Raportteja Kambatasta ja Oromosta

Nyt saimme Bezuneshilta raportteja, aika montakin samalla kertaa. Bezunesh oli liittänyt mukaan kuviakin, mutta ainoastaan yksi niistä tuli perille. Toivottavasti saamme loput kuvat myöhemmin. Bezunesh on kirjoittanut raporttinsa hyvin huolellisesti ja akateemiseen tyyliin. Hän on todella paneutunut työhönsä! Kysyin häneltä itseltäänkin, olisiko hänellä ideoita kuinka laajentaa työtä ja hänellä oli siihen hyvin kiinnostava ehdotus, mutta se tarvinnee jo oman postauksensa, palaan siihen pian! Tässä raportit kuitenkin ensin. Olen hieman tiivistänyt niitä ja boldannut tärkeimmät kohdat niille, jotka eivät jaksa lukea raportteja kokonaan. Näitä raportteja tulee nyt kerralla tosi monta enkä ole ihan varma tuleeko tässä jo osa toistamiseen, mutta mielestäni on kuitenkin tärkeää, että raportit ovat esillä ja saatavilla. Työn tuloksia on hieno nähdä! :) Bezunesh on tehnyt todella hyvää ja tehokasta työtä!

First report from Kambata

In this report I emphasized to add a short general background about Kambata people because it is important to know who they are and where Kambata is and to introduce where the harmful traditional female genital mutilation (FGM) has started and is experienced.

The people of Kambata are living in the South Nation, Nationality and peoples Regional State on the tip of rift valley around mount Ambaricho between the two rivers Bilate River in the east and Omo River in the western southwest Ethiopia. Its capital town Durame is 352km far from Addis Ababa towards the south and 125km from Awassa towards the west. The people of Kambata are living in six Woredas of Kambata Tembaro Zone. Female Genital Mutilation is a long aged harmful practice throughout the history of the people at the area. The traditional circumcision in Kambata shares similarity with the neighboring peoples of Hadiya, Halaba, Silte, Tembaro and Wolayta.

After this short background I want to show what I done in this time:

Title: Christian Freedom

(Galatians 5:1-15)

I taught different women groups in different churches in kambata area. They are in number above 50 women. My focus is on Christian freedom from the bondage of circumcision and especially I told strongly about female genital mutilation connecting with Paul’s teaching to Galatians Christian.

Female genital mutilation is a kind of a cultural slavery which hurts the body of the person. This may contribute to the spiritual part too somehow. According to our Bible teaching circumcision is unnecessary even for male for his salvation or sanctification. We can’t afford spiritual quality by being circumcised. Female genital mutilation is something which is developed within the human history but not from the biblical point of view. In Kambata the Christian community has been practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) for many years as biblical based practice, but it is not biblical. We should follow what we learn from the word of God and we must stand to stop this harmful traditional practice and to save many women from this bondage.

As I interview and asked question some educated and uneducated women about FGM, their response is: we lost many women through this harmful practice when they come to give birth they lost their life. So that, this experience must be stop from the life of women as what we understand the reality of FGM from the word of God. As I understood from this response, they are very interested to learn, to stop and to become free from this harmful practice. 

Second report from Kambata

Topic:- What are the challenges of Women in Kambata Society among Christian Community? 

Text:- (Col. 3:1-17)

I stayed for six days in Kmbata area teaching about the challenges of women in Kambata area in my central work place in Zama Congregation. This time was a very special time, because according to Kambata culture this month is a time of circumcision for male and female. Also I got the chance to teach uncircumcised girls in this circumcision season. 

  This time I taught more than 60 married Women and 20 unmarried girls, even in this time many men included to hear the challenges of Women in their area. I am very happy because I could to meet many men and when they heard the challenges of women and they came to understand about their women what they like. 

As I mentioned before my based text is (Colossians 3:1-17). I raised one quotation for my learners, what are the challenges of Christian to live in holy life for Colossians Christian? Their challenge is false teaching happening among them including circumcision. This is unbiblical teaching. So that, when we see our area what are challenges of women to become free from any unbiblical teachings? I said strongly that there are many challenges for women in Kambata area in christian community as well as non-christian community. For instance: Culture is a problem for women, women’s place in society, power imbalance, dehumanization, socio-economic oppression and Female Genital Mutilation are some of the challenges. All of these challenges are affected women’s lives especially female gentile mutilation is a harmful and dangerous practice. Also I said again that this harmful tradition is unbiblical and I affirmed that by saying there is no biblical evidence for this practice. It is unbiblical practice of Egyptian people. My friends, I brought this my teaching word sample for the benefit of you and to response your questions, I think maybe you want to know about what is my teaching on the topic of what are the challenges of women in Kambata in Christian community.

The response of people on this teaching is very positive and nice. They encouraged me by giving strong suggestions. At last, they said: we will continue to learn about these challenges and we will start to stop this harmful practice and unbiblical teaching as christian community. Also the response of some uncircumcised girls was: we never accept this unbiblical teaching and harmful tradition on our lives and we will start to cut this practice from our friends.

Now I am finding on the preparation for next time teaching program. My next time topic is how women affected in FGM practice and the consequence of FGM practice on women’s lives. Also I have vision for other areas too because I want freedom for all Ethiopian women in any regions.

First report from Oromo

Topic: Harmful Effects of FGM

Text: Colossians 3:1-17

This time my work focused on Oromo Region in Bale Kokossa area among Christian Community. I stand and taught them the text in Colossians 3:1-17 by showing the challenges of Colossians church and how it affected in false teaching of some teachers. The same as FGM is affected women’s lives in Ethiopia especially in Kambata, Hadiya, Amahara, Oromia and so on. I stayed there for six days and I came back to my home in December 25. This time I get the chance to teach more than one 100 different kinds of women, like marred women and unmarred girls and also some men. Men are very key persons because they can teach others in the church and out of the church because they have authority. Also people from different churches get the chance to hear the word of God about FGM. 

I started my teaching by raising one question: what are the harmful effects of FGM? As we saw before some challenges in Colossians church and how they affected in false teaching concerning circumcision of male and woman for internal salvation. As Paul’s teaching and biblical truth circumcision is of no value for internal salvation. So, the same thing is that FGM is never necessary for women lives’ to save.

I want to show you what I taught under this topic and what I said for my learners. Depending on the procedures of FGM, all or most of female sexual organ’s external parts are removed in a process of mutilation. As a result it causes immediate and term health complications on the health of the circumcised female. Some of them are sever pain and shock, hemorrhage (bleeding), Urine retention, infection injury to neighboring organs. Also I said for them long term consequences include urinary and reproductive tract infection, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. The first episode of sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful for excised women in needing to open the labia major, and to allow their partner access to the vagina.

The response of people is very positive and nice when they heard this teaching about the harmful effects of FGM by concerning with word of God. They said we want to learn more about this harmful tradition and we can to stop this tradition from the lives’ of women. Also I promised to them to go there and to teach them the word of God against this harmful tradition. So, I am very happy in this time because I was successful in my teaching.

Vakavia kuulijoita salin täydeltä!

 Third report from Kambata

Topic: Biblical and Theological Reasons to Against FGM

Sub-topic: Biblical Reasons to Against the Harmful tradition of FGM-

The concept of Circumcision both in the Old Testament and New Testament

Texts: Genesis 17:1-14, John 7:22-23, Acts 10:47-48; 11:18;

Galasians 5:2-6

This work report is focusing on Kambata areas specially in Zama Evangelical Mekane Yesus Church with both married and unmarried women. This time I taught about biblical reasons against the harmful tradition of FGM. I am very happy, because in that church there was annual conference for three days. It gave to me a good chance to find many learners, like old women, young girls and boys. I taught them in different groups. It was a good opportunity to teach and to give training for many authorities and women and boys. Also I am very happy, because the response of the people is very positive and interested.

Circumcision in the Old Testament (OT)

I started on the bases of bible both in Old Testament and New Testament about the concept of FGM. Are there any supported texts in the Bible concerning FGM? So, what Bible says about circumcision? Within this question and my teaching topic we discussed for three days in Kambata area. When we search the Old Testament there is one commandment, which shows only male but not including Female. When God made covenant with Abraham, He says, "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you…Every male among you shall be circumcised”(Gen.17:10-11). According to this God’s commandment, there is no any information about circumcision of females in the Old Testament. What we find in OT God commanded only the people of Israel for only male but not female.

Circumcision in the New Testament (NT)

It is remarkable that no discussion about circumcision is found in the Gospels other than the brief in John7:22-23 that suggests that John’s community was troubled by the issue of circumcision. In the NT even male circumcision was not a remarkable issue fro being included in the church. Trying to practice FGM is as adding something new into the Bible. I concluded my teaching by saying that we are free from the bondage of the law, which we cannot fulfill through our power (Gal.5:2-6). This freedom is freedom from all the bondage that hurts us directly and indirectly. FGM is a kind of cultural slavery which hurts the body of the person. This was my teaching sample for the benefit of my readers. I wish all the best to my readers of this work report in Finland!