|
Yes, MB, this is a very large and very silent group.
The group from the 60s that are my peers is very big. I knew some of them personally, as we went through Bible School and missions training together. Of course I did not realize then, what horrors they had lived through in Tambo. I know more now, and what I know helps explain some of the "vibes" I picked up back then, in the late 60s and early 70s.
The extent, severity, and frequency of the abuse that went on at that boarding school in those days helps me understand why the survivors remain so silent to this day. The life they lived came to feel rather "normal" when they were in it, because it was all they knew, on that remote mission compound.
In the years since, they either continued on in NTM and buried all those memories, or they are no longer in the mission orbit and it all seems like a horrible dream now. I suppose some of them now realize that what happened was so abnormal that it is hard for them to even try to explain it to "outsiders".
One male survivor from those days told me Tambo was like a concentration camp for kids. When I think of it that way, it helps me understand why many survivors, like survivors of the Holocaust, never speak of the horrors. No one understands, so they just keep quiet.
I have also observed that when child abuse occurs on a large scale, the "fight" has been beaten out of many of the victims. They remain to this day very compliant, just trying to keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. And as abuse victims, there is shame mixed in: shame that really should not be theirs to bear, but the feeling of shame is very common among abuse survivors, and it keeps many from working through the pain of what others did to them.
The MKs from Tambo are now adults. My peer group not only has raised their families, they are now grandparents. They have kept the memories buried for so many decades that it probably seems futile to even try to fight for any sort of justice anymore.
Nothing will come of these sham "investigations" if the survivors don't rise up and speak out. I think NTM is hoping they will not do that. And they have hired an attorney (Theresa Sidebotham) who is so adept at her craft that she easily intimidates any who attempt to question her or her methods.
All of this makes it even more amazing that there were some young women MKs who had been sexually abused in Fanda, Senegal, who had the courage and the willpower to pursue their cases and managed to accomplish impressive things. I have not met any NTM MKs from any other country who are like Kari and Bonnie, the heroes who founded this website called Fanda Eagles seven years ago!
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
