"A bit of the voice of the global South"

Strict missionaries, full churches on Kilimanjaro and the trap of white dominance: a Böhme-Zeitung interview with the new ELM Director Dr Emmanuel Kileo

The German colonial era, which began late in comparison to other European colonial powers and ended early due to the defeat in the First World War, features only obscurely in the collective memory. Only recently have the former German colonies and the crimes committed there become the subject of greater public discussion. This is mainly due to the genocide of the Herero and Nama in what is now Namibia, for which Germany only took historical responsibility in 2021, more than 100 years after the state crime. Colonial crimes in former German East Africa were also once discussed at local level 15 years ago. At that time, the city council decided to rename Carl-Peters-Straße to Zum Ahlftener Flatt. Carl Peters is regarded as the founder of the colony of German East Africa and was himself notorious at the time as brutal and downright racist. In the independent African nations whose territories once belonged in whole or in part to the German colonial empire (Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Namibia, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Togo and Ghana), there are few reminders of this era. In his country, this era is now a "marginal topic", reports Dr Emmanuel Kileo. The pastor from the city of Moshi in northern Tanzania is the new director of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM). He is the first African to hold this post in the almost 175-year history of the Hermannsburg mission. The appointment of the 48-year-old theologian reflects a changed understanding of missions and the endeavour to break down structures of white dominance of discourse.

The mission is a child of colonialism, but has outlasted it historically and is viewed more ambivalently. Tanzania is now home to the second largest Lutheran church in the world. Important social institutions in the poor country, whose roots lie in the mission, are still run by the church today, supported by churches of the north. On its own initiative, but supported by the churches of the north, which sent their missionaries. Has a partnership of equals really emerged from the paternalistic mission? Kileo remains sceptical. In his dissertation "Whiteness as an ideological construct", published in 2014, he writes: "The term 'development cooperation', newly invented in the 1990s to replace 'development aid', also had the theoretical aim of replacing dependency with 'partnership' in development work in order to abolish the criticised dependency. Unfortunately, the new terms did not develop any other new strategies or working principles to ensure the difference and a clear profile." In the Böhme-Zeitung (a regional newspaper) interview, the ELM Director outlines what he has set out to do and how he sees his role.

You have just arrived from Tanzania and the question of whether you have settled in would probably be premature. Have you already settled into your new life a little?

Dr Emmanuel Kileo: I think that's the right term. I haven't settled in yet, the work with its many relationships and everything to do with it is too big for that. But perhaps I have settled in. The people have given me a warm welcome. This morning I was almost late for the service. I was up early but left too late - suddenly I only had four minutes left and started running. A woman pulled up in her car and asked if I wanted to go to the mission. I said yes and she let me in and dropped me off. So I arrived on time. So yes: I turned up, I'm there.

Punctuality is important in Germany, as you describe in your 2012 book "Grüß Gott aus Afrika" (Greetings from Africa), in which you describe the German mentality from a Tanzanian perspective with a wink.

That’s why I didn’t want to be late, and with the support of the woman who gave me a lift, I succeeded. A signal of warmth here in Hermannsburg. She is probably familiar with the mission organisation and knows that people from different countries come together here. Perhaps she has also read that I am now working here.

As a missionary? Is that the correct job title?

Yes and no. Yes, because all baptised people are missionaries when they share their experiences of faith in Jesus. I do that too. Whenever I answer this question in the affirmative, I trigger a heated discussion about the understanding of mission. No, because I am an ecumenical co-worker and pastor, appointed by the supporting churches of the mission organisation, i.e. the Evangelical-Lutheran regional churches of Brunswick, Hanover and Schaumburg-Lippe. This is a statutory requirement for filling the post of ELM Director. The three regional churches finance the missionary organisation. Today, mission also means travelling together as churches and in different contexts to proclaim the gospel, the good news of Jesus.

Does that mean you will also be preaching in the church district?

Yes, I already have three or four fixed appointments in the in the St. Peter-Paul congregation in Hermannsburg. That is also part of my duties as a mission director.

The concept of mission seems a little out of date and is historically charged. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania is a child of the missionary movement that spread across East Africa around 160 years ago in the wake of colonialism.

Its beginnings lie in what was then German East Africa. Today, Tanzania is home to the second largest Lutheran church in the world after the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.

So a success story?

A success story to which we feel strongly connected. We already know that the mission was linked to colonialism and racism. But there are also completely different aspects, and these are the reason why the Lutheran Church in Tanzania is a growing church. People in Tanzania don't talk so much about the church and colonialism. Almost nobody in Tanzania knows that Kilimanjaro used to be the highest mountain in Germany and was called Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze or Wilhelmskuppe. I myself only learnt this in Germany. In Tanzania, people talk more about diaconia. When it comes to missions, social work and the construction of schools and hospitals take centre stage. The aspect of colonialism has actually been ignored to this day. It is only discussed when missionaries or other people from
Germany are there. They always want to talk about colonialism and racism. Missionaries never had a very bad reputation here in northern Tanzania, but unfortunately they do in the south. In my book "Whiteness as an ideological construct", I dedicated an entire chapter to this. The mission didn't just hurt us. It brought us a few good things. That's why a differentiated discussion is very important.

In the book, your dissertation at the Augustana University of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, you also describe how racist stereotypes from the colonial era are still reflected in the charitable work of the churches today. For example, in Europeans who appear as benefactors. They complain that there is more talk about equality than that it is practised.

I can see that missionary organisations are more sensitive to the issue today, especially when they are active in the global South. They want to do good and do nothing wrong politically. Nevertheless, if they don't deal intensively with racism and colonialism, they quickly find themselves in almost the same situation as the missionaries of that time. That is why we want to keep sensitising missionary societies, or rather partnerships, to the fact that history is not just the past. Germans are familiar with this when they say that the Berlin Wall has fallen, but not yet in people's minds. Much remains in the language. When partnership is discussed in the churches, it is from the north to the south. It is a North-South dialogue in which the North is the "we" and the South is the "other". "They" are not like "us". Employees, volunteers and even tourists travelling in Africa produce such divisive images. This is the beginning of unconscious racism, especially when the "other" invented in this way is then treated differently.

In your book, you describe how the "other" is researched more intensively than the supposedly "normal". Blackness and homosexuality are much more in the scientific focus than whiteness and heterosexuality.

The other is always the one that is talked about a lot. In my work I deliberately switched perspectives. The victim researches the perpetrator. It's not always about the North explaining the South and writing books about it. In partnership work, we have to get to the point where "the others" also say and write a bit about "us". Only when both are on the table can real dialogue and exchange begin. A delegation has just been to South Africa. They are writing a cooperation strategy paper for each country with partner churches. We would like South Africans to write a report about Germany. That would create a level playing field, that both sides can appreciate. And we might finally get to sit at the table as partners - a lot has already happened and a lot will happen in the future.

Is one of your goals as ELM Director to drive this process forward?

Exactly. I see my role as being a bit of the voice of the global South. That's how I'm perceived anyway, whether I want to be or not. When our partners see me here, they will say: finally someone from the global South! That statement will come. I don't think it's a bad thing to represent this voice in Germany, even beyond the ELM. When people talk about us, we should be there so that they can talk to each other. Never without us!

Nevertheless, there is still an economic gap, even in partnership-based development projects. How do you deal with this in Tanzania?

We do social welfare, run schools, hospitals and social work. These are important things that used to be the responsibility of missionaries. Today, the church in Tanzania does this itself. With support from the missionary organisations, but it is our work. We do it, they help us; they come, they join in. That is the approach. Not that they run a hospital in Tanzania. As partners, we say where we need support. This can be in the form of money, nursing staff or doctors. Global learning happens when we travel together.

You said that the mission in Tanzania is rated positively. What about the former colonial power Germany?

People know that Germany historically stands not only for missions but also for colonialism. Nevertheless, the view of the country is very positive. When Tanzania became independent in 1961, the British were here and the German colonial era was long gone. However, German missionaries were still here, tolerated by the British. The question arose as to whether the missionaries should remain in an independent Tanzania. The Christian Tanzanians wanted this, but the Muslims, who perhaps even made up the majority of the population at the time, were against it. Ultimately, the churches in the north continued to support the Tanzanian church. That connects them. Today, the image of the younger generation is very clear: the Germans are Lutherans just like us. They are proud of their long relationship with the church in the country where Luther came from. Germany is very present in Tanzania, not only in the church but also politically. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier just visited Tanzania and the German governmental developmental cooperation agency (GIZ) is heavily involved in hospitals, water and supply. These are important issues for people, regardless of whether they are Muslims or Christians. This is the situation today: Germany as a partner. You only learn about colonialism if you consciously engage with it. I address colonialism and racism, but in society these are marginal issues.

You come from a country where the Lutheran church is growing. In Germany, its members are running away. Can German congregations learn something from the Tanzanian ones?

In Germany, the church has always been closely linked to social welfare and education. The missionaries did this wisely. That was also attractive to Muslim parents who wanted their children to have an education. They didn't want to become Christians, but the schools were closely linked to the churches. A difficult subject, I know. The missionaries had little understanding of intercultural theology and religiosity. That was one of their weaknesses. They already saw Christians as the better people. That's why I say, very quietly, that social welfare and social work were also instrumentalised a little. In India, there is the term "Rice Christians" for this. The poor flock to the missionary societies and become Christians so that their children can attend Christian schools. This can be criticised. But many did not regret it in the end, often remained Christians all their lives and had their children baptised. They were given prospects and some were able to study in the USA or Germany. A strong community developed from this. They grew together. In Germany, too, Lutherans once promoted the building of schools and campaigned to give children from the countryside access to education. Education has always been important. When the church withdraws from social work because it no longer wants to invest so much in society, people turn away from it. Because we are not only in need spiritually, but also physically. The church has to do something for society.

Was the Christianisation of Tanzania associated with major cultural change?

Yes, it was. People in Tanzania discuss this less, but it is a big topic in the social sciences. There is even talk of uprooting. Yes, people have been separated from their original culture and were assimilated into European culture. That was the case.

What religion was practised before the mission?

We call them traditional African religions. In Tanzania alone, there were over 120 tribes, each with their own culture, language, cuisine and customs. The missionaries wanted to abolish all of this and labelled it a sin. That was wrong and led to severe cultural disruptions. Now we are trying to revive a bit of the old culture. For example, when we all sing together. We now have completely different melodies and liturgies everywhere in Tanzania. Even when it comes to old German church songs.

Are church services in Tanzania like the cliché: cheerful and gospel-like in packed churches?

Between 600 and 700 people regularly attend the Protestant church services in the centre of my home town of Moshi on Kilimanjaro alone. When we sing together, there is power. With a trombone and gospel choir, it's a really big event. Two to three hours long, and nobody gets bored. When I worked as a pastor in Kaufbeuren in Bavaria for a few years from 2007 as part of an exchange programme, it was a big change. Maybe 60 people came to the service there. Let's see what it's like here.

When people in Germany report on churches and Christians in Africa, they often say that they are particularly conservative and have little understanding for gender equality or gay rights. Is that also your experience?

Unfortunately, that is true. When it comes to moral and ethical issues, our churches are characterised by theology. Pastors, for example, never drink alcohol. Neither do I, because I grew up in a tradition where alcohol is considered bad. Such cultural issues are not reflected upon very deeply in Tanzania. Attitudes were strongly influenced by the first missionaries, who were very strict on morals. This should not lead to everything remaining forever the way the missionaries taught it back then. At the moment, however, this is the case and the church remains very conservative. A woman bishop is unthinkable. We need dialogue and encounters. Otherwise, attitudes towards issues such as alcohol, homosexuality or equal rights will not change.

The ELM has partner churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Your new position involves a lot of travelling, doesn't it?

I think so. You can't just talk about these churches, you also have to visit them and see what they are doing and where there are similarities. My role will be to build bridges and strengthen relations between the three German sponsoring churches and the partner churches abroad. To ensure that we as Christians are travelling together in solidarity and learning from each other. That is our main mission. I would also like to promote South-South exchange a little. So that there are not only connections via the North and partner churches in the South can enter into more direct dialogue with each other. Perhaps, and I say this from a personal point of view, the ELM has the opportunity to moderate at this point.

Your stay in Bavaria resulted in the book "Grüß Gott aus Afrika" (Greetings from Africa). Perhaps you will also write the book "Moin aus Afrika", which is about impressions from Lower Saxony?

Moin, Moin from Africa? Yes, maybe I will (laughs). But I have to confess that I don't know what will happen at the end of my term of office.

Will you find time to preach in the Heidekreis district? After all, Hermannsburg is part of the Soltau church circuit.

If I'm invited, I'll be happy to come. With God's help, I'll be here for ten years. I like preaching and visiting congregations. I might have to fight a bit for that. But I think it's important, also for our internationally orientated house.