Elsie Tshimunyi McKee - Cradling Abundance: One African Christians Story of Empowering Women and Fighting Systemic Poverty

THE PLACE IS ZAIRE (now Democratic Republic of Congo), in the middle of Africa. The time is 1972, under the rule of General Sese Seko Mobutu.

I was just twenty, small and thin, a university student on her way home from the capital for the summer. After boat and train, the last leg of the trip was by truck. My brother and I and quite a lot of people were crowded in with all our baggage. Suddenly, we were stopped by a military barricade across the road. We had suitcases; I had bought clothes and things for my family. On the truck there were people from Katanga with their goods too. The soldiers ordered us to get out and let them search our suitcases or bundles. If we did not have sales slips for each item, they would seize it. I got out, but I was not having any of this theft. If you want the suitcases, get them down yourselves! The soldiers were astonished, and the other people terrified. Maman, why are you doing that? You will get us arrested!

I will not get out my suitcase. Show me your orders. President Mobutu has forbidden barricades on the roads. People know where I am; if you hurt me, they will come and get you. You dont have the right to search peoples belongings. We were speaking Tshiluba, but I switched to French. The soldiers hurried to their commander, in a brush hut. They said, There is a girl hereshe speaks Tshiluba, she speaks French. She is reprimanding us; she says that we dont have the right to put up barricades. They know where she is. The commander said, Bring her to me.

They brought me to him. He said, What! Why are you speaking in front of the soldiers that I sent? I said, Commander, can you show me your orders? If you do, I will obey what you say. He said, What? You are impolite! I said, When the commander speaks impolitely, you answer him impolitely. If you are the commander, you should know that the supreme commander has given orders not to put up barricades. But you have put them here. You should know what awaits you. Even if you kill me today, you will also die. You wont last two days. The commander said, Okay... good thing I called you over here. You must be some personage, but you should not speak like that when we are working. I said, You are ruining what the president said. You should obey the president of the republic. He said, Go! They let all the passengers get back into the truck with their belongings, and we left.