2.5 Ntumbuluko - the Christian practitioner's perspective
2.5.3 Igreja Assembleias de Deus de Mozambique
2.4.3.2 The profile of Mr. Daniel Machava and his perception of ntumbuluko
with those who mix ntumbuluko and Christian faith. He seemed more concerned about those who abandon ntumbuluko for whatever reason. He accused xilungu (western culture or modernity) and the government Marxist policy for causing people to abandon ntumbuluko. Although he did not make an accusation against Christianity, his argument on his stand in ntumbuluko and in the Christian faith is a form of criticism. But his friend frequently challenged him.
funeral rituals of ntumbuluko mentioned by Chitlango are irrelevant, because even non-Christians call in the church if there is death "now".
What Machava was saying here about the funerals is a story I know very well. It was also used by Filimoni to testify about the influence of the gospel over ntumbuluko.
The church that is called to conduct funerals in the area is the local IUB church, whose leader since 1945, with 57 years of leadership, has been my father. However, when my brother, Patson Chitlango, was at home and attended the funeral of a deacon of that church, our father allowed ntumbuluko burial and funeral rites to be performed.
If that could be done for the deacon of our church, what about those who are not even Christians, or those who are even diviners? This may not suggest an influence of the gospel, but a synthesis of ntumbuluko and Christian fatih. After his first statements Machava added:
Sweswi, a ntumbuluko hinga ka wona i ntumbuluko wa Kreste. Kambe ma hundzukela ya kona ma hi tikelaka....va n'wani aku hundzuka ka kona swi tlhela swi fana na wo ntumbuluko lowu wa khale. A ntumbuluko wu fumile va kokwani hi swi yila. Hina hi fanele ku hanya ka Kriste-kambe ufanele ku hlonipha kasi unga ti dyayi. Uhlonipha aku kufiwe laha mutini wa wena, u swi tiva leswaku ufanele aku u hanyisa kuyini leswaku a masiku ya hina matala-kambe, hi lava ku swi tiva leswaku a ntumbuluko lo wa khale na ntumbuluko lo wa Xikwembu hi wihi unga na matimba, unga hehla ka wu n'wani ke?
(Machava 2001, interview)
Translation:
Now, the ntumbuluko that we are in is ntumbuluko of Christ. However, conversion is hard for us... The conversion of some is similar to old ntumbuluko. Ntumbuluko governed our grandparents by taboos and laws. We must live in Christ, but one must respect so as not to kill oneself. One must respect when there is death in one's home, one must know how to live and behave in order to live a long life. But we want to know, between the old ntumbuluko and the ntumbuluko of God, which one has more power and is superior to the other?
Machava quoted a story of a rain-making failure and divine intervention in their prayer for rain at Chidoco during the agricultural season of 1996/97. He told the story of how ntumbuluko failed to bring rain, but prayer succeeded and he used the story to respond to the tipangu claims of his colleague S. Chitlango. He said that, in that incident, even the elders of the land complained that the church was plotting in that way to end ntumbuluko. His conclusion and answer to his question was:
A ntumbuluko wa Kriste wule hehla. Swi lava aku hita ngena ka wona, hi wu tirisa tani hi lowu hinga wu tirisa khale.
(Machava 2001, interview)
Translation:
Ntumbuluko of Christ is above. We must enter into it, and use it in the same manner we used the other ntumbuluko before the gospel. (This is important since the other interviewee attributed the good rainfall of the last few years, including the flooding of 2000, as the result of the reconstruction of places of worship or shrines in the area , - that was the same statement Chissano was reported to have made).
Machava is in sharp disagreement with his colleague. He, like other informants of this category, acknowledges the fact that there are some problems of conversion and of the relationship between ntumbuluko and the gospel. Maybe the classic example of such a tension was his disagreement with S. Chitlango, which led him to interrupt Chitlango at times and to confront him.
Machava argued that ntumbuluko was important and good in the past, but now we must embrace the gospel and use its power in the same way that we used ntumbuluko.
From his experience of rain in Chidoco, he was confident that the gospel is superior to ntumbuluko and that its power is much more efficient and would produce better results than ntumbuluko could, if used.
To summarize the definitions, perceptions and descriptions of ntumbuluko given by this category, the Christian practitioners, we can say that ntumbuluko was defined as:
1) darkness 2) customs 3) the law 4) beginning 5) principle 6) cosmic harmony 7) life
8) life giver
9) life care taker and 10) sin, etc.
All except one informant had a negative view of ntumbuluko. However, all of them adhere to some aspects of ntumbuluko. Matsombe used ntumbuluko as moral
sanction. Mangwele, Nhanombe, Dule and S. Chitlango all adhered to the ntumbuluko menstrual impurity law in the family and in the Church. Machava indicated the sex ban after death of a member of a family as an indispensable aspect of ntumbuluko, while Massango argued that what is of ntumbuluko must not be overlooked. One of the things of ntumbuluko that must not be overlooked is the prohibition of extra-marital sex by a woman when anyone is ill in the family (the husband or the children) and the need for a peaceful acceptance or tolerance of wives towards the unfaithfulness of husbands, and their duty to cover up their husbands' infidelity so that they are not exposed (and disciplined in the church?).
All the informants, except S. Chitlango, indicated the existence of a problem between ntumbuluko and Christianity. None of them were happy with the kind of relationship they saw in their churches or denominations. They all wished for a different form of relationship with ntumbuluko in the church. Between the lines, one can read an atmosphere of tension and conflict over the issue in the churches researched. They want a solution and some have even made proposals. The issue points to the leadership. Some even accused the leaders of lacking conversion, lacking faith and failing to set themselves apart. Others said that the leaders drag the people into doing wrong. So, after developing a guide on ntumbuluko and Christianity, part of the solution is teaching. This needs to be directed primarily at the leaders, for they are seen to be the major problem, as well as often being without training.
Next we have the Bible translators' category. It is another category of Christians, but is separate because of being a technical group of Christians that is intimately involved with the concept under discussion in their translation work.