Kamba Traditional Formation and Its Relevancy To The Formation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity
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Date
2002-04
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
After six years of working in formation a lot of questions remained in my mind as I
watched the young women who came with so much enthusiasm and desire slowly going
down. I watched for example the young women putting aside so many things that were so
meaningful and beautiful in their cultures in order to embrace religious life that is
presented to them in Western culture.
These young people who were traditionally initiated and prepared for what their ethnic
groups expect of them at their age now begin to behave as beginners in life when they join
religious life. Instead of being responsible and taking the initiatives as young adults, they
coil and begin to learn the language of asking for answers to simple requests like going to
visit a next of kin. The joys and laughter that they come with are suppressed by fear of
being sent away from the congregation.
Having gone through the same kind of experience in formation myself, I have often
wondered if there is nothing beautiful that people in formation come along with from their
traditional formation. This has prompted me to research into my traditional people, the
Kamba and see what values we can take from there to enrich our religious formation in the
congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady Of Charity.
Though carried out among the Kamba people, this research paper is meant to be a
guideline for each individual member of the Sisters of Our Lady Of Charity under
formation to look back into her own traditional formation and see how it can be relevant to
her own formation today. In this paper I have exposed the fact that people coming into
formation houses have a wealth of experiences, gifts and talents that they have gained as
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they grew up. This paper suggests that the formation build upon these experiences can help
them to make the message of Christ a reality in their life. This of course calls for purifying
the experiences and the past life through evangelization and making the young people
experience God in their life as African women.
I have divided the work into four chapters. In chapter one I have treated the Kamba people,
their general background, values, beliefs, their life, initiation rites beginning with
childbirth and naming, the three initiation rites to adult life beginning with circumcision,
then the rhino rite, and lastly the third rite. The second chapter discusses the present
formation of the Sisters of Our Lady Of Charity, their aim of formation, the formation
stages and after final vows. In the third chapter, I have compared the two formations
highlighting the similarities that can be upheld, the differences which ought to be
understood and dealt with sympathetically; and I have criticized and reflected on the need
for inculturation in the light of the church teaching and what others have written about
inculturation of religious formation. In the fourth chapter, I have proposed a practical
inculturated formation program for the Sisters of Our Lady Of Charity.
The sources of information are interviews carried out, written literature and any other
source as acknowledged in the texts. Every culture is beautiful and there is a need to know
our own cultures so that we can make religious life fully African, or which ever,culture one
is from, and to make the Gospel message speak to us in our own Culture. I hope this paper
creates an awareness of the cultural beauty and richness that all our cultures have and
desire to know them and integrate them in their religious formation.
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Keywords
Kamba, Traditional Formation, Sisters of Our Lady of Charity