So. We went to Africa. For a month. The month of June. Two weeks in South Africa, two more all over Burundi. How to begin unraveling the richness and wonder and relationships of the experience? Where to fit in the pictures, videos, stories and songs? How to pack for two weeks of winter (South Africa) and two weeks near the Equator (Burundi) and still carry on all our luggage?
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…
View from a hike at the Amahoro Gathering 2009 site outside Johannesburg - Photos by Seth W.
‘Amahoro’ is a primary greeting used in East-Central Africa, especially Burundi and Rwanda. It is the greeting of respect and it means ‘peace/hello,’ or ‘peace be between us in this encounter.’ However, to truly grab the depth of the word, the closest approximation would be the Hebrew word ‘Shalom.’ It is an offer of God’s peace, of a hope that people might be knit together in a pursuit and glimpse of the beauty, mystery and perfect justice of the Kingdom of God. It is the naming of that Peace to come. It is a prayer that it would come now. Between two and three and more then, it is ultimately a prayerful conversation and subsequent living-out of the reconciliation and restoration needed in all of the broken and hopeful places that seek a greater understanding of said Peace. Amahoro, friends.
Amahoro Africa, begun by our good friends Claude and Kelley, is a “creation and offering of space.” They themselves admit that people tend to find this definition a bit abstract, even esoteric. However, while this might be a bit ‘meta,’ it is precisely that definition that enables the work of Amahoro Africa to be as empowering and effective as it is in the lives of those in Africa pursuing (and realizing) Kingdom visions of restoration, peace and justice. Because without being present with others, without congregating to truly listen to and affirm (and challenge) others, that “knitting together” gets pretty tiring (and impractical) really quickly – especially when confronted with the pain and oppression happening large and small scale that “no one ever seems to be doing anything about. Not really.”
Amahoro Africa provides a space and affirmation that people really are “doing something about it,” and when it comes to Africa and various issues confronting that specific continent, Amahoro lifts up the work, promise and voices of Africans themselves. This ’space’ manifests in two distinct ways, the Amahoro Institute that takes place in a host country each fall, and the Amahoro Gathering in the same country the following late spring/early summer. Tracy/The Restoration Project and I attended the third annual Gathering outside of Johannesburg, South Africa (the 2007 and ‘08 Gatherings were in Uganda and Rwanda, respectively).
Tracy was originally invited through her connection and friendship with author Brian McLaren, a mentor to Amahoro Africa and a keynote speaker (more on his message in a later post). Her collaboration on tour and in the studio with Brian around Everything Must Change, not to mention her own extensive restorative work led her to a relationship with Claude and Kelley. Both of us individually had talked and thought about traveling to Africa for years. We were connected to countries and people there in various personal and professional ways, but the *right* and most potentially long term entree point (and invite) had never presented itself to either of us…until now.
Like the assortment of other Westerners at the 250+ Gathering, we were going simply as “scaffolding” – in support, partnership and postured towards absorbing as much as possible. We were not let down – we were lifted up. The relationships are rich, the stories Tracy was already able to transform into songs are haunting, hopeful and lasting, and we feel known enough to return. Amahoro exemplifies a ‘ministry of presence’ (more on that in a few posts).
One last thing about the ‘created space’ of the Amahoro Gathering – part of the reason it can be a hard concept to wrap one’s mind around (though hopefully I’ve done a halfway decent job of describing it – or at least laying a foundation) lies in the fact that the very act of being there is necessary to “get” what Amahoro is about and actively “doing.” Probably a pretty ‘duh’ statement. Like with any transformative, international trip/conference, we can obviously never do full justice to the talks, conversations and songs shared and heard. We cannot recreate the real-time and stunning moments of reconciliation when the air itself seems to rush from the room. However, what we can do is share some of the conversation, some of the experience, some of the life and relationship of Amahoro – both experienced and observed – and in so doing say a little ‘Amahoro’ to you as well. Enjoy!
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And enjoy a snippet of musical group Siyaya performing the popular South African song “Shosholoza” at the welcome and celebration that was opening night of Amahoro Gathering 2009. (Siyaya, who provided worship, song and dance throughout the Gathering, hail originally from J.L. Zwane church in the Guguletu Township of Cape Town – a church and township Tracy and I would eventually visit and stay in – stay tuned!)
-Seth-
P.S. Before the giant ball of yarn unravels all of our reflections, photos and stories, some of our new friends from the Gathering are much more on top of things and set the bar very high…
Read Claude’s recap of Amahoro Gathering 2009
Craig from Australia and Mike from Canada have excellent and moving responses as well…
and/or subscribe to the Restoration Village blog and see how our first African journey will inform and inspire Restoration Village’s work for weeks, months and years ahead!
NEXT UP: Actually getting to Africa – trying to get sleep on two straight overnight flights and attempting sanity in the process…
