colonists in nineteenth-century Africa, he was from a humble background,
worked actively against slavery and employed several Africans in his team.
Although Livingstone was dead and buried (his body was returned to London
by two of his dedicated African friends), his legacy in the town must have very
evident to the Waldensians who worked there after him – indeed, Adolfo Jalla
spoke at the celebrations which marked the centenary of Livingstone’s birth
and Mrs Jalla was on the organising committee for the same event. Until 1935
Livingstone was the capital city, as it had prospered from its strategic position
as a gateway to trade between the north and south sides of the Zambesi, as
well as from the arrival of the railway line.
The town is still home to an incredible number of churches of various different
denominations – some well known (Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic)
and others not so well known – perhaps some owe their origin to Waldensian
Missionaries all those years ago. The services, whatever the denomination,
are notable for the energy, vibrancy and volume of the sung worship. Many
of the churches also run schools, and there is a training college for ministers.
Interestingly, a great number of shops have names influenced by Christianity,
like ‘God’s Mercy General Store’ and (my favourite) ‘St Augustine’s Anglican
Shops’; professing to be a Christian in Zambia is certainly not something you
hide – I have never heard worship songs in a taxi in the UK, nor have I ever
been invited to Sunday morning
worship service by a cab
driver in London! This is the
positive legacy left by Europeans
(particularly Italians,
British and Swiss missionaries)
who worked tirelessly
and sacrificially in the area.
The first week I was on
The Book Bus project, the
school we were working
with was in the Kazungula
region (where in 1898 the
Jallas hosted a Missionary
Conference*). I soon learned
that the school was just a
series of dusty buildings, sparsely furnished and with virtually no resources
and few qualified staff. Access to water was also very limited. The children
walk between five and nine kilometres each way to school. Their ability to
learn anything is not helped by the fact that the drought which has gripped
Zambia (and the south in particular) for the last few years means that many
are undernourished.
Kamatanda Community School was started five years ago by a retired
government teacher and, until the finance came for the buildings, lessons
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