Beesfor Development Journal 76
THE BISHOP WHO BECAME A BEEKEEPER
THE BISHOP WHO BECAME A BEEKEEPER Reverend and beekeeper, Kristian R Skovmose, Denmark Bishop Denham encouraging people to become beekeepers, while the author makes notes for his research
Heading towards Numan I was ready to go at once, and set off in October 2004. My expectations were to visit LCCN and to do research on beekeeping. Communication between Denmark and Nigeria, not at least Numan, can be very slow, and arriving in Nigeria I was not sure of the programme ahead. When I met Archbishop Nemuel Babba and some of the other Bishops in Jos State, I was told Bishop Denham would not be attending a Bishops' meeting, because he was awaiting my arrival in Numan. Bees more important than Bishops? Finally I arrived in Numan and was warmly welcomed. There followed some intense days meeting beekeepers, other people, and not least the defensive Nigerian bees. Beekeeping for women too Our research started with a visit to Bille village. A group of 50 women welcomed us singing and playing in the local church. I was introduced as the Danish Beekeeping Expert and asked to speak to the group. I made sure to emphasise the great environmental and income-generating potential of beekeeping.
"Once upon a time. . . ." as every good fairy tale begins, including those told by the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. Here in Denmark and worldwide the 200th year of his birth is being celebrated. My story of how the Bishop became a beekeeper begins the same way.
Beekeepers' Association. She impressed him by telling how beekeeping has great potential as an income-generating and environmentgentle activity in developing areas of Africa. Three months later we received a letter from Bishop Denham. With the headline Application to become beekeepers, he encouraged me to visit, research, and give advice on the potential for beekeeping in his area. Locally made clay pot hive
Genesis
Once upon a time a group of Danish Reverends from the Lutheran Church of Denmark, in co-operation with 'Theological Pedagogical Centre', Loegumkloster and the Danish Mission Society and Sudan Mission, travelled to Nigeria. They went to visit The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), which was founded by the Danish Doctor Niels Broennum in 1913. One of the Danish Reverends was my wife the Reverend Pia Skovmose Jensen. She had the pleasure of meeting Denham D Abba, the Bishop of LCCN, Todi Diocese in Adamawa State. During the evening she told the Bishop about my 25 years' experience as a beekeeper, and several years as a board member and president of The Danish 6
While addressing the women, encouraging them to become beekeepers and explaining the widespread benefits of beekeeping, again and again they started clapping their hands, deeply impressed by the potential, which until then was unknown to them. This first meeting was soon followed by facing the villagers in Terre and Dakusung. Assembled in the shade of a big tree in the village square, men, women, children, Muslims and Christians, were encouraged to start keeping bees. More field trips were arranged to face the Nigerian bees in the Adamawa State area and to further research the potential. Honey hunting is well known, but bees have
