Over the weekend, I was helping Fr. Donnie clean his house. As we were going through all of his stuff, I came across a 4-page article that had been buried under a stack of papers. After reading the article, I learned about all of the impressive accomplishments that Fr. Donnie had achieved throughout his time in Tanzania. In my opinion, this summary best exemplifies all of the hard work that Fr. Donnie has put into improving the lives of the African people. Thus, I decided to type it out and post it below. Unlike most of the useless nonsense that is typically found on this blog, I think that people will actually get something out of this. With that in mind, grab an extra coffee (sorry, every once in a while my Dunkin Donuts withdrawal rears its ugly head), and take a few minutes to read it for yourself...
With a twinkle in his eye, Fr. Don Sybertz led the way through a blue door into a small compound a stone’s throw from the Ndoleleji Mission. His Research Group, four men and a woman of the local Sukuma tribe, was waiting and on cue burst into a welcome song. With a grin on his face, Don joined them in their dancing and melodic chant. The beautiful songs continued for almost an hour, with Don explaining the meaning and symbolism. The Research Group are some of the brightest members of the local Catholic parish. They shared with this much loved Maryknoll Father the task of collecting African myths and proverbs and interpreting them as Africa Christian Theology.
Born in NORTH WEYMOUTH, Massachusetts in 1928, Don has been living in Tanzania since 1955 as a Maryknoll missionary. With a lifetime’s love and appreciation of Africa, especially the Sukuma tribe, he is deeply inculturated into African folklore and recognizes its parallels with Christianity. A fascination for the subject and being an expert speaker of the Sukuma language, he fully appreciates their oral traditions. He has made a continuing study of how to relate Scripture and the African proverbs, wisdom sayings, stories and parables of the people. This has resulted in the publication of several books in Swahili as evangelization aids for the Tanzanian Church and a major book in English.
One of Fr. Don’s books, “Towards an African Narrative Theology” is published by Orbis. The books’ introduction explains the priests’ journey:
Welcome to a journey into the heart and soul of the African people and cultures. This is the on-going African journey of enculturation and contextualization – rooting the gospel in local African cultures and societies. The guides on this journey are African proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, plays, songs, cultural symbols, and real life experiences. Through this particular story of an African narrative theology of enculturation we hope to communicate to a wider audience the experience and wisdom of the African people and cultures. This is a concrete step in sharing the theological insights and praxis of the African Church with the World Church and the world society.
This expatriate missionary holds great respect for what he has seen and experienced in Africa and feels compelled to tell others. When asked if it is valid for expatriate missionaries to construct an African Theology, his answer is:
Yes, because we are not writing our own theology from the top down, but we are transmitting the theological reflections and insights of the African people and communities from the grassroots, from the bottom up. This is a process of constructing a local participatory theology. We have tried to codify African experience and wisdom through oral literature and traditions such as proverbs, sayings, riddles, stories, myths, fables, plays, songs, prayers, homilies, sermons, personal testimonies, dreams, and cultural symbols to integeate them with the Christian faith.
In the book there are thousands of proverbs listed, as well as quotes from local African clergy. Sister Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike, L.S.O.S.F. states: The oral literature of the African people is their unwritten Bible. This religious wisdom is found in African idioms, wise sayings, legends, myths, stories, proverbs and oral history.
The theologian Rev. Mbiti adds: Proverbs are a rich source of African Religion and philosophy. They contain and point to a deep spirituality, as well as theological and philosophical insights. In this case they form a bridge between traditional African religiosity and biblical teaching.
Four African proverbs and their biblical parallels show the striking similarity between African wisdom and biblical wisdom.
1.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: What goes into the stomach is not lasting.
Mark 7: 18-19: Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes into the sewer.
2.) Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb: To laugh at a person with a defective eye while you hide your own defects.
Matthew 7:3: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eyes, but do not notice the log in your own eye?
3.) Fipa (Tanzania) Proverb: God’s rain falls even on the witch.
Matthew 5:45: Your Father in heaven sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
4.) Kuria (Kenya/Tanzania) and Ngoreme (Tanzania) Proverb: One person is thin porridge or gruel; two or three people are a handul of stuff cooked corn meal.
Ecclesiastes 4:9,12: Two are better than one…A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In 2007, Don published a small book “Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters.” The story is a creation myth for the Sukuma people who were in danger of being swallowed by a monster Shing’weng’we who was slaughtered by a hero child Masala Kulangwa who became King and Chief of the whole world. John P. Mbonde reviewed the book and this is an extract from his review:
A story, a tale, a myth such as the Sukuma myth of Shing’weng’we and Masala Kulangwa meticulously narrated in Tears Of Joy, can still be used more effectively than a scientific explanation to teach certain metaphysical truths and to give very powerful moral lessons to young people.
It is incredible that after 51 years of extensive research on the rich Sukuma cultural traditions and oral literature (stories, songs, proverbs, riddles, myths, folklore, ect.), the author Father Donald Sybertz, M.M., a Maryknoll Missioner living in Shinyanga, Tanzania, has every reason to rejoice and be congradulated for having such a good command of the Sukuma language and finally helping the full, definitive version of this myth to see the light of day in this 27 page booklet.
In this book, Tears of Joy, the monster appears in the village in the form of a large pumpkin which kept on growing and growing all the time until it become so enormous that all were truly amazed. People ran to get their weapons. The pumpkin suddenly burst open and a monster with long claws and sharp teeth came roaring out. All the people, elders, men and women, boys and girls, children and babies, even cattle and goats were swallowed.
It was the son of the lone woman who escaped from being swallowed by the monster who later killed the monster with a stone. The name of this courageous boy is Masala Kulangwa. It was a great achievement for him and for all the men and women of his Sukuma Ethnic Group who came out of the stomach dancing and singing: “Masala Kulangwa killed him. We are all free and alive again. What a man this Masala Kulangwa is.” They made Masala Kulangwa their Chief and King of the Whole World.
This myth touches the metaphysical problems of death and afterlife. Shing’weng’we is diabolically a terrible monster, apparently unconquerable and without mercy. Every human being must fall victim to him. This is the law from which no one can escape. The monster’s stomach is the symbol of earth (from which comes all fertility). It also symbolizes the tomb where everybody will sooner or later be swallowed (common death).
Father Don Sybertz and his Research Group continued their song and dance. It was an awesome experience. Their joyful faces, swaying bodies and perfect harmonies were just a taster for the visitor, the tip of an immense iceberg of knowledge, faith and understanding which has been carried through generations. It is a testimony to the enthusiasm and intelligence of Father Sybertz that he paid attention and wrote it down for a worldwide audience to appreciate and understand. And to encourage evangelization in an African way.
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