Life of a street preacher

HUYE- Emmanuel Murwanashyaka, 51, is a common sight in Huye town. Not because he is an airtime vendor, a celebrity, a hawker, law enforcer, policeman or a businessman, but because he is a street preacher who often moves across the town reciting Biblical writings to every passer-by. He has spent about eight years moving from one place to another in and outside Huye town, carrying a Bible which he uses in his sermons.Murwanashyaka is usually spotted in the town around mid-day and is often reciting words warning that the world is coming to an end soon.“The end is near,” he often proclaims as he calls for ‘repentance’. “But, the cursed never hear the warning horn,” he says.The self-styled ‘preacher’ says he often travels as far as Gisagara District which neighbours Huye, in the spirit of spreading the word of God. “Whenever God instructs me to speak, I do not hesitate to proclaim His message,” Murwanashyaka says happily.He says since his childhood he dreamt of serving God.“Earlier, I had thought of becoming a priest, but my hope faded when I failed the examination which would have allowed me to enter the seminary,” he recalls.“But still, I felt I would one day serve God by preaching his word to the world.”Murwanashyaka says he got the inspiration and encouragement from many praying groups he belonged to since he was a teenager.After years of service in various activities, the man says he decided to dedicate his entire life to the public proclamation of the gospel.But, his real ‘career as a preacher’ started in 2004.“At the time, I worked as a bicycle rider to survive but I combined it with preaching,” he says. “But, in 2009, I decided to dedicate my life to preaching”.When asked how he survives on the streets, he responds: “God can do everything-even that which appears impossible in the eyes of human beings,” he responds.“God’s power is beyond human understanding”.Murwanashyaka is rarely seen in the middle of a large crowd. He rather moves from one place to another, speaking loudly to proclaim what he says comes from the inspiration of God.“I have always been a man who fears God and who obeys His will”, Murwanashyaka explains.The ‘public preacher’ who speaks a little French says he was born in a well-off family but was “hated”. But, even within such conditions, he says: “God kept being with me”.“Some people think that God does not exist, but I have encountered him several times in my life. I know He is alive”, he says, as he refers to his survival during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi as a crucial time when he witnessed the presence of God in his life.But, being a street preacher is not an easy thing. It goes with challenges and traps that you have to overcome.“Sometimes, people kick me when they find me preaching. But, I have to go through it as a man who fears God”, he says. “That cannot prevent me from proclaiming the Gospel of God”.However, on a positive note, Murwanashyaka says he often receives messages of encouragement.“Many people often tell me that my messages helped them. “That gives me the courage to carry on,” he reveals.“Others have called me at their homes to pray for them. This is a sign that my efforts are paying off”.On the street, he has the opportunity to speak to many people at the same time, something he cannot do if he was preaching inside churches.”Street preaching, also known as public preaching or open-air preaching, is the act of publicly proclaiming a religious message to people.It is an ancient practice and has been used by many religious traditions to attract larger crowds.In Rwanda, today, it is common to encounter a man or woman in a bus, on the street or any other public places preaching to whomever he or she meets.Many of them often call on the public “to repent as the end of the world is near”.But, the practice, which is new in the country, has attracted blame on many of the ‘street preachers’ who have for several occasions been labelled as “fools”, “insane”, or “out of their minds”.But, Murwanashyaka refutes this. He says: “We are not fools but we are rather messengers of God”.