CONGO PAST AND PRESENT
Before 1885 Congo
was a vast country of numerous tribes with many languages and customs
all different from each other. David Livingstone, great Protestant
missionary and explorer, supposed to be lost in Central Africa, was
found by Henry M. Stanley. This contact resulted in world interest
in the Congo country. Stanley looked for some government to develop
the strange land. He found nobody who cared except King Leopold II
of Belgium, who wanted a colony. He and others in 1885 organized the
Congo Free State which in reality became a tremendous private domain
with Leopold as sovereign.
As the years passed
and exports from the Free State grew, news reached the outside world
that all was not well with the Congo.
There was world-wide criticism
of Leopold's regime. It was then decided that Belgium should take over
jurisdiction in Congo, and what had been the Congo Free State became
a colony of the Belgian nation. A Charte Coloniale was given the Congo
by the government of Belgium in 1908. That Charter created the colony
to be known for 52 years as the Belgian Congo.
Under stress of international
pressures from without, and some Congolese leaders from within, Belgium
in 1960 surprised the world by granting independence to its former
colony. Most of the Congolese people, and many people in Belgium also,
were surprised. No battle was fought to win independence. Belgium voluntarily
gave freedom to the peoples of Congo to avoid a long and bloody struggle
such as preceded independence in some other lands.
But the independence
came suddenly to a people who were not� prepared for it. Elections
were quickly arranged for multitudes of people who had never voted
in their lives. A hastily organized nation came into being. The takeover
was peaceable, but in a few weeks the army mutinied, and intertribal
wars began which horrified the world. The United Nations with an international
military force intervened. Some of that force still remains in Congo
as this is written.
It is more than three
years since Congo Belge became the REPUBLIQUE DU CONGO. Its brief history
has been troubled by the efforts of some provinces to secede from the
Central Government. The secessions have been prevented by action of
the United Nations. As a result the Republique du Congo is still in
control of a sort over the whole great land.
The conflicts between
the Province of Katanga on one side, and the United Nations and the
Leopoldville government on the other, plus numbers of intertribal wars
in many areas, did great damage. They resulted in the destruction of
many of the physical benefits brought to Congo by the Belgians. Railroad
property suffered tremendous losses. Important bridges were blown up.
River ferries were put out of commission. Railroad service was disorganized
or stopped entirely. Highways built at great expense were made impassable.
Many villages were burned and hundreds, probably thousands, of people
were massacred. Many of the foreigners left the country in terror.
The business sections
and some of the residence sections of prosperous cities became virtual
ghost towns. In some places there was wholesale looting of mercantile
establishments and private residences. Thousands of automobiles abandoned
by Europeans were appropriated by natives who drove them until gas
ran out or the cars were wrecked. Robbery was common.
Breakdown of
communications and transport and finance left thousands of people hungry,
and many starving. Foreign organizations, including the United Nations
and Red Cross and some Church organizations, imported food for the
hungry refugees by any means available.
The well-organized
medical services of the government and missionary organizations nearly
ceased to function. In some places this was due to the evacuation of
the foreign staff and the expulsion of trained medical assistants who
came from distant tribes.
The number of displaced
persons multiplied into thousands and thousands as well-established
and profitably employed people were forced to leave their homes and
flee to their ancestral areas. Often they found no place to go as their
old homes and sometimes the whole towns they originally came from had
disappeared entirely.
From some of these
fearful experiences the Congo cannot recover for many years, even under
the most favorable circumstances. Villages built of temporary materials
can in some places be constructed in weeks or months, if the seasons
are favorable. But replacing bridges and ferries, boats, and permanent
buildings costs money, and the destruction of so many other things
has indeed �killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.� What was in
days or weeks or months destroyed may not be entirely replaced in the
lifetime of anyone now living. Poverty is still the lot of most of
the people, hunger is common, and the discouragement resulting from
all the aforesaid events prevents all too many people from using the
resources still remaining to improve their pitiful condition.
We were missionaries,
sent to Congo by the American Presbyterian Congo Mission, which began
its work back in 1891 in the days of the Congo Free State. It continued
from 1908 until 1960 under the jurisdiction of the Belgian Congo. After
a brief evacuation in July 1960 it has continued its work under the
Republique du Congo. More of that will be considered later.
It is to be understood
that our Mission never interfered in the politics of the Belgians or
of the Congolese. Its work has been entirely a mission of mercy under
the Great Commission left by Jesus Christ to His Church, to heal and
to teach and preach the Gospel. In its educational, medical, and evangelistic
work it has pursued its course, recognizing the �powers that be� as
being ordained of God. We have conformed to the lawful authority of
the government in power as best we could. We taught the people to pay
their taxes, to respect and obey the govermnent, both their own chiefs
and the foreigners recognized as rulers over the chiefs.
There is a parallel
to all this in the New Testament. Jesus Christ Himself, coming with
a message from God to the Jewish people, found them a subject nation,
under the control of the Romans as we found the Congolese under the
control of Belgium. So we felt justified in keeping hands off political
matters as He did in His day. We had no commission from our God nor
from His Church to liberate the Congolese peoples from a colanial government.
Our duty clearly was, �submit yourselves to every ordinance of man
for the Lord's sake.�
But for the limitations
and prohibitions of our commission it might have been natural for Americans
to have educated Congolese people for republican government such as
we believed in.
If we had done that, Congo might not have found itself
short of men trained for government office when the time of need so
surprisingly and so suddenly arose. But if we had disobeyed our own
commission and engaged in such activities we would certainly and without
delay have been expelled from the colony. Thus we would have lost our
opportunity to preach the Gospel to the Congo people. In being loyal
to the Belgian Colonial Government we were without a doubt doing our
duty.
The Abdication of King Baudouin.
June 30, 1960, was
set as the great day for the inauguration of independence. A formal
ceremonial was arranged at Leopoldville where Baudouin officially handed
over his authority as King of Belgian Congo to Patrice Lumumba, the
new Prime Minister representing the people of the former colony.
Independence was a
time of joyful celebration which the people welcomed, but which most
of them did not understand. Multitudes throughout Congo shouted for
independence without knowing what it meant.
But peace and joy
were not for long. Before the new republic could settle down to enjoy
independence the army mutinied, and nearly destroyed the new nation.
Struggles for power began involving personal, and also tribal, grasping
for the reins of authority over the nation's people and the nation's
wealth.
Powerful leaders arose
supported by financial and political power from outside of Congo. Both
Lumumba and his enemies had support from mighty interests within and
outside of the United Nations. Congo came all too close to falling
into the total control of atheistic communist nations, which would
have terminated missionary work within the country.�
The United Nations, sharply divided between communist
and free nations, intervened in Congo to end the tribal wars which threatened
to destroy everything worth while in the land. For about three years
soldiers of the United Nations, from many countries, have been stationed
in Congo, and have even fought in Congo, to secure peace. It is not yet
clear when or whether this military occupation will end.
Evacuation by Missionaries.
Within a month after
Independence Day, fighting within the Congo became so fierce that the
American State Department, under whose passport protection Americans
were present in Congo, ordered the evacuation of American missionaries.
This seemed impossible. Roads were closed in many areas, and our missionaries
were cut off from avenues of escape. United States transport planes
could reach a few large airfields in Congo. But most of our people
were trapped on their own stations. Prompt action by two missionaries
with light airplanes succeeded in carrying all missionaries to points
where they could embark in large American planes for Rhodesia, south
of the Congo. There was great confusion within the Congo, and nobody
could predict what would happen.
From the time of their
arrival in Rhodesia the missionaries began to study the possibilities
of return to the people and the work they loved. Seven men were back
in Congo very soon, scouting by plane to find out when it would be
wise to return. Soon other missionaries began to return -not all, but
many of them.
After Independence.
The missionaries returned
to a new Congo. They had lived previously in a Belgian Colony. They
were now returning to the Republique du Congo, no longer a colony,
but a liberated people. Instead of dealing with Belgian Colonial Territorial
Agents, Administrators, District Commissioners, Provincial Governors,
and a supreme Governor General, they found all of these replaced by
Congolese officials.
In many places there
was chaos because of intertribal wars and personal struggles for power.
There have been wars and rumors of wars between provinces and the Central
Government. There has been international intrigue. There have been
massacres and wholesale migrations. Oftentimes communications have
been cut off. Railroad tracks have been torn up or blocked. Radio communications
have been forbidden. Private transmitters were confiscated. Automobile
roads were made impassable. Travel across tribal boundaries practically
came to a stop.
This is not intended
to be a history of Congo after independence. Our interest in these
matters is strictly missionary. We write of wars, political matters,
and the economic situation, simply as background of the picture of
missionary affairs. Mignon and I gave the best of our lives to the
work of Christ in the Belgian Congo from 1917 to 1950 and now we look
back. What has happened to the work of Missions since? Has the missionary
work of all the years been destroyed by the coming of independence
to Congo?
Our Work for Christ Has Not Been Destroyed.
Even during the period
of evacuation by the missionaries, some of the work continued. Worship
services were kept up by Christians in many places. Schools continued
in many sections. On some stations hospital assistants carried on as
much healing work as limited supplies and personnel permitted. Church
leaders carried on as best they could. Reports we have heard indicate
that Mission property has received better treatment than might have
been expected. We understand that in general churches and chapels have
been respected even where villages have been devastated.
A New Look at Mission Work.
The sudden removal
of scores of missionaries gave the Congolese people an opportunity
to decide whether mission work was helpful or harmful to them. Here
were mission stations. The heart had gone out to them. When the passions
of the moment born of tribal conflict gave the people any time for
reflection they could consider what missionaries had done, and had
not done. They had not engaged in commerce. They had not held government
offices. They had lived in modest comfort, but not in luxury. Why had
they been there? They had ministered to the sick. They had taught many
useful things besides reading, writing, and arithmetic. They had brought
the people the whole Bible in the Tshiluba language. They had taught
them beautiful hymns and Gospel songs. As a part of their Gospel of
salvation they had taught people honesty and fair dealing with one
another. They had been the friends of the people. Now they were gone.
If the work of Christian
missions had been a failure, here was the opportunity of a lifetime
for Congo's people to get rid of missionaries and missions. Everything
would now be different. Government was now in their own hands. Congolese
held all government offices from territorial agent to Prime Minister
of Congo. Now by refusing re-entry to the evacuated missionaries the
work of missions could have been ended. But it did not happen.
The latest figure
available reports that more than seventy missionaries are now on the
field. Others are on furlough. Work has been resumed on most of the
stations.
The Congolese People Want the Missionaries.

The missionaries are
back again because the people want them back. Without doubt the ministries
of healing have a share in this. A great medical work had been done
on our stations. As people in Judea and Galilee long ago flocked around
Jesus to obtain His healing touch, so people still come to our hospitals
to be healed. The medical work has suffered by the tribal strife which
followed independence. A hospital organization is not built in a day.
It is a team formed by long years of training people in various skills
which fit together for doing all sorts of things from washing and dressing
sores to the most serious surgical operations. These groups of workers
came from various tribes, which have recently been in deadly conflict.
Many of these workers had to leave their homes and mission stations
and flee with their families to their own tribal areas. Some of them
are lost to the medical work. It takes time to rebuild such organizations.
Some local experienced workers have remained. New help is being trained.
The work goes on. The people have learned in a new way to appreciate
what Mission doctors and nurses mean to them.
Mission schools have
a great share in this new evaluation. Education is appreciated more
than ever. Many little schools in scores of villages kept going even
while the missionaries were gone. Thousands of refugees found themselves
in totally new circumstances and communities. Some of these were students,
others were teachers. Before the smoke of tribal battles had blown
away, efforts to establish schools were already in evidence. Some tribes
had more refugee teachers than other tribes had, therefore were able
to organize schools more quickly and effectively. All of them began
to feel more than ever the need for missionary help in education. Missionaries
were surprised and pleased to find how much of teaching would have
continued even if the evacuation of foreigners had been permanent.
Admittedly things
are much disorganized since the coming of independence. Under the Republique
financial matters have not yet been stabilized. School teachers sometimes
go for months without pay. Yet teaching continues as best it can. There
is sound reason to hope that as things settle down under the new government
school work will be better and better organized.
Our medical work has
been a vehicle for the Gospel of Jesus.� Our educational work has been
another. Just suppose that these might have gone on by themselves,
healing and teaching, but with the total elimination of Jesus Christ
from the whole program, then what? Without the love of Jesus to give
warmth and motivation, both healing and teaching would have lost their
value. The very heart of all our missionary work has been the preaching
and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus. Its inspiration came from Him.
Our commission came from Him. The question is, has the planting of
the Gospel seed during the whole period of the existence of the Belgian
colony left any deposit of spiritual values? Are there any real Christians
among the Congolese? If the missionaries had not returned, would Jesus
Christ and His salvation have been forgotten?
Many Christians in Congo.
�
In fact there are
many real Christians in Congo. There is a Christian fellowship that
reaches across tribal boundaries and loves people of enemy tribes just
because they are fellow Christians. During the days of tribal wars
and forced evacuation and the loss of all earthly possessions this
Christian love has been under a terrific strain. Sometimes it has seemed
to disappear. But beneath all of the stresses there still remains a
love for Christ and for His people.
Christians are only
a fraction of the Congolese people. Outside of the Christian fellowship
there remains bitter tribal hatred creating a poisoned atmosphere which
to some extent affects even the Christians. Yet in spite of it all
there still exists that Christian love for the brethren that reaches
across the walls of separation and is at work to rebuild the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Outside forces have torn up our Church organization
and our Mission work in various ways. It will take time to rebuild
much that was torn down, but the healing of the Church continues.
A New Relationship.
The whole situation
of our Mission in Congo is greatly changed. When the work was begun
in 1891, and until 1908, our missionaries had to adjust to life under
the Congo Free State. From 1908 until 1960 we had to adjust to life
in a colony, among a subject people. This affected our operations in
many ways. Now all that has changed. The Congo is governed by Congolese.
They are no longer a subject people. In some respects there is a removal
of restraints, which permits more freedom of action. No longer is there
conformity to rulings of a colonial administration at Leopoldville
which in turn was subject to Brussels. Now there are new adjustments
to entirely different conditions. So many changes are taking place.
Work of the past decades has raised up a generation of teachers capable
of taking over the administration and teaching of primary schools.
But the missionaries are still imperatively needed for high school
and college and professional education. All these matters call for
time and patience and love. The work of the missionaries during these
days of reorganization is not easy. And the work of the Congolese Church
leaders is not easy.
All of these arduous
labors of reorganization and readjustment in Church and school, it
must be remembered, are proceeding in a country where the government
itself is being reorganized. It might have been supposed that the new
government would continue with the same territories and districts and
provinces which existed in the Colony. But all of the colonial organization
was imposed by outsiders, and the dividing lines in many cases cut
right across tribal boundaries. Thus the units were largely artificial.
Since taking over power the new government has redivided the whole
Congo into 21 Provinces instead of the former 6. When we remember that
in the United States with one language it has taken decades for some
states to redistrict themselves for representation in the state legislatures,
according to their own constitutions, we can realize that the problem
of redividing the Congo with scores of tribes and dozens of language
groups to deal with, must be tremendous. We can see that all of the
problems of Church organization are made yet more complex by the political
complications which surround the religious and educational work of
the Mission.
Tribal War at Luebo.
After independence
the tribal war between the great Baluba and Lulua tribes reached Luebo.
During the years since 1891 a town of 10,000 people had grown up around
the Mission station. Most of the people belonged to various branches
of those two tribes. The town was split wide open. There was fearful
fighting. Whole sections of the town were burned. Horrible things happened.
Neither of those tribes owned the land, which had belonged to the Bakete.
The Baluba outnumbered and outfought the Luluas, and drove them across
the Lulua River.
Luebo remained a depleted
town, those remaining being Baluba or their friends. Many Baluba who
had been scattered in the Lulua country fled to Luebo. The town was
filled with refugees. Following the evacuation of missionaries from
the Congo in 1960, the Luebo missionary group scattered. After their
return to Congo the station sometimes had one missionary, sometimes
none. Now, three years later, there are six.
Mission Press Closed.
For some time the
Press was closed entirely. Sometimes a group of Congolese printers
did some printing. But the Press was in a sad state. It seemed as if
its history of many years of useful work had come to an end.
The Mission Press Comes to Life.
Before independence
the women of our Church in America had designated a large share of
their Annual Birthday Gift for the Mission Press, and for literature
for the Congo Mission. Providentially the ladies went on with the project
in spite of the disturbances in Congo. So even when the Press had reached
its lowest ebb, the offerings in America were collected, and a large
sum of money became available for an institution that was almost dead.
The Vasses Return to the Press.
Mignon and I were
delighted to hear that Lach and Winnie Vass, whose coming to Luebo
saved the Press from going to pieces in 1942, had returned to Luebo
twenty years later, to save the Press again. They have returned with
the benefit of all their many talents, plus sixteen years experience
in printing and publishing, boundless enthusiasm for the cause of literature,
and the money needed for expansion.
The New Literature Program.
The feeling of the
Mission in regard to literature and the present situation is shown
by this quotation from a letter of Mr. William Pruitt:
�Our literature program,
boosted by the Women's Birthday Offering of 1961, is booming. It is
carried on in conjunction with neighboring missions who also use the
Tshiluba language. A Scotch couple are now at the Bookstore and book
warehouse in Luluabourg. A Mennonite is in charge of distribution,
driving the big bookmobile throughout the countryside, restocking the
various rural outlets operated by Congolese. Lach and Winnie Vass are
at the Press, busy with production and editing. Even so we cannot fully
meet the increasing demand for Christian literature.�
Letter from Mrs. Vass.
�A recent letter from
Winnie Vass, and the Mission's recently published Annual Report for
1962, which she also wrote, give additional information from which
we quote:�
�You would have to
be here at Luebo these days to know the fulness of joy and satisfaction
in our work. All of the new Press equipment which the 1961 Birthday
Gift of the Women of the Church purchased last year is operating except
one piece. You should see the crowds of fascinated folk pressing around
the doors and windows of the Press these days, their mouths agape with
wonder as they watch the positively uncanny working of the various
pieces of machinery. One window looks on the paper folder, where the
pages pass through untouched, folded and folded and folded again, down
to single page size. The automatic paper cutter just slices down through
a foot of paper with ease. The Heidelburg Job Press sucks each paper
up with little red suction cups, feeds it to the proper spot and presses
the plate down and stacks the forms up on the other side -no hand touching
them. After years and years (over sixty now) of all our equipment being
handset, hand fed, and hand operated, this is quite an innovation and
a thrill! Lach comes home to lunch at noon just elated with the work
that is being turned out. The one piece of equipment which is still
not functioning is our Monotype Compositor, which will set type automatically.
We are still waiting on our order for Monotype metal.� When it finally
does come, then we will be setting the type by machine.
�The Protestant Bookstore
of the Kasai, now known all over the Congo, has seen phenomenal growth.
Total monthly sales until January, 1962, never passed $300.00. By November
of that year, average monthly sales were well over the $3,000.00 mark.
[One U.S. dollar = about 50 Congo francs.]
�The new edition of
the hymnal, 20,000 of them, is almost completed, with a supplement
of 100 new hymns.�
Successor to the Lomo Loa Bena Kasai.
�One of the biggest
thrills this past month was the completion of the first issue of our
new Tshiluba periodical, called �Where Are We Going?� It is �Tuyaya
Kunyi?� in Tshiluba, a catchy title. The first issue turned out beautifully,
with colored cover and all and we are really proud of it.
�The Congolese editor of Tuyaya Kunyi, this new monthly
magazine, has proven his writing ability by authoring and publishing
the first complete book by a Kasai Christian.�
CONCLUSION
Our romance has not
yet ended. Mignon and I are now in our mid-seventies, living in quiet
retirement at Morristown, Tennessee. We have just celebrated our 48th wedding
anniversary. The lovely lady from Missouri still makes a happy home
for me in the evening of our life.
Last month we had
a pleasant surprise. Our nephew, living in Washington, D.C., on August
11, 1963, wrote to his mother, who passed the word on to us:
�The other day I brought
a group of students to the President's Press Conference. In front of
us several colored visitors were speaking French. I leaned over and
asked them where they were from. One of them answered, �From Belgian
Congo.� I asked him if he was from near Luebo, and he answered that
was his home town. I told him my uncle was a missionary in the Congo,
and when I gave him his name he smiled and said, �He is a wonderful
printer. He has printed many books for us. My father is a minister
and knows Mr. Longenecker well.� He gave his name to me: Kalongi. Uncle
Hershey might like to know this.�
It is twenty years
since we left the Mission Press at Luebo, thirteen years since we left
Congo. We old missionaries are human enough to be thrilled by the assurance
coming in this roundabout way that we are not yet forgotten in Congo.
One morning last week
I waked with the conviction that in closing this book there should
be mention of something very important. All the years in Congo we have
lived in the hope of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. So we would
remind our readers of what Jesus said (see Acts 1.8-11 RSV) : �You
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and
to the end of the earth.� And when He had said this, as they were looking
on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.
Behold, two men stood
by them in white robes, and said, �Men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.�
Jesus is coming again!
! Are you willing to be His witness, right where you are, or anywhere
on earth He may choose to send you?
In my boyhood, before
I desired or planned to be a missionary, we sang words which may have
helped to send us to Congo:
�It may not be on
the mountain height, Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the
battle front
My Lord will have
need of me;
But if, by a still
small voice He calls To paths that I do not know,
I�ll answer, dear
Lord, with my hand in Thine, I�ll go where You want me to go.�