Avskrift
Svenska Kyrkans Missionsstyrelse
H.M. KONUNGENS
Handsekreterare
Ank. Den 19/11 1952
To His Majesty The King of Sweden
On behalf of the African Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Rhodesia, of which I am the chairman, I hereby wish to express the deep felt gratitude of my church to Your Majesty for the great gift that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, allowed by Your Majesty's grandfather, King Oscar II, to be brought to our people of South Africa. This great gift was given first to the Zulu people in 1876. The first mission station established got its name after Your Majesty's grandfather and was called Oscarsberg.
From South Africa the Gospel was brought by the Swedish and Zulu missionaries to my people in Southern Rhodesa in 1903. The change, which the gospel has brought about amongst my people is of a remarkably great importance both in general cultural upliftment and last in the salvation of my people.
Therefore I can assure Your Majesty that the gratitude of my people for this inestimable gift is so great that it cannot be expressed in proper words. My church knows hat the Gospel would never at that early time have reached my people, if His Majesty the King of Sweden had not given his sanction to the foundation of the Church of Sweden Mission Board in 1874.
As a small token of the gratitude of my church to Your Majesty the King of Sweden I hereby wish to present Your Majesty with this ¿tsanga¿.
This tsanga is a thing used by the priest in the heathen African cult. With this object the priest calls the ancestral spirits together, praising them for protection of the tribe, confessing the sins of the tribe and asking for their continued favour.
The tsanga consists of an iron sword with a wooden handle, decorated with copper wires. This decoration is not an original custom, but a thing of recent time.
With the iron edge of the tsanga the priest chases away all the evil spirits. Besides, he also uses the tsanga, when digging for his medicines (herbs). But according to the heathen belief, the priest cannot himself get the medicine required, as that can only be done by the ancestral spirits of the tribe concerned.
This tsanga has been given to my church by a heathen priest, and that I take as an indication of the surrender of the heathen powers to Christ.
In all humility
Josia Hove
Chairman of the African Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Southern Rhodesia.
Address: Majini
West Nicholson
S. Rhodesia
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