SIDI, Burkina Faso — Mennonites here persist in worshiping God even though village leaders have taken back the land on which they built their church.
The leaders accuse members of the local congregation of breaking their promise to abide by the conditions for the land’s use.
Village leaders rejected a proposal that would have enabled the Mennonites to comply with the spirit of the traditional customs while not compromising their Christian beliefs.
The problem stems from the Mennonites’ decision to renounce the practice of offering a live chicken and four liters of dolo, a locally made millet beer, to the spirits of the land.
The offerings are required to obtain farming plots from village leaders. Each family must bring these offerings.
Traditionally, the land is not sold or rented. It is loaned to people who work it to feed their families.
The congregation, part of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso, began to meet after an evangelistic campaign in 2011. More people became Christians, and the village leaders granted them land to build a place of worship.
At first, the Christians complied with all the traditional conditions for use of the land. But as the church grew and their faith deepened, they began to see the offerings of a chicken and beer as sacrifices to the spirits of the land.
In an attempt to live more faithfully, the Mennonites proposed a thank-you gift to the village leaders. Instead of the customary offerings, they would bring money and produce from their farms. It would be up to the village leaders to decide how to use these gifts.
The proposal was not well- received. Village leaders perceived it as an act of disobedience. They said that if they allowed the Christians to break the solidarity that binds the community together, this would open the door for others to disregard traditional laws.
As a result, the leaders took back the land they had granted to the church.
The Mennonites of Sidi are convinced God is working through these difficulties to speak to their community. They hope to see the Sidi church grow. They also hope those who are persecuting them will become servants of God.
From a report by Siaka Traore and Lynda Hollinger-Janzen. Traore is national president of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso.
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