“Cover your head and wear a dress,”

Gaborone (hab-a-rone-ee) hosts 200,000 people and is the fastest growing city in all of Africa.  Botswana gained independence on September 30th, 1966, and began development of Gaborone in the same year.  The majority of churches in Botswana are of Christian congregation.

My first African religious experience is with Botswana Church of Spiritual Healing.  My friend, Baganne, invites me and describes the church as ‘Roman Catholic’. Perfect, a taste of home. The similarities stop there.  I feel as far away from the Cathedral on Church Street as I actually am (about 12,000 kms).

“Cover your head and wear a dress,” is the instruction I receive via text message on Saturday evening.  I need the support and talents of my Canadian roommates to tie back my hair and dress my head with a scarf.  Baganne, his nephew, Katlego, and I arrive at 10AM and I am quickly separated from my friend.  Men and women enter the church through different doors and sit separately.  The church is overflowing with over 200 people.

The mass is in Setswana, I do not understand anything until one word strikes home: “Can-na-da…”, some more Setswana and I hear Baganne’s voice, “Sarah Furey” (I could kill him!). I am being  officially welcomed into the Church.  I stand up from the back and 200 warm, black, curious faces stare to welcome me.  The welcome continues with a soulful song, complete with rich voices, stomping feet and clapping hands.  I sit back down hoping to discreetly take in the service from my comfortable location in the back.

A large Batswana woman makes her way through the crowded church, takes my hand and pulls me through the congregation, to the front, across the alter and sits me between herself and another traditionally dressed African woman.  I quickly understand, these two are the most powerful women in the church.  They lead the songs with voice and dance, they lead the prayers with hallelujahs and praise and they even cut in on the Pastor to initiate hymns and rhythms of thanks.  I’m in spotlight, I’m the object of attention, I have to learn the African rhythm and fast! You can imagine, a small white girl amongst a sea of soul, my brown curly hair falling out from under my amateur headdress, and I’m sitting in the front row with the inability to clap, dance and sing all together!

I am entertained, interested, exhausted and now the sermon begins.  I don’t understand Setswana but my new African Mother guides me and translates the message.  It is Youth Month and the youth must come together to stand up against HIV/AIDS.   My eyes widen as this is the first public announcement of HIV that I have seen. I see opportunity.

The people love and respect each other, a message of sexual health in the church is a blessing – masego.  The church brings people together and has the ability to share messages of good; this is true of Botswana, Austrialia, Brazil and yes, Grand Falls Windsor, Newfoundland. The message is simple, love and respect each other and yourself.  I understand this from home in Canada, and in Botswana, where everything looks  and sounds different but I can see love and respect in faces, in eyes, and hearts.

Love is universal.

Ka kagiso le ka lerato,
Sarah

This is a column written for publication in my hometown local newspaper, The Grand Falls Windsor Advertiser.  This post is the first public viewing of this article.

Grand Falls Windsor native, Sarah Furey, is volunteering on a HIV/AIDS communication project with Botswana Family Welfare Association in Gaborone, Botswana, Africa for six months.  She received her Bachelor’s of Information Systems from StFX University and is exercising her skills as a technical assistant.  Her internship is funded by CIDA (Canadian Intercultural Development Agency) in conjunction with The Coady International Institute.  Questions or comments are welcomed at [email protected].