Report 2014, July 7 to July 10, San (Khwe), Botswana

  • San Scripture Engagement 4th workshop Khwe held in Shakarawe

Action items are in red
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Participants:

  • Pieter (Dutch Reformed) from Mashambu in Namibia
  • Sonner, Anton Paulus (has Polio and can’t use legs, musician, teacher and interpreter, Catholic) and Petrus Bower from Chetto in Namibia
  • Mokoja Jame (Esia, who is blind), Ufilwe (who is helping Mokoja some), Simon (Mark Church), and Michael Kativa (who had some theological training in the 1980s and is Dutch Reformed), and Annah Tendere Kanapo from Kaputura (Botswana)
  • James Kongwa (ZCC), Mohembu Ururu (7th Day Adventist treasurer Martin), Anita Pove (song leader and story teller Kiang) and John Mbango (7th Day Adventist together with Anita wife), Hennie (Word for Africa), Mattias Karapo (7th Day Adventist deacon, newly baptized),  and part of the time Areta, Nasira, Laura, Mareta, Kapandi, Kapango, Sara, Difundi, Karapu, Sicilia (7th Day Adventist), Lora (7th Day Adventist), Kwama Sanghira (almost blind), Kgwobo, and Disho (7th Day Adventist deacon) from Shakarawe (Botswana)
  • Johanne Bergho (pastor), Anna Jeque (deacon), Julia and James (originally from Omega in Namibia, now Holy Galilea Church pastor - husband and wife) from Platfontein (South Africa)
  • Thapelo (Splash his brother, currently living in Shakawe with the Botswana army)
  • Khwe Bible translators Hepuru Splash Moronga and Moses Johane (living in Shakawe but is from Garani)
  • Eben Le Roux (serving the Khwe and The Seed Company  (TSC) San Partnership Coordinator)
  • Lucas van Vuuren (Thursday only, serving the Khwe through the Dutch Reformed Church of Namibia).

Topics to be covered in this workshop:

  1. Reflecting on where we are, identifying and confirming the desire and need for Scripture in Khwedam
  2. Oral Scriptures becoming a standard like written Scripture
  3. The process of preparing for Oral Scriptures and how it goes hand-in-hand with Scripture engagement using storying straties (including but not exclusively Scripture telling)
  4. Practicing oral Scripture telling en engaging with the Scripture passages
  5. The importance of addressing the key principle issues Scripture addresses
  6. The importance of repetition
  7. Issues involved in translation (dialect differences, choice of stories, etc.)
  8. Developing a team with workers from the different communities to start oral Bible translation in Khwedam

Points 3, 4, 5 and 6 are addressed throughout the workshops

 

Eben shares that with the group from Shakarawe and Kaputura Matthew 7:13-23  and Luke 19:28-48 has been translated and processed by some, but needs to be translated, processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.  These passages will be considered to be done by the larger Khwe group in the next workshop.

July 7:

  • We start our session with the people from Shakarawe welcoming us, followed by everybody introducing themselves.  We have a TSC media team (Mitch, Colin, Kelsey, and Esther) with us for the week and Esther shares a little about the work and I complement it by illustrating a baobab tree and talking about the roots being support for the work that includes people from around the world and it includes prayer, finances, and personnel.  These people from around the world need to learn about the Khwe, since we are working in a relationship as parts of the body of Christ, which will help the people from around the world engage better with the Khwe.  Meeting in person is not that easy, so the primary way will be through video, pictures, and stories.
  • Next, we reflect on where we are, identifying and confirming the desire and need for Scripture.  Some already shared their desire and need for the Scripture in Khwedam during the introduction and others confirm it strongly during this time.  They talk about having teaching, but not God’s Word. They need oral Scripture in their language.  I explain that the work needs to go from the workshop to the communities, i.e. what they learn needs to be applied locally, otherwise Scripture engagement and the translation of the oral Scripture passages towards having the Bible in Khwedam won’t happen.  Their big concern is made clear by one of them saying; “How God will be with us”(being through His Word).
  • After our break the Khwe people meet by themselves to discuss how they want to move forward.  They share three stories they have looked at during this time.
  • Next we receive feedback, which shows the desire and need for the Scriptures the way they have been learning in the workshops.  They also indicate that they want to include the stories from the beginning and work towards getting the whole picture about God.
  • Sonner draws the outline of a big tree on a provisional poster and through that picture, representing the whole council of God, Eben starts to draw the people out.  From the roots to the crown (with the fruits etc.) of the tree Eben compares it as a chronology going from a creation which is good to the problem that emerges, the help that is needed, the change that God brings to solve the problem, and the new heaven and earth where it all will be good again.  He asks them to put some of the stories they have done on the tree and they discuss why they may fit in that place.
  • Since we have processed Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 before and they also feel that the beginning is important, I finish the first day by storying the first day of creation (Genesis 1:1-5).  They will work on memorizing this passage and try to go as far as they can with the rest of the creation narrative.

July 8:

  • We start with reflecting on Genesis. Some know it, while others don’t.  Only one person has also memorized the second day.  The creation story is not as much a narrative as it is a listing with almost a poetic pattern to it.  Several people summarize the passage, but they confuse details. One word that catches their attention is ‘fruitful’, which can be ‘ava’ or ‘tku’, but the second one is like for animals only and they decide that it should be the first one for the context where man is to be fruitful and multiply. I share with them that it is good to only learn one day of the creation story at a time and then internalize it.  Only after that start with the second day after repeating the previous day(s) and in this way build the creation account adding a day every time. I realize that we need to produce someting with them that can help them to experience that they can do the whole process of translating, internalizing, as well as testing and sharing.
  • Next we process points 7 and 8.
  • For our fun activity to keep the blood flowing in the afternoon, we play a fun game with the chairs and everybody loves it.
  • The last session of the day I model Genesis 11:1-9 including a summary introduction (connecting it to Genesis 1 and onwards). Including taking the people through the story by asking questions and two people from the group storying it, it has been told five times by the end of the day.  The story relates well, since they are a small language group and deal with most people speaking other languages... how did that happen and why?  It also establishes their language at an equal level of others, despite there being only a few of their people left.
  • During one of the breaks, the person who is assigned to serve as Pastor for the 7th Day Adventists in Shakarawe comes to the village.  He is Setswana,  is an outsider to the community, and Eben shared that he doesn’t speak Khwedam either.  He joins one of the sessions and then wants to talk with me, wondering what our doctrine is.  I share that we’re only learning Scripture and that the people translate it into their own language and then engage with the passage to discover the truths in it.  He is worried about what we do, especially there are a lot of 7th Day Aventist people participating in the workshop. I invite him to join the rest of the workshop to see for himself and maybe even be able to support the translation work.  He also wants discuss more with me, talking about specific passages in Revelation and also asks if I have been baptized, making sure that it was submergion.  He came out of ZCC with very bad experiences and is weary that we have people there from all different churches.  This is the only day we see him, since he doesn’t come back.  Later that evening I have the opportunity to see their doctinal statement, that is to be signed by those that want to become members of the 7th Day Adventist church and some of it is straight from scripture, while other things are doctines drawn from specific Scripture passages, and one thing is even only from teachings of a specific person.

 

July 9:

  • We first go over Genesis 11:1-9 and many people tell the story.  They ask further questions and process the words ‘heaven’ (amkge and goro, which they say can be used both) and ‘us’ (in context of God using the plural for himself, their plural means different or separate ones... they don’t come to a clear solution, but they will ask when sharing the story).  I address the importance of addressing key terms, so we use words that are acurate, clear and natural.  Then the people practice the story two by two, so everybody knows it well.
  • Next they go two by two into the community to share and help people in the village engage with the story.  It is difficult to find people to listen to since some government people pitched up to teach a seminar relating to veterinarian issues regarding their cattle (but we don’t loose a single person to that seminar).  Nobody knew they would show up, but they came for the whole day and they brought food for the people to eat.  Still, in the end, most people get the chance to share and test the story.  When they come back everybody gets the chance to share the experience they had and most of them find that people are willing to listen and would like more.  One person says that people did seem to understand the Khwedam word for ‘us’ in the context of God referring to Himself.  A few new people even join the workshop.
  • Next we have the choir from Shakarawe lead by Anita share some of their songs.  From what I understand, all the songs were composed locally.  They use a lot of repetition and in their actions seem to have Setswana influence.  They want to do scripture songs and that may work well once they internalize the stories they are working on.
  • We end the day with the introduction of Luke 18:9-14, since like Genesis 11:1-9, Genesis 4:1-16 as well as Luke 10:25-37 it deals with the heart attitude of the people involved.  They pick it up very quickly, but they are hungry (lunch didn’t mature today due to the people eating all the food early and then the cooks not being used to cooking in big pots, which made the next meal late in the afternoon) and they loose concentration.  We then decide to continue the next day.
  • In the evening we have also a braai with everybody and then show some of the pictures and video footage.  Everybody eats well, has a lot of fun, and it is a good time of bonding.

July 10:

  • Like the previous days, the people are eager to start the workshop.  The challenge today is that some people are waiting already again for the government seminar, but nobody knows for sure if they will come back.  We discuss as a group how we shall plan this last day (I am encouraging them to make some decisions) and Martin suggests to start with the groups going two by two into the community and share Genesis 11:1-9 while more people are still at their homes and afterwards process the Luke story.  They do so and when they come back one of the groups even has shared with the people waiting for the government seminar (about 25 people), while some others actually choose to share Luke 18:9-14 and even help people engage with the story (Splash is one of them). In one situation one of the community members learning the story then tells it to another who joins the group and even leads them through the story. The feedback process takes the whole morning, but everybody does get the opportuntiy to share their experience, engages deeply and feels part of the process this way.
  • The chief of the village joins us and shares with us how he really wants the oral Scriptures through the stories in Khwedam for the Khwe in general and specifically the people of Shakarawe.  He is glad we are there and the community even has given land for a congregation to be used (at this point that is the Seven Day Adventist church).   --The previous evening I go with several of the people from the community to see the land and they ask for help with a building.  I bring them back to first establishing the congregation and working in the open, fostering local leadership (a shepherd approach as modeled in Scripture), taking care of their leadership, growing together by engaging in God’s Word and not to get tied up to a building that could even bring a lot of division, like it happened in Kaputura – the building there is now standing empty and there are ownership issues as well as denominational ties that doesn’t encourage it to be able to be used as a true place for the community together instead of one denomination.  I also warn them and ask them to be careful in signing doctrinal statements and commiting to them instead of the Bible alone.
  • At two in the afternoon, the people from Kaputura are leaving due to logistical (transportation) issues, but the rest of us continue and Splash leads the next session modeling Luke 18:9-14 and helping the people engage thorugh the questions.  Johani does the same thing, including bringing people out of the group to act out some of the things in the story to illustrate the questions (which works very well).  Everybody engages very enthusiastically.
  • We close with a session talking about how to move forward from here.  We have agreed that the next workshop will be once the stories listed below are translated, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.  I explain that the first time around all the different communities will work on the same stories, so we can learn how to deal with the differences of Khwedam spoken in the different communities and get the opportunity to learn what they are doing and sharing the experiences when we come back together again.  The stories processed will be a combination of stories to help people connect with God and building a foundation:
    • Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 has been translated and processed by some, but needs to be translated, processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.  The best way to do this may be to take each week one day at a time, then repeat telling all the previous days every time untill the whole story is complete.
    • Genesis 4:1-16 has been translated and processed by some, but needs to be translated, processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.
    • Genesis 11:1-9 has been translated and processed by most in the group, but needs to be further processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.
    • Luke 10:25-37 has been consultant checked and recorded, but still needs to be internalized and tested in the different communities.
    • Luke 15:11-32 has been translated and processed by some, but needs to be translated, processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.
    • Luke 18:9-14 has been translated and processed by most in the group, but needs to be further processed, memorized/internalized, engaged with, shared and tested in the community.
  • I encourage for the community teams to meet at least twice each week for a minimum of three hours each time. Before we leave we pray and commit the work to God and Shakarawe is setting their first team meeting to be on July 15 in the afternoon.  There is a good group interested to come together and the afternoon is chosen to include a few ladies that have to work in the mornings.  Eben will work to get the group started in Kaputura, Lucas will facilitate helping the people from Namibia (there are two communities involved that are about fourty kilometers apart), and Johani will get the Platfontein community of both the !Kung and Khwe started in anticipation of a Scripture Engagement Exposure workshop to help them get going from August 7 to 9, 2014. Johanni will lead the coordination of this workshop involving as many as possible churches in the community.

It was very special to have the workshop held in the community of Shakarawe, resulting in many more people from Shakarawe being exposed to what is happening.  Over time, this needs to be done in the other communities too.  It is also good for the local people to be more involved in the logistics of the workshops (cooking, sleeping places, a place to meet).  Their Khwedam has some different vocabulary and it will take a bit more time to see if everybody can work with recording only one of the ways that Khwedam is spoken. Regardless what, a lot of the work can be done together, benefitting from what each area can bring to the table.  The first round of translation will have all the communities do the same stories to see how it is best to proceed.

The progress made is significant, especially considering the diversity of the group (like in the previous workshop), but there is a great willingness to really work together.  One of the things that needs to be processed further is to see how this partnership between the different geographical locations of the Khwe can function best.  Initially we will look at making the relationships that are being established a foundation to become part of the mentoring/discipleship process that is part of the core of this holistic approach. In this way there will be the focus in each community to make this an important component of the work, which will draw people to work together. Then a core group across the Khwe communities needs to have the same relational component and we are seeing these relations starting to emerge.  We also need to have these workshops (where the core people are at least present) at the different locations, so we can foster a broader ownership in each community.  That will help us to learn how to deal with the specific issues going on in Kaputura, Namibia, and Platfontein, as well as that it will set us up to involve communities beyond Shakarawe and Kaputura in Botswana, get involved in specific communities across the Caprivi in Namibia, the different churches in Platfontein, and eventually the people living in Angola and possibly Zambia.

I am seeing the first real signs leading towards local Khwe ownership by their readiness to come each session and how they are growing in their participation, as well as that they would prefer to give up a meal instead of miss a needed workshop session.  They also worked hard to the last minute of the workshop and were not occupied much with their departures.  If the people will process the stories as agreed upon, then we could have the next workshop in about two months (early September 2014).  I suggest Kaputura as venue and then hold the next one in Namibia, once all the Botswana people involved have their passports, before moving on to Platfontein.

Respectfully submitted,

Durk Meijer, Wycliffe RTS Ethno Communications Specialist

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