THE
STATE OF THE DEAD IN TANZANIA
A:
INTRODUCTION
I:
Geographical Setting
The United Republic of Tanzania is located on
Latitude 6º00´ south of the Equator and Longitude: 35º00´ East of Greenwich
Meridian. Tanzania is a country in East
Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered
by Kenya and Uganda to the
north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to
the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east[1].
II:
The Historical Setting
Tanzania dates formally from 1964, when it was formed
out of the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The
former was a colony and part of German East Africa from the 1880s to 1919,
when, under the League of Nations, it became a British mandate. In 1947, Tanganyika became a United Nations Trust Territory under
British administration, a status it kept until its independence in 1961.
Zanzibar was settled as a trading hub, subsequently controlled by the
Portuguese, the Sultanate of Oman, and then as a British protectorate by
the end of the nineteenth century[2].
III:
Social Setting
Tanzania consist the population 45 million people.
The population consists of about 125 ethnic groups who speaks different
language that makes Tanzania the most linguistically diverse country in East
Africa. Approximately 28.2% of the population lived below the poverty line in
2012; a reduction from 34% in 2007. During the 2007/2012 period, there were
improvements in living conditions, access to basic education, health and
nutrition and, labor force participation in non-agriculture employment.[3]
IV:
Cultural Setting
There are over 120 tribes on the mainland, most of
which migrated from other parts of Africa over the
millennia, whilst on the coast, the Swahili people originated from an eclectic
mix of traders – Arabic, Persian and Chinese among others who arrived from as early as the 8th century[4]. Among
the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africa's language families:
Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, and Khoisan. Swahili and English are Tanzania's
official languages.[5]
V:
Religious Setting
About
40-45% of Tanzania’s population is Christian and about 35-40% are Muslim (most
of which live along the coast and Zanzibar and the other islands). A small
number follow traditional religions and there are some Asian communities
including Sikhs and Hindus[6].
B: THE MAIN BODY
The
state of the dead in Tanzania is best understood in the respect of each tribe.
Since there are more than 125 tribes in Tanzania, therefore, their belief on
the state of dead varies. However, they share the common cultural and religious
heritage as follows;
The Sukuma
Sukuma
believe that the living and the dead are a continuous line. When people die
their spirits continue to live in another world. The ancestral spirits are
referred to as “batale” or elders. These elders have no tangible
characteristics and cannot be seen except on a few occasions soon after their
death. The spirits are believed to be very close to the creator God and
continue to watch their descendants to make sure that they abide by the
traditions. The Sukuma try to practice good conduct to avoid consequences of
offending their ancestral spirits. The Sukuma believe that the ancestral punish
those who fail to follow their customs and traditions. All forms of misfortunes
(death, illness, droughts, famine, infertility, poverty, etc.) are the result
of sinful acts that occur when people turn away from customary norms[7].
The Maasai
Enkai
(God) is thought to be far away and incapable of being approached directly. To
bridge this gap between mankind and God, a mediator is thought. These mediators
are not the living individuals but spirits. Therefore, an elder requesting
favors from God does so through the spirits of the dead who are thought to have
an easier access to God. However, Maasai do not worship these spirits. It is
the respect of their position that is recognized and the fact that their status
enables them to know the needs and wishes of their members and those of the living[8].
The Chagga
The
Chagga have traditionally worshipped a great god called ‘Ruwa’ who resides in
the sky. And to whom they offer animal sacrifices, but they also hold great
regard to the spirits of the dead, believing them to return to earth in
different forms[9]
The Nyakyusa
Nyakyusa
people believe that the dead are under the ground where they believe that there
is a city where they live. It was less a place than a community of spirits that
had a marked tendency toward mobility, visiting the living in their dreams,
tormenting those who had neglected their
duties or who infringed taboos, and more positively, insuring health, fertility
and the continuation of life[10].
The Gogo
Some
Gogo traditionally have been known as doctors and diviners. The Gogo believe
there is a link between physical maladies and the spiritual realm, so a
doctor/diviner is an important member of society. Furthermore, it is said that
the ‘Wang’omvia’, a people group that was present in Ugogo before the Bantu
people, could change into lion, although this is only regarded as legend.
Moreover, in the traditional religion of the Gogo, spirits of ancestors are
thought to affect the happenings in the living world [11]
The Zaramo
Most
of the Zaramo interviewed admitted to having been delinquent about making the
yearly tambiko, ritual offering, at a particular grave, such as the spirit
grave of the mother, the father's father, the mother's father, or of the eldest
male ancestor spirit[12].
The Pare
Traditionally
Pare belief hold that when people die, they are believed to inhabit a
netherworld between the land of the living and the spirit world. If they are
allowed to remain in this state, ill fate will befall their descendants. As a
result, rituals allowing the deceased to pass into the world of the ancestors
hold great significances.[13]
The Hehe
Mary
Douglas argues that the dead bodies continue to survive in a different ways.
Hehe believe that there is spirit living in tree or mountain at mungeta in the
ulanga valley, which they have consulted since before the Germany conquest.
This spirit is called chansi and its message are interpreted by a human servant
whose name is chavala.They help them when they are sick.[14]
OVERVIEW
Tanzanians
like other Africans do share common heritage in their beliefs, however their
theological understanding is regionally located. In facts Tanzanian belief
holds the African general understanding of state of dead.[15]
Tanzanians share the common belief on the state of the dead, whereby, there is
a continual line between the dead and the living. The dead are continuing to
live in spiritual world and they are concerned with the living.
CRITIQUE
Strength
Tanzanians’
belief on the state of the dead is contributed by their belief on the existence
of Supreme Being. As far as they are religious it is simple to reach them with
the Gospel. By starting from where and what they belief to where and what they
do not belief. This enabled missionaries easily penetrated the Christianity to
Tanzanians.
Weaknesses
Tanzanians
like other Africans have diverted the knowledge of the truth. Whereby, most of
them are idolatry in a way that, they belief and worship the ancestors or dead
spirit. They need to be taught the truth from the Bible. For the true
revelation is revealed to humanity through the Bible. However, the Bible is
consistently reveal that, dead people are not changing status and living in
another world, but they are in the graves. They are waiting the resurrection of
the dead when Jesus comes for the second time.
Biblical understanding on the state of
dead
1:
The dead are unconscious (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)
“For the living know that they shall
die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for
the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their
envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything
that is done under the sun.”
2:
The dead are in the graves (John 5: 25, 28-29)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, the
hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: and they that hear shall live. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
C: CONCLUSION
Personal Opinions
African
tradition religion is associated with cultural practices. Therefore, most of
the Africans continue to practice some of their cultural values which are not
in harmony with the Bible. One of the crucial issue is the practice related to
burial services in connection to the belief on the spirit of the dead. It is
good to understand the belief of each tribe so that, we ministers may know how
to uproot their belief on the dead. And for that reason, they may be true
Christians.
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