“Hi, Mike. Do you remember me? Guess who I am?” With great smiles, some shared, “You baptized me on Christmas Day in Tinde, 1986.” “You baptized me and married my parents in Musenimpongo in 1988.” “You invited me to become a Eucharistic minister.” “The mission paid for my school fees” … I’m so thankful for its support.”

It was such a joy to return to Binga in early May and reunite with so many Tonga people who remembered me. I was deeply touched as I tried my best to recall their names, and we all celebrated with laughter when their name, parent’s name, or their village name came back to me. After 30+ years, we still enjoy a very deep, strong connection with one another.

It all started in 1984, when three people from the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, went on a “mission of accompaniment” to Binga, Zimbabwe. For the next 25 years, as many as ten other priests, sisters, and laywomen from the Diocese of Toledo lived among the Tonga people in the Binga District of the Zambezi Valley.

The Tonga people formerly lived along the banks of the Zambezi River until they were forcibly displaced in 1957 to make way for Kariba Dam and Lake. In fact, seventeen Tonga elders told their stories of life along the riverbanks, their displacement and resettlement in a book called The People of the Great River. Thanks to the advocacy work of Basilwizi Trust, a local Tonga nonprofit organization inspired by the stories in the book, Tonga is now recognized as an official language within Zimbabwe. Our local nonprofit, Tonga Literacy Project Inc., helps publish books in the Tonga language. Together with Basilwizi Trust, the Tonga Literacy Project Inc. produced a 15-minute video documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary of The People of the Great River. In addition to visiting All Soul’s Mission in Binga, my wife, Linda, and I went to Zimbabwe to launch the 4th version of our book and our new video.

In our vision as a “mission of accompaniment,” we were tasked with learning the Tonga language, listening to the needs, interests, and resources of the Tonga people, and allowing for the inculturation of the Gospel in the Tonga Church communities. We started with the formation of small Christian communities, which eventually became Catholic communities as people welcomed baptism and the sacraments. Liturgies were truly African, with lively dancing, umming, singing, spontaneous prayer, and dialogue. We visited village communities extending some 80 miles throughout the Zambezi Valley.

Due to extensive poverty and hunger, our small Catholic communities became very involved in cooperative projects such as fishing cooperatives, kapenta (like sardines) fishing, boreholes for water, dam construction, grinding mills, fence-making, and women’s groups. After 25 years of accompanying the Tonga people, the Diocese of Toledo handed over All Soul’s Mission to the local Diocese of Hwange, Zimbabwe. This is my first time back visiting, so I truly wondered, how is the mission today? Are the small Catholic communities still active? Are any of the cooperatives still functioning? What are the Tonga church communities' needs, concerns, and hopes now?

Linda and I attended liturgy at All Soul’s Catholic Mission Church in Binga on Sunday, 5 May. It was my first time seeing the Church because we used a multi-purpose hall for church services and pastoral meetings when I lived there. “All Soul’s Mission” Church, dedicated to the Tonga ancestors buried beneath the waters of Lake Kariba, is a beautifully constructed thatched-roof building characterized by local African wooden carvings of the altar, crucifix, Easter candles, podiums, and statues. Displayed near the entrance of the Church is a tribute photo of Bishop Hoffman, Diocese of Toledo, recognizing his missionary spirit and support of All Soul’s Mission.

The style of liturgy of this community was very inspirational. The Eucharist was celebrated by the pastor and Spanish missionary Fr. Joshua del Barrio and con celebrated by three local African priests. The procession included many young women who joyfully danced in step as the Mass began. What a gift it was to participate in such a lively liturgy with enthusiastic singing, dancing, and spontaneous prayers from the community and to receive a very gracious welcome. Parishioners from villages such as Manjolo, Musenimpongo, Nakangala, Chininga, and Samende heard we would be attending Mass and walked up to 15 miles to join us for the liturgy.

The Church community offered a meal of chicken and nsima (local staple from corn) in our honor and invited everyone who attended Mass to the dinner. Given the current drought and worsening hunger in the community, I was very pleased that people who came from the villages were included. The meal offered us a great opportunity to recall the times we spent together, thirty years ago. At the end of the meal, one of the Church leaders, Peter Muleya (he had been parish council president when we opened the mission) gave a speech recalling our work in mission. During the celebration, all members of the Toledo Diocesan Mission of Accompaniment team were mentioned and remembered. We were even presented with gifts of a cake and a beautiful lamp shield woven from Tonga basket material. This reception humbled us as we had only anticipated that we would be attending the liturgy. We had no idea this big celebration had been planned.

It soon became clear that so much of village life had not changed. Most Tonga people still live in poverty in thatched roof huts made of pole and mud walls, with earthen floors. They still live without nearby access to safe drinking water and without electricity from Lake Kariba, which supplies power to the cities but not to the villages. Oftentimes they sleep in their fields at night to prevent elephants from raiding their few crops. They have not had rain in the past two seasons, so they are facing hunger, and many are reducing their meals to one per day. Those with work are trying their best to support family members who live in the villages.

Amid this poverty, I learned how All Soul’s Mission in Binga remains as a profound source of hope and light for the Tonga community. In Binga town, families gather weekly in their homes to pray together, using the model of the small Christian community that guided our approach to communities over 30 years ago. The “out-centers,” as we called them before, are now established mission churches with local Tonga or Zimbabwean priests caring for them. One of the Tonga priests I met, Fr. Trust, explained how he was taught by Fr. Tom McQuillan in the seminary. He also recalled working closely with Fr. Krys Kardis and Fr. Ron Brickner. Fr. Trust is now the parish priest for the villages closest to Binga including Manjolo I and II, Musenimpongo, Samende I and II, Bulawayo Krall, Nsenga, Chininga and Gande. Nakangala and the villages near it is considered a separate mission and they are visited by their own local priest.

In addition to All Soul’s Mission, there are now 12 very active and vibrant Catholic communities throughout the Zambezi Valley. What surprised me the most was to learn that there are now priests and sisters coming from our small Catholic communities. I learned about two vocations from Chininga -- Fr. Moment and Sister Vaida Mudenda, Sister Nyarai Muleya from Kalungwizi, Sister KuziLeza from Nagangala, and Sister Henrietta from Sinampande. In addition, Deacon Brighton Munkuli from Gande will be ordained later this year.

With these vocations from our original small out-centers, All Soul’s Mission will continue with many vibrant and viable Catholic communities. These vocations would not be a reality had it not been for the many priests and lay women who joined the Toledo Diocesan Mission of Accompaniment after our original team, as well as the work and commitment of many, lay Tonga pastoral workers. I am reminded of the Gospel of John 4:37: “For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’” Many thanks and appreciation to the people of the Diocese of Toledo for their prayer for vocations, and the dedicated mission work of later team members Cathy Hoelscher, Kim Graw, Ruth Ann Leidorf, Fr. Tim Kummerer, Fr. Tom McQuillan, Fr. Ron Brickner, and Fr. Krys Kardis.

Another surprise was learning about a few cooperatives that are still active after 30 years. These include “Tuligwasye” (we are helping ourselves) and “Twiite” (let us try our hardest), which are kapenta fishing cooperatives. “Choolwe” (luck or fortune), a fence-making and blacksmithing cooperative, and a net fishing co-op in Cuunga are also still very active.

Repeatedly, many people came up to us, reminding us of how the mission assisted them with school fees. While living in Binga, I remember how Julie Wright managed a diocesan school fees program among many of her other responsibilities. With support from families in the diocese of Toledo, Julie coordinated school fees, uniforms, and exam fees for hundreds of youth. During our visit, we learned first-hand the importance of this program. Thanks to their education, they are now employed and can assist their parents and grandparents in the villages with food or medicines.

During our visit to Binga, it was truly a gift to reconnect with some of the youth who had accompanied us in the villages to help us in our mission and ministry. Let me introduce you to a few with whom we met:

Sam Sibanda from Chininga, a former member of our pastoral team, is working with 3 others on translating the Bible from Plateau Tonga (Zambia) to Valley Tonga (Zambezi Valley). After a few imprisonments and years of effort, Sam recently opened a Tonga radio station which is based in Binga.

Danisa Mudimba from Tinde, was very active in the Binga Catholic Justice and Peace Commission as a youth. She has remained involved in justice and peace work, and development throughout her life. Danisa presently serves as the Acting Director of Basilwizi Trust.

Salia Muleya from Manjolo now serves as Principal of Binga Primary School. She and her husband, Fresh Sibanda (driver for Basilwizi Trust), just opened the first preschool in Binga. Salia is a published Tonga poet.

Dulama Munkuli from Manjolo is the son of Marta and Philemon Munkuli. Philemon was a member of our mission pastoral team and one of the authors of “The People of the Great River.” Philemon is deceased but Dulama follows in his father’s footsteps and now serves as pastoral director of All Soul’s Mission.

As a youth, Patrick Sibanda from Chininga helped us connect with many Tonga elders, especially with our cooperatives. Patrick Sibanda now serves as the vice-chairperson of All Soul’s Mission, chairperson for the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in the deanery, and chairperson for the Catholic Church in Chininga.

Richard Muleya from Chininga, a high school student when I was there, accompanied us several times to the out-centers for our liturgies and development work. Richard is now serving as the Caritas Development Director for All Soul’s Mission.

We stayed in a lodge situated on the banks of Lake Kariba. Each morning, I watched a beautiful sunrise over the vast lake; each evening I looked across the lake to Zambia and saw lights from many kapenta fishing boats. I struggled within myself during this trip as I did 30 years ago.

There is so much beauty in this area and its people, yet there is so much suffering and hardship. It pains me to think that the Tonga people are surrounded by such vast resources – Lake Kariba, fishing, wildlife, mining….but these resources are squandered away by others who do not care for the Tonga people. Nonetheless, there is hope. The Tonga are rightfully very proud of saving their language, their culture and their traditions. With their language, they remain strong and continue to speak throughout Zimbabwe, so their voice can be heard.

There is hope in the Catholic Church community, which continues to promote dignity, respect, compassion, and devoted prayer among the Tonga community. Thanks to the power of mission, the light of the Gospel remains alive in so many Tonga communities and shines amid their pain, drought, hunger, poverty, and struggles for survival. With their genuine inner joy and optimism, the Tonga people continue to reflect the presence of God in their lives, families, and Churches.

What an honor to be a part of the power of mission.

-Mike Tremmel

To learn more about the rich history of the Tonga people, purchase your copy of the book today.

All proceeds from the sale of the book help support local Tonga authors and the publishing of their books.

Tremmel, together with the Tonga Literacy Project Inc., commissioned Lensmen Productions to make the video, which Ayumi Miyano directed. The video is available to all free of cost on YouTube Tonga Literacy Project: