“Hello, Americans. This is Paul Harvey. Stand by for news!” My Dad was a big fan. Every day we listened to his iconic voice at lunch. One of our favorite segments was “The rest of the story”.
It was the third day of a Scripture Songwriting workshop with the Puguli language group. I was co-leading the workshop with Kember Lillo Beau Pré, who was doing a year-long internship in Burkina Faso. Kember had spent several months in the Puguli region learning about their music.
Warm, fun-loving, and a little quirky, Kember was a delightful addition to the team. She had that special gift of making people feel welcome and loved. During her research, she interviewed Olon Malo, a skilled musician on the kolindjo, a seven string-harp. Kember invited Olon to come to the workshop to accompany the new compositions on his harp.
For three days, the participants worked in groups to create songs based on passages from the Gospel of Luke. Olon joined one of these groups. Under the shade of the mango trees, he added his instrumental artistry to the new compositions, weaving together melody and words, Puguli style.
As we were wrapping things up, I asked Kember, “Is Olon feeling alright?” She agreed that he didn’t seem like his normal self.
We asked Jacques Malo, one of the Puguli Bible translators, “Is Olon ok”? “Well, yes and no,” he said. “He’s been away from the village for three days and hasn’t had his daily ‘medicament’ (“daily dose” of alcohol).
Several months later, I was traveling through the region and stopped to greet one of the pastors. He asked, “Have you heard about Olon?” He went on to explain that during one of the sessions Olon decided to compose a song as well. He took the next slip of paper and read:
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32.
Luke 5:31-32
After the workshop, Olon sought out a pastor, and explained, “When I read those words, I realized that this message was for me. I’m not like these good people here (meaning the other workshop participants). But this says that Jesus came for me.”
Olon returned to his village where he joined the local church. His need for his “daily dose” became a thing of the past. He was eventually asked to lead worship on Sunday mornings, accompanied by his kolindjo. This brought a new joy and vibrancy to the singing, which in turn attracted new people to attend church.
Olon reached out to his community in other ways as well. He trained to become a literacy teacher and started a local class. He also reestablished the dance troupe in his village.
The Puguli are known for their energetic, synchronized dance. In the past, they have won the national prize for “Best Dance Ensemble”. But in recent years many of the troupes had disbanded. That was the reason that we were traveling to Olon’s village—to film the dance troupe he had revitalized.
When we arrived, a tall, regal man walked up to us. We greeted him, waiting for an introduction. “That’s Olon,” someone whispered. His demeanor was so different, I hadn’t recognized him. A life transformed by the Great Physician.
And it all began with a slip of paper and a song.
And now you know the rest of the story.
Puguli Dance Troupe
Olon Malo and the dance troupe that he helped to reestablish in the village of Zangbani.
Interview with Jacques Malo
Jacques Malo, Puguli Bible Translator, shares his impressions of the Puguli songwriting workshop.
Mary, c’est une superbe histoire
merci de partager ça
Paul Kweikpiri
Merci Paul Kweikpiri! That’s the best name!
Such a great story. I love scripture being put to music, makes it easier to learn, thanks for sharing
Thanks Samuel… Yes! Music and the Word. And I love the ‘behind the scenes’ things that God is doing all the time!
Bring back good memories, and wow what a photo with Olon and his dance troupe! You remembered so many details to that hot day, I do remember that at a few points, it seemed like everything would go wrong…and then like a storm passing, the sun came out and composing and recording just flowed!
I love that Kember! “like a storm passing, the sun came out and composing and recording just flowed.” Lots of great Kember memories
What a wonderful testimony!! Beautiful story.
Isn’t God good!
Wonderful story!
Yes – just thinking – This is a Christmas story 😁. Emmanuel