wfn.org | LWI Portrait - Namibian Bishop Dr. Zephania Kameeta

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Challenges for the Church Include HIV/AIDS, Violence against
Women, Reconciliation

WINDHOEK, Namibia/GENEVA, 9 April 2002 (LWI) - "My aim is to get
every single congregation involved in taking care of the sick and
in looking after the [HIV/AIDS] orphans of their community. I see
this as one of my biggest tasks during my time as bishop."

With these words, Rev. Dr. Zephania Kameeta, bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN)
summarizes the challenge faced by his church and its 54
congregations in dealing with HIV/AIDS in a country listed among
the world's four most affected by the pandemic-ten percent of
Namibia's 1.8 million population is HIV infected. Most of the
victims are in the 15-49 years age group, with girls and young
women especially vulnerable to infection-one of five women between
20-24 years is HIV positive. In some regions, almost one third of
the pregnant women were found to be HIV positive.

The reality of Namibia's HIV/AIDS impact struck Kameeta some two
years ago when he "made a deliberate attempt to renew contact with
people at the grassroots." The former deputy speaker of the
National Assembly, 1990-2000, decided to serve as a volunteer
pastor in Maltahoehe, a small, impoverished town in the south. Day
by day he visited families without income, sick people and orphans
in their huts and on the streets, lending a compassionate ear to
their stories of daily suffering, of pain and illness, poverty and
hunger.

Kameeta, who was ordained as a pastor in 1971, regrets that his
recent return to the grassroots was only a short interlude. But
living with the people of Maltahoehe reopened his eyes to the
experiences of the poor in the country and will definitely
influence his future work as bishop. In Maltahoehe, he was not
only directly confronted with poverty, hunger and unemployment,
but also with the devastating illness of HIV/AIDS. "People came to
me and talked about their illness and I could see how deeply it is
affecting community life," he recalls. This experience motivated
him to throw his full weight behind the AIDS programs of the
Evangelical Lutheran churches in Namibia.

The 200,000-member ELCRN and Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Namibia (ELCIN) with a membership of 533,000 run separate HIV/AIDS
programs but work jointly to formulate common policies and
programs of action. They closely collaborate with the Roman
Catholic Church Aids Action Program. The 7,000-member
German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (DELK) does
not have its own AIDS program but is planning and willing to join
any of the existing Lutheran programs. "Our churches are very
involved in dealing with the AIDS problem," Kameeta stresses. He
cites the numerous seminars and discussions on the pandemic during
the past years, pointing out that posters on the subject have been
posted even inside church buildings. Such efforts have contributed
to changing people's attitude towards HIV/AIDS and towards
infected men and women. People talk more openly about the illness
and are prepared to help, he says.

The ELCRN bishop holds strong views about the issue of "violence
against women and children in our communities." He says violence
revolves around the question of power. "Traditional cultures in
our country underline male power. Men feel they have more power
than women and even women themselves-mothers and sisters-reinforce
this attitude. They always tell boys, 'Don't behave like a girl,
be strong, don't cry.'" He notes that despite awareness raising
through discussions, books on feminism and gender education, "
these old forms of behavior" are still being encouraged. But
Kameeta, 56, says traditions are not eternal. They are created by
human beings and they are changeable. Power, he says, should be
used creatively, not to destroy. He advocates the "need to look at
our cultures and traditions, taking the good from them and
discarding the bad things."

The "people's bishop", as Kameeta is fondly called by friends and
colleagues, is also determined to bring people together during his
six-year term of office. "It is a bit early to discuss results,"
he says, but remains open to all forms of encounters. During his
stay in Maltahoehe, he experienced how blacks and whites
participated in a joint church service for the first time ever
although they had lived together for generations. In Kameeta's
opinion this is an important level where reconciliation and
healing must still take place in future years. The three Lutheran
churches, representing 39 percent of the country's population,
comprise the LWF National Committee in Namibia.

Kameeta was installed as ELCRN bishop 20 January 2002, succeeding
Bishop Petrus Diergaardt. A few months before, in August 2001, the
church's 19th synod had elected him to the position with an
overwhelming majority. Since October 2000 Kameeta has served as
moderator of the German-based United Evangelical Mission. He is
married to Elizabeth Kameeta, and they have six adult children.

(By Erika von Wietersheim, Windhoek-based LWI correspondent).

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
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