Dead-beat from a week of typing and weathering the desert heat of Kurmuk, all I wanted to do was sit alone, drink a Pepsi and watch a football match. Yet I also realized that this would be my last night in Sudan; my last opportunity to find out just a little bit more about the people and the place.
Summoning what strength I had remaining, I walked down to the local bar to meet some colleagues. On my way I passed a group of young Sudanese boys surrounding the only other white guy I'd seen outside a vehicle the past week. His name was Chris, and he invited me over. A volunteer with Samaritan's Purse, he was sharing the story of Noah with these guys. I enjoyed listening to his interpretation of the events, amazed at how universal such a simple story can be and all that was left unsaid or written between the lines... too much to go into detail here.
Later, I had some more Pepsis and theological discussions with my colleagues. They asked about the monogamous marriage in Western tradition, a far cry from the traditional polygamous, African view of marriage. I had trouble defending my position, since I was constantly stumbling over what was Western Culture and what was essential to Christianity. He claimed some African women preferred having more than one wife: I wanted him to introduce me to such a woman. For me, it goes beyond faith and more to universal rights: if given the choice, I think women would prefer a monogamous relationship. And frankly, I don't think I could handle two women at once... if given that choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment