Wonderful Counselor – Art & Theology

ART SERIES: Pallay: Andean Weaving of Liturgy and Design by Daniela Améstegui: Daniela Améstegui is a graphic designer from Cochabamba, Bolivia, who holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Regent College in Vancouver, with a specialization in Christianity and the arts. Her work “revolves around exploring faith, social justice, and Christian contextualization through design” and “reflects her commitment to using design as a tool for expressing and exploring theological concepts,” she says. She currently lives in Langley, British Columbia, with her husband and two young children, working as a freelancer.

Améstegui’s final Integrative Project in the Arts and Theology for her master’s program was Pallay: Andean Weaving of Liturgy and Design, a series of seven digital illustrations, one for each of the major seasons/feasts of the liturgical year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time. The designs are inspired by Andean textile art and culture. You can view the full series at the link above from Regent College’s Dal Schindell Gallery, where the works were first exhibited in early 2022, but also listen to this wonderful online talk Améstegui gave about Pallay in 2020 for INFEMIT’s Stott-Bediako Forum, where she discusses not only her motivation and influences but also the content of each specific piece:

Whereas those of us in the northern hemisphere associate Advent with cold, darkness, and the onset of winter, in the southern hemisphere Advent falls in early summer, a time when the earth is most fertile and farmers plant their seeds. In her Advent design, Améstegui connects Mary carrying the seed of new life within her with Pachamama (Mother Earth).

Amestegui, Daniela_Advent — Daniela Améstegui (Bolivian, 1990–), *Adviento* (Advent), 2019–20, from the digital illustration series *Pallay: Andean Weaving of Liturgy and Design*. Used with permission.

In Bolivia, Christmas takes place during a season of harvest, so in her Christmas design, Améstegui places Jesus in the center between crops of corn and quinoa, the two main agricultural foods cultivated in the country. Mary wears braids and a bowler hat and Joseph plays the zampoña (Andean panflute), and at the bottom three cholitas, Indigenous women from the Bolivian countryside, gather reverently to greet the Christ child.

Amestegui, Daniela_Christmas — Daniela Améstegui (Bolivian, 1990–), *Navidad* (Christmas), 2019–20, from the digital illustration series *Pallay: Andean Weaving of Liturgy and Design*. Used with permission.

Améstegui does not have a website just yet but tells me she plans to launch one in 2025. If you would like to purchase one or more of her Pallay pieces, you can contact her at daniela@amestegui.com.

Thank you to blog reader Nicole J. for alerting me to this striking series!

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VIDEO COLLECTION: Casa del Catequista (CADECA) chapel paintings: As chance would have it, the same week I learned about Daniela Améstegui’s work, a different blog reader, Mark M., emailed me a link to some videos his Langham Partnership colleague Paul Windsor took during a recent trip to Bolivia. They record the many paintings, most by the late Quechua artist Severino Blanco [previously], inside the chapel of CADECA in Cochabamba, a place where men and women are trained as Christian leaders who then go out to serve their rural communities. They portray scenes from the Old and New Testaments, the parables of Jesus, and Latin American church history, including a remarkable liberation theology–inspired Resurrection, in which Jesus breaks down the doors of death and hell, holding high a cacique’s staff and leading the people of Bolivia into their future. Here’s a 360-degree view captured by Windsor, but visit the boldface link to see additional videos that narrow in on particular portions.

Blanco, Severino_Nativity — Severino Blanco (Quechua [Bolivian], 1951–2020), *Infancy of Christ* painting cycle, 1985. Chapel of the Casa del Catequista (CADECA), Cochabamba, Bolivia.

On the west end of the chapel (where people enter the space) is an Infancy of Christ cycle—reproduced here from a scan of a pamphlet, it appears. In the center is a Nativity, the Christ child painted over a pane of glass through which natural light comes gleaming in (see a closer view). The oblong shapes radiating out from the center are also glass, onto which the artist has (I think) etched lambs in various stages of prostration. On the sides, two villagers come with hot water and towels, and at the bottom two shepherds kneel before the Savior, removing their hats as a sign of respect. At the top, a host of angels with rainbow-colored wings and indigenous instruments sing Christ’s praises.

To the left of the Nativity are six scenes: (1) The Annunciation to Mary, (2) The Visitation, (3) The Annunciation to Zechariah, (4) The Journey to Bethlehem, (5) No Room at the Inn, and (6) The Flight to Egypt. To the right are (7) The Annunciation to the Shepherds, (8) The Annunciation to Joseph, (9) The Presentation in the Temple, (10) The Adoration of the Magi, (11) Jesus with the Scholars in the Temple, and (12) The Massacre of the Innocents.

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SONGS:

>> “Admirable Consejero” (Wonderful Counselor) by Santiago Benavides: Santiago Benavides is a Colombian singer-songwriter living in Toronto. On his Facebook page he describes his musical style as “trova-pop-bossa-carranga worship.” This song he wrote is a setting of Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 in Spanish. In the video, he’s the guitarist with the red-tinted glasses.

>> “The Word Became Flesh” by John Millea: John Millea is “a storyteller with a guitar,” singing in the tradition of Americana, folk, and gospel “about life and all of its joys, sorrows, and struggles.” He’s one of the artists I support through Patreon. This was the first song of his I encountered, and it’s one of my favorites, engaging with John 1:1–3, 14 in a wholly unique way!

In contrast to everyone and everything else in the universe, Millea explains, God had no beginning point, and all that is can in some way be traced back to him, the first link in a massive chain of cause and effect. So here Millea playfully traces his guitar all the way back to God—from the store he bought it at in Illinois, to the factory in Pennsylvania they ordered it from, to the mill in Washington that supplied the wood, to the Alaskan forests whence the tree was logged, and so on and so forth, imagining many thousands of years of fallen and dispersed tree seeds that traversed seas and continents, with an ultimate source in a tree planted in Eden by the Word of God.

When he hits on Eden, he starts moving forward again, through the story of creation, fall, and redemption in Christ, the divine beginningless One who graciously and mysteriously entered human history, born of a woman named Mary.

>> “Mary Had a Baby”: Arranged by Roland Carter, this African American spiritual is performed by the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, featuring the amazing mezzo-soprano Melissa Davis. It’s from their 2003 album An Indigo Christmas, the tracks taken from two live concerts given at the Church of St. George the Martyr in Toronto.

>> “Що то за предиво” (Shcho to za predyvo) (Behold a Miracle): This Ukrainian folk carol is performed by Trioda (Тріода), a musical group consisting of Andrii Gambal, Volodymyr Rybak, and Pavel Chervinskyi.

What is this awe-inspiring miracle?
There is great news on earth!
That the Virgin Mary gave birth to a son.
And upon birthing him, she declared,
“Jesus—my son!”

And the aging Joseph stands nearby in awe
Of Mary having given birth to a son.
And he prepares the swaddling for Jesus Christ.
And Mary swaddles him, and scoops him to her heart—
The pure Virgin Mary!

Trans. Joanna (Ivanka) Fuke [source]

LOOK: Awareness 30 by Bassmi Ibrahim

Ibrahim, Bassmi_Awareness 30 — Bassmi Ibrahim (Egyptian, 1941–), *Awareness 30*, 2014. Mixed media on panel, 36 × 48 in. (91.4 × 121.9 cm).

LISTEN: “Diboo ning Maloo” (Darkness and Light) by Elfi Bohl, on Barakoo (Blessing), 2004 | Text: Isaiah 9:2, 6; 35:5–6a; Psalm 24:9–10 | Performed by Elfi Bohl, 2021

Moolu menu be taama kang
Diboo kono ye mala baa je
Moolu menu be siring sayaa siiringo la
Mala baa le malata I kang

Refrain:
I ko: dingo wuluta n ye, dinkewo diita n na 
Adung a be kumandi la: 
Yamaroolu baa, Alla talaa, Badaa-badaa Famaa
Yamaroolu baa, Alla talaa, Badaa-badaa Famaa
Kayira-mansoo

Finkintewol’ ñaal’ be yele la
Tulusuukuuringol’ tuloo be yele la
Namatoolu be sawung na ko minango
Nungunungunaal be sari la sewoo kamma la

Dundandal’ ye yele, dundundal’ ye yele hawu,
Fo Mansa kalangkee si dun nang.
Jumal’le mu ñing Mansa kewo ti?
Alla le mu, Alla meng warata

The people who were wandering in darkness
Have seen a great light
On those living in the land of death
A light has dawned

Refrain:
To us a child is born, to us a Son is given
And he will be called: 
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (2×)
Prince of Peace

Then the blind will see
The deaf will hear
The lame leap like a deer
The mute tongue shout for joy

Open the doors and the ancient gates
That the King of Glory may come in
Who is this King of Glory?
It is God, the Lord, strong and mighty

This song by Elfi Bohl combines three short, Advent-themed scripture passages—two from Isaiah, one from the Psalms—in the Mandinka language of West Africa, which Bohl sings to her own kora and flute accompaniment.

Originally from Switzerland, Bohl lived in The Gambia from 1989 to 2001 with her husband and three children as a missionary with WEC International. There she learned to play the kora, a twenty-one-stringed harp-lute made of a dried calabash gourd half covered with cow skin. She was initially hesitant to take up the instrument, as it’s traditionally played only by Mandinka men from jali families, a hereditary caste of oral historians, praise singers, and musicians. She thought it might be considered disrespectful for her, a white European woman, to play it.

She already had a background in piano and guitar, but she told me that neither instrument seemed appropriate in the rural Gambian church setting she was in. “At the little church, we sang Christian songs that former missionaries had brought from Germany, the UK, and Australia and had translated into the Mandinka language. The music I heard on the local radio and the songs people were singing sounded very different,” she said. “I started praying and asking God to show me how I could use my musical gift in a culturally relevant way.”

Then one day in 1998, a salesman came to her house trying to sell her a kora, and she thought that maybe this was God’s answer. She decided to give it a try. A local jali agreed to give her a few lessons, teaching her three traditional melodies. She continued practicing on her own and developing her skill, and even started composing some of her own kora melodies to set Bible passages to, as well as arranging traditional ones for the same purpose.

For a while Bohl played only in private, but one day she took a leap of faith and played a kora song in church. The people in the congregation were delighted to hear one of their native instruments and traditional tunes used in Christian worship, and they encouraged Bohl to seek out other opportunities to play in public.

Word got out about Bohl’s facility with the kora, and she started receiving invitations to perform in a variety of settings. Eventually she was playing in Muslim villages, prisons, Islamic schools, and at public meetings and government functions. She was even invited to play some of her songs live on Radio Gambia, the country’s national radio broadcaster, and the station also plays recordings from her two albums.

When she was interviewed on the radio, two imams called in, thanked her for honoring their tradition, and invited her to their villages to sing these “deep words from the Qur’an.” Bohl thanked them for the invitation but clarified that the words originated in the Tawurat, the Jabuur, and the Injil—the books of the followers of Isa (Jesus). Even though the lyrics were from the Bible, they still insisted she come. One promised to prepare a meal with goat meat to honor her coming, and the other said Bohl should first come to his village because he would kill a cow for her! It was the public approval of these imams that gave her the freedom to sing and play anywhere.

Bohl’s kora playing has opened up doors for the gospel to enter places that are typically closed to missionaries. “People believe that the kora itself has a spirit that speaks the truth,” Bohl says. In Mandinka culture, if lyrics are accompanied by a kora, the people must pay attention because there’s an important message for them to hear.

A local pastor told her that when he first heard her play and sing, he believed God had called her to The Gambia to become a jali sharing the gospel with the Mandinka, a people group who are almost entirely Muslim.

During Bohl’s radio appearance, the host introduced her as “Jali-musoo [Female Singer] Mariyama Suso.” I asked her how she got that name. She said,

Even before I started to play the Kora, I had been given the name Mariyama. Our local friends asked us if we could take a local name, mainly because it was often hard for them to pronounce our “foreign” names. The surname “Suso” I got, because the surname of the young man who taught me to play the Kora was Suso. The name Suso tells you that its family members by tradition are musicians. Because I was recognised by the Gambian people as one of their Kora players (jali or griot), I was allowed to take on that name. In fact, it is great honour to be called that name.

Here are some of the comments Bohl has received from Mandinka listeners over the years, as she relayed to the organization Wycliffe:

“We know these songs and melodies but have never heard these words.”
“The fact that you’ve learned to play the kora and sing in our language means you really love us.”
“We know the old prophets you sing about. What Allah told them happened. Therefore, you must also be a prophet and we need to listen to you.”
“Your songs are educative and soothing for our troubled hearts.”
“These songs give me real hope although I know I’m soon going to die.”

When I asked Bohl if she has ever received any pushback from West Africans for playing the kora because of her gender, her non-jali biological lineage, and her not having been raised in the culture, she said the response has been overwhelmingly supportive. The only exception, she said, was when she was performing at a baby dedication, invited by the father of the newborn to announce the boy’s name through song, another kora player entered the yard and started singing over her. He left when the host asked him to, and that was that.

In 2001 Bohl and her family returned to their home country of Switzerland, continuing their work with WEC. She and her husband moved back to West Africa in 2011, but this time to Dakar, Senegal, where they served as regional directors of the missions organization in sub-Saharan Africa until 2019, a role that involved traveling the continent and making connections with people and communities.

Bohl currently lives in Switzerland, coaching and mentoring missionaries and prospective missionaries with an interest in Africa and in using music in ministry. She still plays the kora and writes songs for it.

“The Kora has always been part of our ministry,” Bohl told me.

It has been a wonderful “door and hearts opener” in the many African countries we travelled during our time as regional directors. In the years as leaders of WEC in Switzerland, I shared the testimony of the Kora at many missions conferences and in churches to testify that God uses music and arts to reach people with the gospel. I still share the Kora story and sing songs when given the opportunity. Lately, I also play at programmes for immigrants in Switzerland. There again, the Kora draws people from many, not only African, cultures.

Unless otherwise marked by hyperlinked source, quotes by Elfi Bohl are from my November 2024 interview with her via email. Thank you to Paul Neeley of the blog Global Christian Worship for putting me in touch with her!