Ever since I heard, in January, that Chief Massanza, the head administrator of Luniungu Secteur*, wanted to sponsor a literacy teacher training seminar for his secteur, I was bemused. Why would a government figure ever ask us for a training seminar? At the same time it was an opportunity not to be missed. We had already done several training seminars in his secteur (Bengi 2004, Molembe 2006, Mukinzi 2007.) Other villages were clamoring for individual seminars of their own, but we cannot afford to import our training team from Kinshasa to help individual villages. As chief for the whole secteur Chief Massanza had the power to require remaining villages to attend a central training and to contribute the food necessary to make it happen. A Luniungu teachers workshop would move us toward the goal of saturating a rural area with classes, much like has happened in Kinshasa. When the concentration of classes increases in an area, it creates energy and enthusiasm, and increases the chances of success for individual classes and teachers. And it also would help us launch a local team of trainers, reducing our dependence on Kinshasa trainers.
Chief Massanza seemed eager, anxious for this training in the frequent phone calls. I wrote him about our conditions for seminars. Not a problem. What had motivated him? When we got to Luniungu the end of March, he told us.
His pastor father had educated his numerous sons well. But he thought his daughter was better off unschooled and illiterate. Then last year Chief Massanza had seen his older sister reading a Bible. He was astounded. This was wonderful! How had it happened? Well, her friend, Thérèse Kininga, (trained in our Mupulu workshop, 2003) taught her in her reading class in their village of Kindela.
He thought this was a wonderful isolated initiative for development. Then our lady in Mukinzi, close by, told him that, no, there were lots of these teachers and classes all around his secteur and other villages in the region, and that it was coordinated by a Baptist pastor’s wife in Kinshasa and a missionary woman in Lusekele, not far away. Best of all, it was Christian. Each lesson includes a Bible lesson. What was there for an earnest Christian and member of the Bible Study League not to like? As chief for his secteur, this would be an important step for development in his secteur too. (He hadn’t even heard yet that Congo has officially opened a national campaign for adult literacy this year.) This he had to have.
As you see, above, Chief Massanza not only made it possible for 43 other people from several villages in his secteur to be trained as teachers, he and his wife also took the training. And a literacy class started in their settlement the same week, thanks to our hyperactive fellow trainer, Raymond Mafuta. The CBCO lay-pastor shown in front is teaching it. Will the chief and his wife teach classes themselves? I’m not sure. I’m betting she will. He may be too busy. What’s sure is that he will do everything he can to support and spread this literacy movement in his jurisdiction. …Because he saw his sister’s life changed.* the secteur is a local government entity similar to a county in the US.
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