Page 327 - Volume 2_CHANGES_merged_with links

m̩ 'zuŋ u memories of the Christian Church in Africa
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walk softly, go quietly and you wlll see...

Communion was something else. The same lining up down the nave. On the altar behind

the receiving bishop, in full view with labels turned so all could see, was the Holy Wine in the
form of 2 expensive bottles of imported brandy.

*****

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I backpack around everywhere. Visiting villages which just don't get visits from a m'zuŋ u.
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The villagers see 'zuŋ u when they visit nearby towns, so 'zuŋ u are not strange to them.
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But the visit of a 'zuŋ u to their own village comes as something as a shock.
It's a safe and fantastically rewarding way to travel. The underlying motivation for the
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modern age of touristic travel is really only about 'zuŋ u seeking some sort of escapism
from ordinary life and some sort of thrill. Different people have different tastes and will seek
out different 'adventures' but all similarly driven for some sort of memorable moment.
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And of course the more the 'zuŋ u travel, the less thrilling, the less memorable the
experience
Staying overnight with an African village is an experience no one should miss.

It's safe and easy. When you arrive at a village where you want to stay, just make it clear you

want to meet the local priest or teacher. These are the two people most likely to understand
you. And if they can't put you up they will know the best person to take you to.

And so it was that one day I arrived at a village where there was a gathering of priests.

More than 20 of them. The church sat on what could easily have been an English village
green, edged by large trees with branches spreading. All it needed was for the cricket team to

appear.

The priests were here to celebrate their opening of the 26th mobile health centre, newly
established that very day. In this part of the world where the 'journey to get medical aid' is said

to be the biggest killer, where there are less than 30 official ambulances to serve a whole
country, the African church can be the most reliable form of proper local health care that rural

people can rely on.

And so I was invited to join the priests in their celebratory meal. And constantly being

cajoled into drinking the local alcoholic brew (Typically made from Sorghum. As you pass through many
villages, you will see the Sorgum grain laid out on a waterproof sheet to dry out in the sun, just as you will see
coffee beans dried in the same way.