Why the chameleon?
The chameleon in many African cultures is an
ambivalent animal. Here in Zambia it is often
feared. Some people think it transmits leprosy.
In some church songs it is held in disdain for
failing to show its true colour. It walks forward
and backward at the same time. In some
Zambian myths the chameleon does not lay
eggs like other reptiles, but becomes pregnant
like human beings. The chameleon avoids our
neat categories. It is different.
The chameleon is avoided in Zambia. But it is
not killed. There are ancient stories about the
sacredness of the chameleon, which we find all
over Africa. A Chewa myth tells us that God had
entrusted the chameleon with the message of
life for human beings, while the gecko was sent
out with the message of death. God sent out
the chameleon first, and only after some time
released the gecko. Still the gecko won the
race and since then bad news travels faster
than the good news. Human beings remain
marked by death more than they are marked by
life. The chameleon came too late. But it's not
too late to listen to its message.
Like the chameleon much of African religion
has been despised, feared or ignored. Still it
comes back deep down, because its message
of life has not yet fully been heard. African
religion comes back in ever different colours,
adapted to different times and seasons and
backgrounds, sometimes ambivalent, and often
moving out of our neat categories and
concepts. The chameleon reminds us to move
beyond our ready made answers.
The chameleon in many African cultures is an
ambivalent animal. Here in Zambia it is often
feared. Some people think it transmits leprosy.
In some church songs it is held in disdain for
failing to show its true colour. It walks forward
and backward at the same time. In some
Zambian myths the chameleon does not lay
eggs like other reptiles, but becomes pregnant
like human beings. The chameleon avoids our
neat categories. It is different.
The chameleon is avoided in Zambia. But it is
not killed. There are ancient stories about the
sacredness of the chameleon, which we find all
over Africa. A Chewa myth tells us that God had
entrusted the chameleon with the message of
life for human beings, while the gecko was sent
out with the message of death. God sent out
the chameleon first, and only after some time
released the gecko. Still the gecko won the
race and since then bad news travels faster
than the good news. Human beings remain
marked by death more than they are marked by
life. The chameleon came too late. But it's not
too late to listen to its message.
Like the chameleon much of African religion
has been despised, feared or ignored. Still it
comes back deep down, because its message
of life has not yet fully been heard. African
religion comes back in ever different colours,
adapted to different times and seasons and
backgrounds, sometimes ambivalent, and often
moving out of our neat categories and
concepts. The chameleon reminds us to move
beyond our ready made answers.
