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April 10, 2009

For you, for me

On our way from Djibo to Ouaga recently I passed a woman riding a bicycle, taking oranges to market. She had a huge crate of oranges tied onto the back of her bicycle, and a huge bowl of oranges balanced on her head as she rode. She also had a small child tied to her back. It was an impressive feat of balance and determination.

I have blogged before about the many words the Fulani have for carrying something. I think I included bammbude (carrying a child on your back) and roondaade (carrying something on your head) but I forgot about horginde (carrying something on the back of your horse or bike).

I also forgot the word roondande, which means to carry something on your head for someone else. A single word in Fulfulde – several in English!

Fulani Christians use the word roondande about Good Friday. Jesus took our sin and shame and carried it on his own head. The same an particle appears in gollande (to serve someone) maayande (to die for someone) and moyyinande (to make things good for someone).

Another word commonly used for carrying things is wakkaade – to carry something across your shoulders. It's quite a masculine word – used of a Fulani shepherd carrying a staff across his shoulders or of a Muslim warrior carrying a weapon across his shoulders.

Fulani Christians use the word wakkaade of Jesus carrying his cross. But this shoulder-carrying has none of the jauntiness of the shepherd or the menace of the mujjahadin. Jesus cross-carrying is an image of weakness, stumbling and vulnerability.

Yet it is also a compelling image of courage, self-sacrifice and love. Jesus didn't need to carry that cross, yet he chose to do it for us.

Iisaa wakkani kam: Jesus carried something across his shoulders for me.

Iisaa maayani kam: Jesus died for me.

Iisaa moyyinani kam: Jesus made things good for me.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, KJV)

Posted by sahelsteve at April 10, 2009 10:07 PM