Praise the Lord

Mini-Bus Advertising 

ARUSHA, TANZANIA: “Passion of Christ” is emblazoned on the mini-bus we pass and “Praise the Lord,” on the commercial lorry ahead of us. A large billboard sign reads, “Christ Kingdom Church.” “Why all these religious signs,” I ask my guide. “They’re advertising." He says, "There’s a lot of competition among the various religions here. 60% of the population is one type of Christian or other, the other 40% are Muslim and they all want to increase they’re membership. There’s a lot of money involved.” I noticed some beautiful churches and mosques in Harare, Nairobi, and now here; churches and mosques that stood in stark contrast to the miserable shanti towns they inhabited. In Harare, I noticed that book vendors mostly offered religious tracks and books and used study guides, like Algebra Made Simple. Seldom, if ever, did I see a literary work of fiction. Apparently, over the centuries, evangelicals of all stripes have transformed these cultures into vanguards of one type of religiosity or other. In fact, I haven’t, as yet, met anyone who isn’t religious, for I usually ask, “Why do you belong to this religion?” A Pentecostal told me, “Because they don’t allow drinking, smoking, or fornicating, and that’s what I believe in.” A Catholic told me, “Because it provides a community and essential services, like healthcare and education.” As my guide and I drive on I can’t help but probe into the influence the various religions are having on the country. “You know,” he says, “We have six religious radio stations: Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Assemblies of God, Muslim, and one other that I’m not sure of.” More probing on my part and he responds, “Most of these stations support the anti-homosexual legislation that our legislators will be taking up in the next session. They want legislation similar to what Uganda has implemented. Right now homosexual acts here are punishable with 30 years in prison. The problem with the law is that the perpetrators need to be caught in the act.”