yokutambudzwa kusingagumi inorwisana nokutaura kwakajeka kuri muBhaibheri rimene iro vafundisi vakaita nhamburiko huru kushandurira mumitauro yeAfrica.—Genesi 3:19; Jeremia 19:5; VaRoma 6:23.
Kutaura idi, Bhaibheri rinotaura kuti mweya yavanhu vanotadza inofa uye kuti “vakafa . . . havana chavanotongoziva.” (Muparidzi 9:5, 10, NW; Ezekieri 18:4) Kana vari vaAfrica vasina kuwana banza rokunzwa zvokwadi yeBhaibheri, vane tariro yokubatanidzwa “murumuko [runouya] rwavose vari vaviri vakarurama navasina kururama.” (Mabasa 24:15, NW) Vanomutswa vakadaro vachadzidziswa pamusoro pegadziriro yaMwari yoruponeso. Ipapo, kana vakagamuchira nokuonga rudo rwaMwari, vachatuswa noupenyu husingaperi muparadhiso yapasi.—Pisarema 37:29; Ruka 23:43; Johane 3:16.
Panzvimbo pokudzidzisa idzi zvokwadi dzeBhaibheri dzinoshamisa, chiKristudhomu chakatsausa vaAfrica nedzidziso dzenhema nounyengeri hworudzidziso. Zvamazvirokwazvo, basa rakaitwa navafundisi vechiKristudhomu mukukurira Africa kwehurumende dzokumwe hariwani tsigiro muBhaibheri. Mukupesana, Jesu akataura kuti Umambo hwake “hahusati huri rutivi rwenyika” uye kuti vateveri vake vechokwadi nenzira yakafanana havasati “vaizova rutivi rwenyika.” (Johane 15:19; 18:36, NW) MaKristu apakuvamba aiva nhume dzaJesu Kristu, kwete dzehurumende dzenyika.—2 VaKorinte 5:20.
Nokudaro, kukohwa Africa kwechiKristudhomu kwose zvako hakufadzi, kunoratidzirwa nokusanzwana kunokatyamadza, kusavimba, uye “kubatanidzwa kwepfungwa nemiitiro yechiKristu nechihedheni.” Masimba masimba ayo akaratidzira mativi akawanda “echiKristu” eAfrica zvamazvirokwazvo haasati ari mutsinhirano nedzidziso dzo“Muchinda woRugare.” (Isaya 9:6) Chibereko chebasa rechiKristudhomu muAfrica chinopesana zvakananga namashoko aJesu pamusoro pavateveri vake vechokwadi. Mumunyengetero kuna Baba vake vokudenga, Jesu akakumbira kuti “vagokwaniswa muno mumwe, kuti nyika igoziva kuti makandituma.”—Johane 17:20, 23, NW; 1 VaKorinte 1:10.
Ikoku kunoreva here kuti basa rose roufundisi muAfrica rave riri kundikano? Kana. Chibereko chakaisvonaka chebasa rechokwadi roufundisi hwechiKristu muAfrica nenyika yose richakurukurwa munyaya dzinotangira papeji 10.
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Vatungamiriri vavafundisi vezana ramakore rokupedzisira, vakadai saJohn Philip, vaidavira kuti shambidziko yeEurope nechiKristu zvakanga zviri zvimwe uye zvakafanana
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Cape Archives M450
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Vafundisi vechiKristudhomu vakakurudzira zvitendero zvavakare zveAfrica kupfurikidza nokuparadzira dzidziso dzisiri dzeBhaibheri, zvakadai sokusafa kwomweya
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Courtesy Africana Museum, Johannesburg