Hebrews 11:33-34
New International Version (NIV)
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, … [who]
escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength.
Elisha Luyeho, a short, slight man was trained as a
mathematician. He was naturally retiring and did his best to dodge conflict. I
met Elisha at Andrews University where both he and I were mathematics majors and
both from Africa. We struck up a friendship that lasted until his death a
couple of years ago.
Elisha became principal of Ikizu Secondary School and
Seminary where I was teaching in 1971. This was the beginning of a very
turbulent time in Tanzanian education. The government had nationalized most
schools very shortly after independence in 1961. The Adventist mission alone
lost over 140 schools. Schools like Ikizu that had not taken any financial help
from the government were not taken over.
When Idi Amin executed a violent coup in next door Uganda,
the government of Tanzania became very edgy. It decided to nationalize all
educational institutions. But it didn’t want to get an international reputation
of arbitrarily doing this. So it sent political agitators onto campus twice a
week. These agitators were minor politicians who would call together all of the
students and harangue them for over an hour. The obvious, though unstated,
objective was to get the students to riot. Then in the name of order and
decency, the government could take over the school.
Under this pressure things got very tense in our school and
the schools of other mission organizations. Elisha believed firmly in Jesus
Christ and His mission to spread Christianity to Africa and Tanzania in
particular. He remained totally calm under this mounting pressure. I vividly
remember sitting in joint meetings with the faculty where these politicians
made all kinds of unreasonable demands on the school. But Elisha would quietly
and firmly resist their pressure with unanswerable arguments. At the time I
marveled, and still marvel, at the inner strength, faith, and fortitude of
Elisha and the vice-principal, Elinihaki Tuvako.
At times, when Elisha would go into the government office of
education in nearby Musoma, thugs would physically beat him up. Sore and
bruised he would return to Ikizu, his faith and determination strong. One
evening agents arrived on campus to arrest him and very probably take his life.
He was off campus at a meeting with the school board that day, so, having been
warned, early the next morning before the agents got up he fled the country. He
had to live in a neighboring country for the next twenty years to escape their
determined revenge.
The government never did manage to take over the school, and
relations have long since been normalized.
Thank You, Lord, for
the example of these men of faith and how You supported them and will support
us as we need it.
I like commenting on your blogs.
ReplyDeleteI was there at Ikizu when most of those things u talk about unfurled.
Luyeho had been a legend to most of us in the 1960's because like BARAKA OBAMA Sn, he crossed the oceans to study in the white man's country, something that was unique in those days. Julius Nyerere had been the first son of the land to get a Masters degree and as such he led the country to independence. He was a great man.
Luyeho was a Sukuma by tribe. He married Rahabu Marwa the first Kurya girl to cross the oceans, as well, for higher studies. The relationship between the two tribes can best be expressed by the biblical Samaritans and Isralites. Kuryas are a warrior tribe who strongly believe in practices such as circumcision of both gils and boys. Sukumas don't. We consider them cowards at war and unhygienic at sex. Sukumas don't marry kuryas even as I write. In those days therefore, it was not easy for elders to decipher the act of an uncircumcised guy marrying a decent and circumcised girl. He was, however, a man from abroad
Luyeho become a Headmaster almost straight from school.
In those early years of nation building, and in the endeavor to develop the country, transformations were regular. Nyerere had said, 'if Europeans walked to development, Tanzanians must run'. Nationalization of Private businesses/ventures, Industries, as well as,schools ensued. compulsory/universal primary school going, was declared in 1977 the first in Africa.
If you may recollect, the country had chosen socialism, as the official political path. There were freedom fighting activities going on in southern Africa. Since Tanzania provided rear base, there were eminent danger of counter attacks from colonists or coup d'états. The Government decided to create militias as reserve armies or informers for guarding itself. Ikizu school was selected to pioneer. Soldiers were sent in to train us in arms handling, as well as politics. Students enjoyed training in the handling of guns.Mr Luyeho was opposed to the move and he resisted. He was hated by students for depriving them the priviledge and was branded as a stooge of foreign imperialism earning a nick name 'Nguchiro' meaning a pocupine.
I suspect if anyone one really attacked Luyeho let alone harm him. In the early morning of the day of his flight, I know the person who blasted a blank bullet at his compound. It was a guy called Mbuta our military instructor. Mbuta meant to make us laugh rather than kill the Headmaster. With that blast in his compound, Luyeho left Tanzania for self-exile to die in foreign lands. I am not sure if his actions befit any biblical justification. He was, simply, irresponsible.
After Ikizu I joined Songea boys to study literature in English. One of the themes, we did was called the 'ALIENATED MAN'. We used a book titled 'ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE'. In this book, is a play acted in Sweden. Dr Stockman, the main actor, was a foreign trained man. Back in his village, he opposed the building of a factory which was harmful to the environment. He argued that the effluent waters from the treatment of animal skins was likely to pollute the underground water source. It was dangerous, he argued . The villagers considered the factory beneficial since it would generate jobs. Dr Stockman was hated and alienated. He chose to exile himself.
Several decades later, that same village was exterminated by a disease called Anthrax whose source, it was found to be, waste waters from animal skins processed in that factory. I don't know how these two alienated men can compare.
I remember how edgy TANZANIA became when Idi Amin overthrew the Government in Uganda in 1971. At the time no body was aware that this position would cost it dearly.
ReplyDeleteIn 1978 Idi amin decided to settle the bitterness. He invaded and occupied a border province and added the area onto Uganda Territory. Tanzania mobilized and 1978 was a year of war. Amin was removed from power and went into exile (Saudi Arabia).
The 70's was very testing decade for my tribesmen who form the bulk of Tanzanian militatry. Besides Uganda freedom fighting in the South namely Portuguese-Mozambique and Angola, South Africans-Namibia and Apartheid in South Africa. I sometimes look back and wonder; were those wars real necessary? As I ponder over the number of souls that were lost, I reflect the same on the brewing problems now in Europe-Crimea. Where is common wisdom amongst rulers?
In the weakpedia I read history. A combined force of Brits, French, Turks, and Italy defeated the Russians (1853-56) at a cost of 250,000 souls. The Britts often celebrate a name of a lady, FLORENCE NIGHTNGALE who helped the wounded soldiers of all nationalties indiscriminately and 'the forgotten Heroes' of Crimea. In latter years the Russians took crimea only to loose and retake it again. It has now again retaken it. The Europeans with the support of America are considering, and God forbid, a military option against Russia in Crimea.
At Ikizu we never read literature. I had never head the word apartheid, capitalism nor socialism and their political ramifications. At Songea high school I had plenty of them since I was doing English literature. In Tanzanian Universities every entrant, irrespective of the profession, has to do a subject called Development Studies. This is where I got introduced to the concept of East(Communism/Socialism) against West (Capitalim/Colonialism/Racism/Imperialism). I got introduced to a new terminology; the 'COLD WAR'. While I found the subject very understandable and easy, it was a very difficult one for those who had come from sciences and especially mathematicians. They had to work very hard to understand what the terminologies stood for. At the time President Nyerere and Brosilio Tito of Yugoslavia were championing a club of 77 developing Nations called Non-Aligned. Till thee days I have never come into grasp with the idea of 'the cold war' which is now scarring the world with Russia taking Crimea.
Let us hope that the World is in the hands of more brightened people and that God is in control. No need to repeat the sceneries of the past.
I share your hope that the earth is in the hands of more enlightened people now. If I think about it however the verse in Matthew comes to mind: Matthew 24: 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
ReplyDeleteYour experience about not having literature in Adventist schools was fairly common in most countries. Reading fiction was regarded as going against the injunction to think on "whatsoever things are true" (Philippians 4:8). I have noticed that Adventists have been having second thoughts about that stand in recent years--for better or worse.