The Vidunda live in a part of Tanzania where mountains reach over 5,000 feet. There is only one road into their area that requires a good 4-wheel drive vehicle assuming the road isn't too wet or washed out. This road goes to Vidunda village from Kidoti and the other villages don't have any road at all.
Still there are many contacts with people from the valley. The Vidunda grow corn, beans, bananas, vegetables, etc. that they take for sale or ship to major cities. Health workers at the Roman Catholic hospital, government officials, men from a sugar estate and others come up the mountains.
Almost none of the households have electricity of any kind, They use kerosene lamps to light their homes after dark. Power lines have not been erected in the mountains.
About 90 percent of the Vidunda people practice a nominal form of Christianity. Many still follow traditional beliefs. They make sacrifices to spirits and ancestors, believing this will remove a problem or protect a person.
These traditions have a negative effect on the people. When they're sick, they rely on the spirits instead of going to the hospital. Many die because they don't get proper treatment.
Scripture Prayers for the Vidunda in Tanzania.
| Profile Source: Anonymous |
