Doing Mission among the Turkana Today
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Date
1999-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The conception of this research paper about the Pastoral Turkana came into my mind after
going to Turkana District, three years ago, when I was given the possibility of spending my summer
holidays in the mission of Katilo under the Comboni Missionaries. One year later I went back to
the place to spend my Christmas there and last year I was at Lokori Mission, after being pulled out
from Leer, Western Upper Nile, South Sudan due to war.
My interest was stirred up in these people after witnessing significant moments in their daily
life, such as death and burial, their reception of sacraments, after visiting various outstations,
remote and near; on seeing their untold suffering from injustice and suppression of their God-given
rights (Election time) and privileges as citizens of this country, Kenya.
My privilege of listening to the heroic testimonies, as well as failures, of my Comboni
confreres (priests, Brothers and Sisters from different institutes) shaped and changed my ideas about
this people. From there, I was given a new impetus and interest to write about them.
I recognise my limitations and difficulties in writing this long essay: first my poor
knowledge of the language and the culture of the people, which made me totally dependent on the
patient collaboration of Frs. Bruno, Aaron, Franco, Bro. Mario and Fr. Joseph (the 2nd Turkana
priest ordained in the Diocese after 30 years). Some committed catechists I met in different
outstations and students, also helped me.
My limited time to really grasp the actual situation of the Turkana is also a handicap on my
side, especially the collection of pertinent data useful for my essay.
The method of See, Judge, Act is being employed in this essay and it can be outlined in three
aspects:
The first chapter gives a brief presentation of the reality of the Pastoral Turkana. A short
tthnohistory of this tribe serves as a guideline in defining the Turkana yesterday, today and
tomorrow, taking into account the beginning of the missionary presence in the District, the various
interventions made by the local government, and donor agencies in the wake of the total drought that devastated the whole district in the 20's and 60's which serves as our framework in
understanding the beginning of missionary activity in the desert.
The second chapter deals with the church's missionary activity among the Pastoral Turkana.
The presentation consists of the Vision-Mission of the early missionary presence. Their
methodologies and approaches have been revisited. Also, the type of relationship between
proclamation and human promotion has been discussed and its implications in today's world vis-avis
the Church's universal and local documents that have a significant bearing on it.
The third chapter presents practical suggestions to a new way of doing mission among the
21st Century Turkana, accompanying these nomads as they enter the New World order bringing
with them their treasured values, convictions and way of life. The Church has the responsibility to
safeguard these lived values of the people that define their past, guide their present and continually
influence the future. Also, the Church stands as the 'voice of the voiceless', combating the evils that
beset the present Turkana in the socio-political, economic and religious dimensions. This initiative
would consist of immediate actions: Inculturation of the Gospel, Liturgy, sacraments etc.,
establishment of Justice and Peace Commissions in all parishes of the Diocese, renewed catechism,
continuous building of Small Christian Communities, emancipation of women (i.e. Maendeleo ya
Wancrwake).
Finally, there is need to accompany and to promote the very unique vocation of the nomads
- the intrinsic value of their life, the inner motivations that bind and unite them as one people, the
deep richness of their cultural and social systems and the fact that they are part and parcel of the
pilgrim and redeemed Church. Endowed with their own particular and indispensable character,
they are called to play a role in the bigger and wider Church
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Keywords
Turkana, Pastoralism, Church's, Church's, Traditional, Ceremonies, Celebrations