Sharing “Good News” in Botswana
By “Awake!“ correspondent in South Africa
THE roar of a lion jarred us from our sleep. Four heads lifted from pillows to stare into the dark bush surrounding us. One of our group of four climbed out of his sleeping bag and piled wood on the dying embers of the fire. Soon we were all back to sleep.
But as dawn broke, the lion’s roar came again, this time from much nearer to our location. We decided it was time to get up and make noise as we prepared breakfast. Failure to do this might mean that we would become the lion’s breakfast; and we had not come all this way for that.
Why had we come out into the bush of Botswana, in southwestern Africa? It all began some months before, when my wife and I and another of Jehovah’s Witnesses discussed making a journey across Botswana’s Kalahari Desert northwest to the Okavango Delta in order to talk to the many isolated African people there about the “good news” contained in the Bible.—Matt. 24:14.
Such a trip required careful preparation. The first week of our journey would be across desert country and we would need sufficient water for drinking. During this part of our travels, washing would have to be restricted to a twice-daily rinse of hands and face with only a cupful of water each.
But after this dry week we would pick up the Botletle River at the end of its course in Lake Xau. From here water would be plentiful, as we would be following the river back to its source in the Okavango Delta, which is a great spread of rivers, swamps and bushland covering a triangular area of some 7,200 square miles (18,648 square kilometers). Our planned route would amount to a round trip of about 1,250 miles (2,012 kilometers).
Since we expected to be gone four weeks, the journey called for skillful planning of foodstuffs. Onions, potatoes, rice and mealie meal (ground maize) were packed in quantity. We also took along some eggs, burying them in the mealie meal to prevent breakage during a bumpy trip, and some food packed in tins, including dehydrated vegetables. As for bread, we decided that the heavy type of rye bread available in German delicatessens would remain fresh for the duration of our journey; and indeed it did.
Have you ever experienced desert travel? Our trip was not an endless vista of sand dunes. True, the ground was sandy, soft and yellow white in color; but it was covered with coarse grass and scattered bush. At times the ground was very soft and for several hours we would drive in a low gear with generous use of fourwheel drive. Frequently, wild animals would dart away at our approach. These included the ostrich, the koodoo, a graceful antelope with spiral horns, and the hartebeest, one of the swiftest antelopes, with hunched shoulders and a sloping back.
Overcoming the Communication Barrier
An important problem was how to speak to people whose language was Tswana, a tongue that we did not know. This was solved by having our Scriptural message recorded on cassette tapes by Tswana-speaking Witnesses.
Then there was the problem of how to present to these isolated people the Bible’s message regarding today’s fearsome world conditions and the bright hope that God’s kingdom will shortly bring about peace and contentment earth wide. It was our thought that people of these outlying areas would not be familiar with the terrible conditions that are so common in more populated places.
But this proved to be incorrect. Throughout the entire journey a scripture that was always received with nods of agreement was 2 Timothy 3:1-5, which speaks of the “critical times” that would mark the “last days” of the present system of things. We quickly learned that such conditions prevail even in isolated communities of southwest Africa.
Inhabitants of the villages and cattle camps at which we called received us gladly. Though many of these had heard about the Bible, few had ever seen one or heard it read. Christendom had not established churches in these places.
Keen indeed was their appreciation as they listened to Bible truths in their own language, coming from our tape recorder. We noticed several making note of a scripture or some other point by writing it on the skin of their forearm.
Meeting at the “Kgotla”
Upon arriving at a village we would go first to the Kgotla. This is the meeting place of the village council of elders. After introducing ourselves to the headman and any of his councillors that were there, we would play a taped message that concluded with an offer of literature in the Tswana language. Since those we met at the Kgotla could generally speak English, we had opportunity to answer Bible questions and demonstrate how our literature could aid people to get their own answers to Bible questions and also furnish a basis for family and group Bible discussions.
Then, with the chief’s permission, we would pass through the village, playing the recorded message to groups of ten or twenty persons. We made a special effort to contact schoolteachers, and these were quite pleased at the opportunity to obtain Bible literature. Botswana’s government is anxious to provide education for its people everywhere, and so at each village we would find a school with young men and women working hard to educate the children there. How thrilling to be surrounded by as many as fifty eager upturned faces, while voices clamored to know what it was that the Bible contained and how soon they could expect their teacher to read it to them!
In large villages sometimes it was not easy to locate the Kgotla. On one occasion we decided to inquire where it was and at the same time play our tape to the crowds that gathered to assist us. We had just begun when a young policeman arrived on his bicycle. “What are you doing?” he asked. We tried to explain, but he remained suspicious. “You must come with me,” he demanded; and so we did, following his bicycle to the police station. Here passports were scrutinized carefully; questions were asked and reasked.
We seemed to be having little success, but then the door to an inner office opened and the police lieutenant came out to see what was going on. When he heard us say that we were preaching the “good news,” a broad smile came over his face and he said that he too would like to hear this “good news.”
The lieutenant suggested that his men might also benefit from what we had to say and invited us into his office where the entire force gathered while the tape was played. The police official listened with care and obvious interest, gladly accepting a copy of the book True Peace and Security—From What Source? At his suggestion each of the constables and the sergeant also took copies. When he asked if we had other literature, a tape was played presenting Listening to the Great Teacher, the fine Bible aid for parents to use in teaching their children. He took a copy of this book too, explaining that his wife was the local teacher and would find these books very helpful.
Have you ever seen a town crier? I was sure that such a profession had long ago passed away. But one morning we saw a town crier performing in the best of form. And the circumstances were of benefit to us.
We arrived at a certain village late one evening with just enough time to meet the chief. At his suggestion we returned at eight o’clock the following morning, when he had promised to assemble the whole village. However, by nine o’clock only five persons had shown up.
Therefore the chief summoned the town crier to emphasize his request that all should assemble. This town crier did not use a bell to attract people’s attention. Instead, he shouted into an empty one gallon oil can. And what was his message? After looking at the titles of literature in our hands, he strode through the village, crying out: “Come and hear the truth.” This startling announcement had the desired effect, and soon there was a good crowd with which to share Bible truths.
He Danced with Joy
We had an unusual and delightful experience at Shakawe, in the extreme north of Botswana. At one time there was a group in that location interested in studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. But this group had disintegrated and was lost sight of after January 1969. We had the names of two persons who had once been associated with the group, however, and it was thought that through them other interested persons might be located. But our search for these two individuals proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
We began by inquiring at the police station. The first name was unknown to them. But they recognized the second one. A man by this name, they told us, had left Shakawe and had gone to a village in the south, where he became a clergyman. Upon hearing this, we felt that our only hope would be to locate the first man on our list. We asked at the trading store and finally at the tax office, where our hopes were lowered still further. It turned out that this man had left Shakawe some seven years earlier.
However, while looking at the paper on which the name was written, our informant noticed the name of the second person, the one reputed to be a clergyman. “This man you will find near the school; he is the carpenter,” we were told. Surprised at this turn of events, we followed up the lead. Our calling at his home and asking for him by name aroused his suspicions, and communication was difficult at first. So we resorted to our taped message, which introduced us as “Basupi Ba Ga Jehofa” (Jehovah’s Witnesses).
Upon hearing this, a marked change took place in our host. His face beamed; then tears started from his eyes and he danced with joy. We knew we had found the man for whom we had been looking. But what was his story?
It happened that while this man was away on a visit to Angola on one occasion, the other person who had been instrumental in organizing the Bible study group in Shakawe moved away. The group disbanded and the man we had now located did not know how to contact anyone who could aid him further to bring his life into harmony with Scriptural requirements. He had prayed constantly for help. As we listened to this man we felt moved by his deep faith in Jehovah, the God who answers prayer. (Ps. 65:2) The difficulties of our journey, our tiredness from constant traveling, simply melted away as we considered what a privilege it was to locate such an individual.
For ourselves the entire expedition was rewarding. There is great joy in sharing good things with others, especially when it is received with appreciation. I can still visualize clearly an elderly man reaching out to shake hands and saying: “You came all this way to talk to us about these things? That is kind, very kind.”
Amidst our joy, however, was a feeling of concern. Our passing through this region permitted us to contact but a few people. The need to provide regular Bible instruction for these people is a great one indeed. We wondered, therefore, if it would be possible for some of Jehovah’s Witnesses to obtain employment somewhere in the area, perhaps at the diamond mines that we had passed. This would afford them opportunity to care for the spiritual needs of these humble residents of Botswana. Would such a move be possible for you?
[Maps on page 9]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
BOTSWANA
[Map]
BOTSWANA
ANGOLA
CAPRIVI STRIP
Okavango Delta
SHAKAWE
SOUTHWEST AFRICA
MAUN
Botletle River
Lake Ngami
Lake Xau
FRANCISTOWN
SEROWE
RHODESIA
SOUTH AFRICA
BOTSWANA
North