Missionaries do cushion change

Peter Rapp

"Missionaries Are looked on as protectors— they cushion the change between country life and city life, rather than disturb the African's urbanisation," said Bishop Wiggins speaking to students last month.

In his address entitled "The Missionary Impact on Customs and Cultures" he defended the missionary in preaching the Gospel in foreign lands. He said that the African leaving his village and migrating to a large city is faced with many problems and the Church's work is to help him overcome these as quickly as possible.

Bishop Wiggins has been a missionary in East Africa for 22 years "and is at present bishop of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza (pronounced nee-an-za) on the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania.

He said the critics of missionaries and their work fall into three categories: those people who are genuinely concerned and upset about its effect on people, anthropologists who would preserve an undisturbed field of study ("I haven't much sympathy for them!") and people who have a knife into the Church for their own reasons and who want to discredit it.

He differentiated between the work of missionaries in Asia and Africa. "Africa is considerably different from a place like Asia where much more of its culture is written down." he said. Because of this Africa is more affected by any impact missionaries might have on its customs and culture.

"There are 120 tribes in Tanzania." said Bishop Wiggins, "all with an old way of life and customs not applicable in urban life. We have in our cities a leaching away of these customs and traditions because the tribes are all mixed up.

"I think we are in for an era of world culture, whether Western or Communist, rather than local culture." he said. "When people are moving into urbanisation, is this local culture going to last? The basic structures are moving into something different— especially in the towns.

"Can you preserve the old customs and ways of Africa?" he asked. 'I don't believe you' can."

Finally, he cited St Paul who "was convinced that he was meant to go and preach the Gospel, and who found himself with a debt to go to all men.

"I believe it is justifiable. I feel it is the essence of the, Gospel." said Bishop Wiggins.