BMS World Mission worker Simon Wood tells us about eating the kola nut - a special nut with spiritual, social and stimulating effectsDo you crunch?Est-ce que tu croques? That is the question asked in Guinea as a kola nut is held out. I don't know if you have ever eaten a conker - I did as a boy in a game of 'macho-bravado', but the tough, fibrey texture and bitter taste meant the game was quickly abandoned!
I re-lived pretty much the same experience when offered my first kola nut - I couldn't finish it and politely disposed of the remains when opportunity allowed me. However later on I realised I'd made a mistake in my approach to eating a kola nut.
Taking a hitI'd viewed it as a food experience - something that you eat for pleasure, like sweets or peanuts. It wasn't until many months later that I braved my second kola nut (presented to me by the president's uncle of all people). I realised that one approaches a kola nut much like a cigarette: the initial experience is pretty unpleasant, but what you are really after is the social acceptance and the chemical 'hit'. Don't worry, it's only as strong as a cup of coffee or can of Coke (kola was the stimulant originally used in Coca Cola).
ForgivenutsKola trees are found and cultivated in the southern forest region of Guinea. The nuts are worth between 2p and 6p and are used all over the country to facilitate several important social functions.
They are most commonly presented as a welcome gift to visitors. However, they are also used as a token of reconciliation and given to an injured party by someone who is receiving their forgiveness. I have seen kola nuts presented to God in church following testimonies of God's goodness and faithfulness.
Tying the nutKola nuts are also used to secure alliances - social or spiritual. Social alliances include the traditional marriage ceremony where the man's family visits the woman's family twice to announce his intentions and ask their permission. Each time they give ten kola nuts.
The gift of kola nuts is the heart of the process, rendering it valid and serious. They can give all sorts of gifts and presents, but without the kola nuts, the request can't be taken seriously.
A man and woman can create their own marriage alliance alone also, without their families' blessings, using kola nuts to show their sincerity. However tradition says that the first party to betray the other meets their death at the hands of the forest spirits.
Spiritual alliances with animist powers make kola eating a controversial practice among some Christians in neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire. They refuse to eat kola nuts due to this association.
Perfect ten
In Guinea however, whatever the context, the ideal is to present the perfect number of ten kola nuts, wrapped in a leaf and tied with a particular vine-like string. The number ten denotes completion and fullness in the Guinean cultures - a whole-hearted alliance for example, or a 'full' welcome.
During traditional sacrifices for protection and prosperity to the spirits of the forest, the worshippers state that "our ancestors have made only nine sacrifices", meaning that there is always one more sacrifice to make.
In this way, Guinean Christians state that Christ represents the tenth and final sacrifice - the need for further sacrifices has been removed. Protection, prosperity and blessing come from him alone and anything else is seen as second rate, insufficient and worthless.
BMS workers Simon and Solange Wood have been in Guinea since September 2008, working alongside Guinea Evangelical Baptist Church. Simon works with a small team of Guinean pastors training Guinean missionaries to be church planters. They have two children, Rafael and Beatrice. Please pray for the Wood family that they would be kept them safe and well as a family as they undertake God's work.