A Visit to Zaire, July 1983

6.  Saturday July 16th

Brightly dawns ..

Rosalie’s wedding day, and the tenth anniversary of the departure of Pat and Rosalie from Belgium to Zaire.  Pat has shown wonderful friendship in ways too numerous to mention.  She has made a wedding cake (which Vivienne has iced); and now she has offered her home to Rosalie and Kimbangi for tonight.

Rosalie told us she had woken at 5:10, then gone to sleep, and woken again at 4:10 ~ the previous time must have been 2:25 (which hand on the watch is which?).  When we got up, the water went off ~ a thing that happens here from time to time; not exactly an auspicious omen!  I had shaved, but Bernard had to wait until mid-morning, when the supply was restored.  The next thing that happened was that Rosalie had a message that the pastor wanted to see her, to go over the liturgie!  This was about 8am, so she and I went to his office, leaving Bernard washing up with Lydia, and Berta “in charge”.  A good thing we went, as Rosalie found that the responses were in a slightly different shade of Kikongo from that with which she is familiar.  So she has brought the book home, to swot up the responses.  Then we three went for a quiet walk by the fishponds (set up as a fish-farm by a former missionary, now disused, but scheduled to be restored as soon as time and funds permit).  We went up to one of the villages, with more meetings and greetings, and then back to the house. The water was still off, and Bernard discovered why ~ the supply into the house has an outside tap, which the ladies who are camping outside had opened and then shut tight; a problem easily fixed.

On our return, Rosalie went into seclusion, first to wash her hair, then to iron her dress.  Bernard went for a stroll around CECO, to see the cooking preparations ~ five goats have now been given, plus the sheep given several months ago, and which is pregnant; the custom is that Rosalie and Kimbangi will own all the lambs in years 1, 3, 5 .. and share 50% with the “keeper” in years 2, 4 .. ~ and no, we didn’t ask what happens if there are an odd number of lambs in the even years!  There are too many cocks to count, a pigeon, and a duck (Bernard suggested Sunday lunch, with local oranges).

All this time, we (with Vivienne) tried to shield Rosalie from callers.  But a message came through that there was insufficient crockery and cutlery at the refectory.  Should we collect a quantity from the church at Lukala, or borrow from various homes?  After consultation with Vivienne, we decided to borrow, and have been busy putting thread round our own cutlery and adhesive labels on our crockery.  Then, the new tape recorder seems not to be equal to recording a church service; the built-in microphone needs to be very very close to the speaker, to pick up his voice in sufficient volume.  So it was decided to use a church recorder.  I took some sheets up to Pat, who has a double bed, for the use of the bride and groom tonight (Pat and Berta will stay here), and had a sight of the cake, which looks very nice.  Next (11:30) we had a light lunch, a quiche made by Vivienne, and noticed some people decorating the front door with palms and bougainvillea flowers; it seems they are doing this to the church and refectory too.

Almost time for the great occasion.  We were awaiting a signal from Pat, who had been appointed Madame la Surveillante by the diaconate.  And we heard that the wife of the pastor from Lukala, who is here to lead the service, has given birth to another child this morning.

The wedding

The wedding invitation said “2.30 precisely”.   But of course, everyone knew it wouldn’t be precisely!!  By the time we were all set in the church, it was almost 3 o’clock, and by the time the service was over it was almost five o’clock.

Pat came to let us know when the scene in the church was set, and we set off on foot about 2:35 [pictures 26 and 27], followed by some of the neighbours who were late.  At the top of the hill, the ladies choir were waiting outside the church; Rosalie and I took our places at the head of the column, and we processed up the aisle at a very slow pace (one step forward, and half a step back), the ladies singing as they went “Hosanna, gloria”.  The church was full, and so was the annexe on one side.  The arch at the entrance, and the arch at the back of the dais had been decorated with palm fronds and bougainvillaea flowers.   We were given typed orders of service (below, with translation!), and the hymns had been duplicated.

Programme du mariage du 16/07/1983                                                         Order of Service

Prelude: Chorale soleil et musique                                          Songs from the group “Soleil”.

Entree du couple                                                                                  Entrance of the couple

Psaume et priere                                                                                           Psalm and Prayer

Chorale ba Mama                                                                                                Ladies choir

Cantique 700                                                                                                                 Hymn

Priere sacerdofcale par Rev. Pepresentant Legal.       Prayer (Legal representative of CECO)

Lecture biblique par Rev. Medina Zola                                                         Scripture reading

Chorale Centrale (1)                                 CECO central choir ~ the (1) means they had been

                                                                                                      strictly limited to one song!

Trio (par Cit. Mpia) (1)                        Citoyen Mpia is the music director and maths teacher;

                                                                                         The Trio was 3-parts, not 3 people.

Meditation: Pasteur Mateka                                                                                       Address

Chorale CBFZ Lukala (1)                                           Choir from the CBFZ church at Lukala

Chorale Soleil (1)                                                                                                          Group

Acte d’engagement                                                                                   Marriage Ceremony

Chorale Kimwana (1)                                                                                    Male voice choir

Cantique 609                                                                                                                 Hymn

Benediction

Sortie: Chorales Soleil et ba Mama                The ladies choir left with the bride and groom;

                                                                                                      “Soleil” sang in the church

Defile jusq’au Restaurant, (pour les invitees)                Invited guests leave for the reception

Offrandes                           Offering bowls at the door of the church, for gifts for the couple.

La paroisse CECO Kimpese

Four pastors took part in the service, and others were present. The length of the service was due in part to the number of choirs that took part.  The wedding ceremony took place towards the end of the service.   I fulfilled my small part in English ~ in response to a very strange-sounding English question! The rest of the proceedings were translated for me by Pat, and for Bernard by Vivienne. The sermon was based on Genesis 2, emphasising that for man and woman to be “one flesh” involved body, mind and spirit.

After the ceremony, Kimbangi and Rosalie signed the church book on the communion table; his father and I signed as witnesses.   But as his father couldn’t write, an ink-pad was fetched for him to give his thumb-mark! At the end of the service, instructions were given for going out. First the pastors, and I as a pastor was to go with them, and Kimbangi’s father was to come with me.  Then the couple, followed by bridesmaids (Berta, Rosalie’s protegé ~ or lady in waiting! ~ and Nsunda who helps in the house), and other groups to follow.  From the church steps we looked out on a sea of faces, and taking photographs was made rather difficult (as soon as a camera is produced, there is always a crowd of children, and adults, willing to get in the picture).  Stephen Green had offered to take photos, and he really did very well; but as the ladies choir were still singing loudly, no-one could hear him calling out the groups he wanted!  Bernard also took plenty of pictures, and there were others, even flash photos taken in the church.

The Reception

Then the slow procession to the refectory began.  Again, it was hard to get pictures, as there were hordes of people crowding around; but this did allow everybody, including the children, to see the couple [picture 28].  When we got to the refectory a few more photos were taken, but by now (5.30) the light was beginning to fade. So in to the reception.

 

A “top table” was arranged, with places earmarked.  The BMS colleagues were at a table to the left; for the rest, people sat anywhere.  After grace, except for the top table, it was a case of forming a queue, cafeteria style, to collect a plateful of food.  All the time we were eating, one or other of two choirs was singing; presumably they would eat afterwards.  And a crowd of people of all ages were gazing in through the windows, all the time the reception lasted.

There was a savoury dish ~ roast goat, with rice, sweet potatoes, yams, saka-saka, kwanga (made from. fermented hard fu-fu), another vegetable that looked like shiny grass!, and beans ~ followed by an iced bun, and coke or orange to drink [picture 29].  The cake was duly photographed, and cut, though not everyone was aware of what was happening, and the bride and groom fed each other with a mouthful of it on a spoon.  Then the biggest bowl I have ever seen was placed on a stool in front of the top table, and guests were invited to bring their gifts. This they did, until the bowl was overflowing, the guests shaking hands with us all in the process.

Then we had speeches, even though some of the guests had left. I began [picture 30], interpreted of course, followed by Kimbangi’s maternal uncle, then by the best man (true to universal style and content), and finally by the prefêt (headmaster), as representing the CECO community, who read from two typewritten sheets (these were later presented to Rosalie ~ we may get a copy, and insert it).  It was a review of the way in which Rosalie and Kimbangi had come together, and the speech faced squarely the hesitations which some people had had, and rejoiced that all obstacles had been overcome.  The major theme of the last two days has been, that many in the church and the country will look at this marriage, as an example of what can be done by way of international cooperation at its best, and also see it as a test ~ that the marriage lives up to the Christian and inter-racial ideals that it has set out to achieve.  A final prayer and benediction brought the proceedings to a close.

 

There were some more photos, and we thanked the headmaster’s wife Mama Kinkela [picture 31], who has supervised the catering; then we made our way into the darkness, to reach the quiet of our house.  So the great day is over.  We have been surrounded by love and good wishes.  Plenty of good advice has been given to the couple, both last night and today.  So they go out into the future, trusting each other, and commended to the grace of God.

“The tumult and the shouting dies; the captains and the Kings depart.”

It’s eight o’clock, and some of Kimbangi’s family have just departed for their village, hoping to get a camion (lorry); most of the rest will go tomorrow.  We have stayed in the house, and Rosalie and Kimbangi have gone down into the town to see some of the guests, who are continuing the celebration there.

 

 

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