when the martyrs chose defiance

When the Martyrs Chose Defiance.

Lambert Brian Rusoke.

Growing up in Fortportal in my grandparents’ living room wall, there was  a painting of twenty-two young men and boys in Ugandan tribal dress. Some of them are standing in front of a backdrop of upraised spears; the rest, in front of flames as tall as they are.

While it appears that they are about to be put to death, the expressions on their faces are of peace, trust, and even joy. One of them is holding a palm branch; others have their hands folded in prayer; and others are clasping a cross or a rosary –

They are the men and boys whose martyrdom in 1886 is considered the spark that ignited the flame of Christianity in modern Africa. Canonized in 1964, the Uganda Martyrs are revered/admired/ for their faith, their courage, and their countercultural witness to Christ –

Where it all started:

Their story begins with the Protestant missionaries who began arriving in Buganda (now Uganda) in 1877. Mutesa—the king, or Kabaka—welcomed them and seemed open to Christianity, perhaps because it had points of contact with his people's belief in the afterlife and in a creator god. He even allowed it to be taught at his court.

When the Catholic White Fathers (now the Missionaries of Africa) arrived in 1879, Mutesa welcomed them as well. However, he also flirted with Islam, which Arab traders had introduced into Buganda decades before, and began favoring now one religious group and then another, mainly for political gain.

The king's shifting favor created an uncertain, often dangerous climate for Christians, but White Father Simeon Lourdel and his companions took advantage of every opportunity Mutesa gave. They founded missions where they could teach people about the faith, and about medicine and agriculture as well.

The defiance campaign.

Joseph Mukasa, who served as personal attendant for both Mutesa and the new king, his son Mwanga,had brought Christ to many of the five hundred young men and boys who worked as court pages(summons), and they relied on his leadership and his clear grasp of the faith.

Mukasa had the king's respect, too, for he had once killed a poisonous snake with his bare hands as it was about to strike his master. But King Mwanga was even more unstable than his father. He was soon affected by the poisonous lies of jealous advisors, who called Mukasa disloyal for his allegiance to another king, the "God of the Christians."

Mukasa  went ahead, enraged Mwanga even more by repeatedly opposing his attempts to use the younger pages as his sex partners. Mukasa not only taught the boys to resist but made sure they stayed out of Mwanga's reach.

The Kabaka finally decided to make Mukasa an example, ordering him to be burned alive as a conspirator. But here, too, Mukasa proved the stronger and braver. He assured his executioner that "a Christian who gives his life for God has no reason to fear death. . . . Tell Mwanga," he also said, "that he has condemned me unjustly, but I forgive him with all my heart." The executioner was so impressed with Mukasa that he beheaded him swiftly before tying him to the stake and burning his body.

In the Leopard’s territory.

Now on a rampage, King Mwanga threatened to have all his Christian pages killed unless they renounced their faith. This failed to intimidate them, however, for Mukasa's example had inspired them. Even the catechumens among them followed Mukasa's bravery by asking to be baptized before they died.

Mwanga gathered all the pages in front of his residence. "Let all those who do not pray stay here by my side," he shouted. "Those who pray" he commanded to stand before a fence on his left. Charles Lwanga led the way, followed by the other Christian pages, Catholic and Anglican. The youngest, Kizito, was only fourteen.

The king's vengeance was terrible: He sentenced the group to be burnt alive at Namugongo, some, never reached their death destination as they died on the way.

So, if I may ask,”What Lessons  do we draw from the Martyrs as Rotarians and nationals of this world?