Makumira is an area of the traditional lands of the Meru tribe, and while there are other tribes living in the area, the Meru language is most often used. This is a good thing because this makes Kimeru a living language and nurtures it.
This can cause problems because when people speak 'the language of their house', outsiders often feel excluded. Most understand this and use Kiswahili as a matter of manners but I know I felt out of it at times. I became used to it and it was curiously used as respect for me because when we were visiting somewhere and there was a Meru engagement between Loti and them, very often it was about what I preferred to eat or drink - better than whispering I guess!
Within the Meru area there was this crisis.
I'm not really qualified to to write about this but there is scant written history about it and that needs to be addressed. What I have found is quite different to what I have been told - and I was told by folk who were amongst it.
The crisis was a in fact a war and while we were there, below the surface there still simmered some feeling at some times.
I hope I write this with some sensitivity and hope I am accurate, but I remain open for input and opinion. I will leave out names.
Let's start with what I have read:
The crisis occurred between 1990 and 1993 and the Tanzania army was called in to quell the situation.
The background is that in 1972 there was a rationalization which formed a smaller Northern Diocese and the Arusha and Pare Dioceses. The Meru people chose to remain with the new, smaller Norther Diocese and it was recorded that some 20% of the 360 000 members were the Meru or Rwa tribe. The remainder of the Northern Diocese, except for Karatu, were of the Chugga tribe.
The Meru people claimed that the Chugga tribe controlled the Northern Diocese with 25% of each church's funds profited the Chugga. The accused the Chugga leaders of nepotism and a failure to support schools/education in all areas. But back further, the Germans used Chugga soldiers to punish the Meru for the slaughter of missionaries. The Meru tribe was decimated, reduced to a mere 5000.
The catalyst was the issue of forbidding alcoholic beverages at social functions which went against Meru social practice. Pastors were accused of blessing beer and whiskey at Chugga functions but refusing to do so at Meru functions.
One charismatic Meru man was punished by the stripping of his church rank because he served beer at his son's wedding. The punishment incensed the individual along with many Meru people.
He was the chairman of the Meru Social Development Trust and used its resources to form a new diocese in September 1990. His committee declared its formation in October, registration processed December and was inaugurated 1 January 1991. The official new Diocese was created with the approval of the Northern Diocese Bishop on 11 March 1992. [making two of them]
There were deep divisions and crops were burnt, livestock killed, some people killed and many injured, and some Tsh 70million worth of Diocese property was destroyed.
There were many arrests after the army was brought in to make peace.
What I was told:
Firstly, it was never mentioned that there was a row over alcohol. Sure mbege was brewed and that is a low alcohol traditional brew. Also piwa which is also a traditional brew but it is powerful, unsafe and will straighten any curly hair!
I attended many, many DME functions and never at any time saw even a hint of alcohol and I respected the fact that they did not take it and followed their example. So if alcohol was indeed an issue, it must be by the people who went on to form the AMEC church.
It was confirmed about the ugomvi between the Meru and Chugga tribes and after that charismatic fellow and his team [they had definite power as leaders of various fields, including politics] decided to break away from the Northern Diocese so they took over some of the church assets.
In response to the chaos that followed - loyal Lutherans wanting to take the property back - the Bishop agreed that a new diocese could be formed for/by the Meru people.
The fighting, I was told, became over the very name of the new diocese; the loyalists wanting Meru Diocese and the 'rebels' preferring Mount Meru Diocese.
There was serious fighting, ambushes and vigils that I was told about, and loyal people put their lives on the line.
The outcome was the 'rebels' forming the AMEC church (splitting from ELCT) and the loyalists forming the Meru Diocese (remaining with ELCT).
For us arriving there in May 1997 there was no danger at all that we noticed. The main effect was that DME were still reeling from the financial losses of the crisis. Even note paper was in short supply. This made our contribution even more important to them.
Later we were to notice some of the divisions between AMEC and DME but personally and professionally we were unaffected.
This can cause problems because when people speak 'the language of their house', outsiders often feel excluded. Most understand this and use Kiswahili as a matter of manners but I know I felt out of it at times. I became used to it and it was curiously used as respect for me because when we were visiting somewhere and there was a Meru engagement between Loti and them, very often it was about what I preferred to eat or drink - better than whispering I guess!
Within the Meru area there was this crisis.
I'm not really qualified to to write about this but there is scant written history about it and that needs to be addressed. What I have found is quite different to what I have been told - and I was told by folk who were amongst it.
The crisis was a in fact a war and while we were there, below the surface there still simmered some feeling at some times.
I hope I write this with some sensitivity and hope I am accurate, but I remain open for input and opinion. I will leave out names.
Let's start with what I have read:
The crisis occurred between 1990 and 1993 and the Tanzania army was called in to quell the situation.
The background is that in 1972 there was a rationalization which formed a smaller Northern Diocese and the Arusha and Pare Dioceses. The Meru people chose to remain with the new, smaller Norther Diocese and it was recorded that some 20% of the 360 000 members were the Meru or Rwa tribe. The remainder of the Northern Diocese, except for Karatu, were of the Chugga tribe.
The Meru people claimed that the Chugga tribe controlled the Northern Diocese with 25% of each church's funds profited the Chugga. The accused the Chugga leaders of nepotism and a failure to support schools/education in all areas. But back further, the Germans used Chugga soldiers to punish the Meru for the slaughter of missionaries. The Meru tribe was decimated, reduced to a mere 5000.
The catalyst was the issue of forbidding alcoholic beverages at social functions which went against Meru social practice. Pastors were accused of blessing beer and whiskey at Chugga functions but refusing to do so at Meru functions.
One charismatic Meru man was punished by the stripping of his church rank because he served beer at his son's wedding. The punishment incensed the individual along with many Meru people.
He was the chairman of the Meru Social Development Trust and used its resources to form a new diocese in September 1990. His committee declared its formation in October, registration processed December and was inaugurated 1 January 1991. The official new Diocese was created with the approval of the Northern Diocese Bishop on 11 March 1992. [making two of them]
There were deep divisions and crops were burnt, livestock killed, some people killed and many injured, and some Tsh 70million worth of Diocese property was destroyed.
There were many arrests after the army was brought in to make peace.
What I was told:
Firstly, it was never mentioned that there was a row over alcohol. Sure mbege was brewed and that is a low alcohol traditional brew. Also piwa which is also a traditional brew but it is powerful, unsafe and will straighten any curly hair!
I attended many, many DME functions and never at any time saw even a hint of alcohol and I respected the fact that they did not take it and followed their example. So if alcohol was indeed an issue, it must be by the people who went on to form the AMEC church.
It was confirmed about the ugomvi between the Meru and Chugga tribes and after that charismatic fellow and his team [they had definite power as leaders of various fields, including politics] decided to break away from the Northern Diocese so they took over some of the church assets.
In response to the chaos that followed - loyal Lutherans wanting to take the property back - the Bishop agreed that a new diocese could be formed for/by the Meru people.
The fighting, I was told, became over the very name of the new diocese; the loyalists wanting Meru Diocese and the 'rebels' preferring Mount Meru Diocese.
There was serious fighting, ambushes and vigils that I was told about, and loyal people put their lives on the line.
The outcome was the 'rebels' forming the AMEC church (splitting from ELCT) and the loyalists forming the Meru Diocese (remaining with ELCT).
For us arriving there in May 1997 there was no danger at all that we noticed. The main effect was that DME were still reeling from the financial losses of the crisis. Even note paper was in short supply. This made our contribution even more important to them.
Later we were to notice some of the divisions between AMEC and DME but personally and professionally we were unaffected.
3 comments:
Great and cautious description of the crisis/war. It certainy spunned from a latent conflict to a violent bloody civil war. As a person who has also followed up on the events that led to the crisis, i have found at least three theories that try to explain the events. the firt are those who think it was a result of the prohibition of alcohol (similar to the church's onslaught on "paganism", second are those who think it ws out of material interests(distribution and sharing of church resources in the Northern Diocese, scholarships to study abroad etc). the church used as an arena to advance material interests (Church assets becoming the spoils of war); third those who think this was a curse over the killings of missionaries in 1896.To them what we need is to cleanse ourselves from the blemishes of that sin. Fourth, as you have described, is the naming of the diocese whether Meru or Mt Meru.Though i tend to think this would not be the cause but the catalyst for an existing problem. The assets theory holds more water in all descriptions and others have gone far to label it as a liberation and struggle to set free over the Chagga domination and control of resources in the church. We still do not have a detailed, documented objective description of the events that led to the crisis from an insider perspective. This may partly be due to the sensitivity of the issue and caution observed in discussing it again. I like the way you approached this.Great insight. Amana
This is an important piece of information in the history of meru land and its people. To me the crises was more material than any other theory. Meru people wanted to control their resources themselves. The only sad story about this crises is the division happened btwn meru people which finally led to AMEC & DME. but all in I think meru people did the right thing in a right time.
by Sarikiael
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