Martyr in Congo

Chapter 5. A true story, not a legend

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Youth Activities in Baraka Fizi in early 1960s

There is a corner of the diocese of Uvira that roads cannot reach. Its high mountains, its rushing rivers, and its dangerous ravines make it impossible for traveling. Only some goats and a few huts are visible, and one never knows why some people would live in these isolated conditions.

The message of the Gospel arrived after the 1950. It took the missionaries two days of walking though dangerous forest paths, to reach the altitude of 6,000 feet where the village of Mulenge is located. But the first proclamation of the Gospel happened because of the efforts of a small girl. In Mulenge, in fact, a small Christian family came to live, even though they were not really practicing Christians, because too far away from any Christian community. Their Christian beliefs soon mixed with their native customs.

One day, a distant relative came to visit this family. He was impressed by this little girl of 8-10 years, and after some discussion with her parents, he had decided to give her into marriage for his son, when the time was right. This girl left then and there her family, to join her second uncle, and so live with him in his family, and acquaint herself with her future husband.

Regina, that was her real name, found herself at ease in her new family, and continued with her usual customs. One of them was that, before she went to sleep, she would kneel and pray the “Our Father.” This surprised her second uncle, so much so that he asked her to teach the whole family this prayer. And so Regina started: “Baba yetu uliye mbinguni… Our Father who art in Heaven….” It was a new beginning for him and his whole family. He asked questions, and guided by this little girl, he soon asked her to teach this prayer to the village people gathered in the evenings around the fire.

Who taught this prayer to Regina? The man went to Mulenge again, to talk to Regina’s father, and found out that the missionaries of Uvira, in their travels, taught this prayer to the family. And so he continued his journey to Uvira, met with the missionaries, and wanted them to come and visit the village. The superior of the community promised he would undertake the difficult trip in the future. “For now, just read this booklet” he said to him. “But who can read in our village?” thought the man on his way home. Actually, the village found someone who could read, a non-Christian like everyone else, who had taken some classes in Lemera.

It was then, in the darkness of the village fireplace, that the villagers learned and studied the Christian faith. The missionaries finally came to visit the village, gave further catechism instructions, and were able to baptize a few of them… to their astonishment. It seems an African legend, but the villagers recounted this true story one evening, around the fireplace.

Fr. Robert Dal Forno, who worked both in Congo and Burundi, teaches school children

Education and Refugees in Uvira

Father De Zen, the Xaverian provincial in 1963, shares the challenges of working in Congo: “Education is the number one priority, if we want to see a rebirth of Congo. The political leaders of this young African republic have understood the difference between independence and rebirth of an African nation. If we want out of this crisis, they need to insist on the restructuring of the school system. The Xaverians are not here for political reasons or gain, but we want to discover the plans of God in this country, and we know how the school system has been overlooked.

There is a push to ‘Africanize’ the subjects in education, and this will be a great step for the rebirth of Congo. But how do we do it? African history has lost in the darkness of its nights the first chapters of its history, and what it knows is just its recent one of atrocities. Those in charge of the education programs for this country would like some simple programs, understandable to the young, on democracy, the republic, the history of slavery, the meaning of work, and human surroundings through the centuries. But how can this be done without texts and books? Many times students are subject to a “missionary” education, meaning without textbooks and supplies.

But another issues that Congo needs to deal with – continues Fr. De Zen – is the presence of 30,000 Rwandan refugees, most of them Catholics, in our diocese. They are in Kamianiola-Baraka, an area of 120 miles, in farming communities and in mountain regions. It’s one year that they are with us, and they are still neglected. Lately, the United Nations and the Red Cross have begun to tend to their needs, but even these organizations have their hands tied to government offices and guidelines.

In the month of October, we organized a Marian pilgrimage in Kiliba. We were very tired at the end, but what satisfaction it gave us! Catholics, Protestants, Animists and Muslims all came together on the occasion. Our Heavenly Mother knows how to conquer people’s hearts. There were so many at confession and communion!
Fr. John Didone'

The moral and religious situation of these refugees is even more troublesome than their material poverty. As Catholics, they have encountered a non-Christian environment, especially among the Bufaleros, who are often cold and indifferent to the Christian message. And therefore, these Rwandan refugees often let go of their religious beliefs, use revenge as a way to succeed in life, work as little as they can, and some have abandoned their children to the plague of prostitution. If they continue this way, they will lose what little faith in Christ they have received.”

Aware of these challenges, Father John lived among people with a low level of education, though they had inherited an ancestral culture rich in anthropological and social values. Contact with the most humble people was easy, but the same cannot be said about his relationships with the chiefs. In the latter case, even the most banal communication was complicated and, sometimes, even dangerous.

Father John’s Congo is not the earthly paradise depicted on postcards in which the kindly missionary in white robes paints a reassuring picture: his Congo was a breeding ground of inter-tribal rivalry and resentment, in which white skin was synonymous with oppression. The missionary was faced with problems that were practically irresolvable: how to overcome the mutual desire for revenge among the tribes and the prejudice towards foreigners. It must be remembered that vendetta had strong roots in past rivalries and the attitude to foreigners stemmed from very real injustices perpetrated in the past.

Yet Father Didonè did not lose heart. He had trained for so long to announce the Gospel precisely where it had never been heard before and he set about his task with resilience and enthusiasm.

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