One Sango Word for ‘Work’, Two Different Meanings

Vendors in Bangui, CAR, closing shop.

For the past three summers, I have led teams of graduate students, faculty and professionals to the Central African Republic (CAR), a country of four million people in the heart of Africa.  The CAR is largely a forgotten place, where internal turmoil (eleven mutinies and/or attempted coups in the last decade), instability and war outside its immediate borders, and a relatively small population have done little to attract international aid and economic support.  The United Nations has recently called the CAR the “world’s greatest silent crisis.”  And the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based lobby, says the nation has dropped below the level of a failed state.

In response to the crisis in the CAR, we in InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries and Seattle Pacific University, have felt compelled to help.  Our work first started in 2006, when we joined with an American NGO, International Community Development International(ICDI), to help start a viable micro-finance program.  With deepening relationships and a series of return visits, this past June we broadened the scope of our work to include partnership with The Center International for the Development of Ethical Leadership (CIDEL), a Central African organization committed to training and encouraging ethical leaders at all levels of government, business and education.

 

As part of our June visit, we taught a variety of seminars on topics such as business ethics, micro-enterprise development, and the integration of Christian faith and daily work.  There was a great deal of interest in the first two topics, as you might imagine, but perhaps the warmest reception we received was in response to our teaching on concepts of ministry in daily life.  Pastors, lay people, and leaders in business, government and education listened attentively and enthusiastically to teachings on a biblical understanding of work.  The Central Africans were deeply touched and empowered by the simple, yet profound truth that God cares deeply about the routine rhythms of our daily lives, especially the concept that our work — whether cutting grass ten hours per day with a machete, teaching in a secondary school, or governing in a cabinet-level position — could be a meaningful expression of what it means to live as a Christ follower in the world.

In the course of our seminars, we learned an important Sango (primary language of the CAR) word, kwa.  When said in a low tone, kwa means work.  The same word, kwa, spoken in a high tone, though, means corpse, cadaver, carcass.

The impact of the etymology had profound implications for us, not only in aiding our teaching in the CAR, but for strengthening our own view of work and vocation back home.  When we understand our daily work as an opportunity to serve God and serve others, our perspective changes.  When we see our place in the world as sacred, even the most mundane tasks and moments in life can swell with meaning.  Work is undoubtedly challenging, but it is also a lively expression of who we are, who we are becoming in Christ, and how we are united with God in mirroring his character and joining with him in contributing to the well being of others.  When we fail to incorporate this perspective, daily life and work, even the best of personal and professional roles and responsibilities, can feel like death.  And instead of presenting a sweet fragrance to a hurting and needy world, we offer decay and stench.  Like the word kwa, our activity in the world can go in two very different directions.  We can understand our work as vocation, a calling from God for his purposes.  Or we can take the perspective that work is merely a struggle, something to endure.

I recognize that not all work is created equal.  And we all don’t have equal opportunities to engage in meaningful labor.  For some, work can even be demeaning.  In those situations an external change may be necessary.  But for most of us, it is our perspective that needs to change.  When we see the possibilities that our work presents as service to God and service to others, our sight lifts and our experience changes.  We move from death to life, and the world desperately needs more light.