Many observers, i.e. me, wonder at the apparent passivity of the Congolese. Major constitutional changes are made at record speed to further entrench presidential powers but there’s almost no public reaction. Streets decay, there’s no water in the pipes and there’s no electricity, and the oh-so-tolerant public grins and bears it. The police and army are not paid, so what’s new?
There are many explanations for this passivity, of which the most convincing is to do with the country’s dictatorial history which made protest criminal. Better to keep your head below the parapet and at least survive . . .
But in matters of love, laissez-faire is most definitely not the style. As evidence of the power of passion, here’s a story from the local press, cleverly spotted by she who must be obeyed.
Here’s the caste of characters.
1. Heroine: Anne Label, a woman given such beauty, and such charm, that even a saint en route to canonisation could not resist her.
2. Villain: The Pastor Jean Paul of “The church of the faithful bride of Jesus Christ” – that’s right, that is truly the name of the sect over which he presides.
3. Third corner of the triangle: Sophie.
Eight years ago Pastor Jean Paul, married though he was, with three children, fell for Anne and for eight years they shared her concubine’s bed. To the congregation she was a sister of the church who had to be treated with respect. She went everywhere with him (in her capacity as a sister of the church, of course), on missionary trips to the interior, to week-end retreats, and to prayer meetings.
She put everything into their relationship, even putting her money at the disposal of the good Pastor. While sharing her life with him she, goddess of love though she was, she wasted no time in demonising his wife, and finally persuaded him to get a divorce. Once that was done she completed her work by kicking out his indolent daughter who had come to live with them (for reasons not explained in the article).
But she was not the only one to fall for the Pastor’s charms. He not only had the gift of winning souls for Christ, he also charmed the hearts of the faithful. Thus it was that during a seminar on deliverance, when Anne was away on business, he fell in love with a certain Sophie and within a week they had agreed to marry.
Alerted by one of her friends, Anne breaks off her trip and returns to Kinshasa. She confronts the Pastor, but to no avail. The Pastor is in no mood to delay the marriage which is to be held the next week end, and she is helpless in the face of the love which has gripped the Pastor like a leech.
At this stage let us turn to the account of the marriage ceremony, provided by the journalist covering the story:
As the Pastor (not Pastor Jean Paul, but a different one) is about to bless the marriage, people armed with sticks, stones and knives start to make a commotion outside the church. At the head of this gang is the beautiful Anne. The Pastor breaks off his benediction to ask what all the noise was about, and whether there is a need to exorcise a demon.
Too late: the gang had forced its way into the church. The congregation scatters in confusion as Anne heads without hesitation for Sophie, and bites her on her gynaecological lips. Sophie screams out, at which point her lover, Pastor Jean Paul, who had fled, returns to see what is going on and comfort his lover. Before he reaches her, a gang member grabs his phallus, thus immobilising him and he falls to the ground like a ripe fruit. Had it not been for the intervention of some church members who had martial arts training the two would have killed each other.
Thus, in the manner of a pyromaniac Anne decides to embrace the marriage day. Oh! Love, what a hold you have on us.
(With grateful thanks to the matchless writing of Pie Roger Iloko, Le Potentiel, 18 October 2010.)
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