The Church and Political Transition in Zimbabwe: The Inclusive Government Context (original) (raw)
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The Church, Politics and the Future of Zimbabwe
Forum Mission 8/2012
"Zusammenfassung Summary Over the last decade the southern African nation of Zimbabwe has been paralysed by a protracted socio-political crisis that still causes immense suffering and violence amongst the population. As the country faces a national referendum for a new constitution and fresh elections, Zimbabwe remains on the brink of a return to political violence and breakdown in the rule of law. With over 80% of Zimbabwe’s population professing to belong to various Christian churches, many stakeholders are now asking whether the churches are ready and able to play a role in fostering democracy and peace in Zimbabwe. This article traces the history of Christian churches’ participation in Zimbabwe’s public affairs. Based on their track record, the article then makes an interpretative analysis of the likely role of the churches in the future of Zimbabwe’s politics and national affairs. The article finds that the churches are a vital social force in the life of the nation and have played various interesting roles from the pre-colonial era till present day. These roles have however not always positively or competently promoted good governance, democracy and peace. However a new generation of church leaders is emerging in Zimbabwe and combined with improvements in other areas, there is every hope that the churches will reclaim their prophetic voice and role as the conscience of the nation. "
The Churches and Political Change in Zimbabwe
Emanuel University, Oradea, 2015
The role of churches in politics and political change is obviously very complicated and part of a very rich and complex history. Yet it is far from chaotic. It is possible to identify some salient principles on how churches interact and should interact with secular authorities in the process of political and social change that can be instructive for present politics.
A distinct phenomenon of religio-political actors that emerged in Zimbabwe as a result of the socio-economic and political crises since 2000, alleged co-option and acquiescence of the mainline churches and the influence of globalisation, has received no more than fleeting attention in the academic discourse of religion in Zimbabwe's political domain. Much of the available literature and research on religion and politics in Zimbabwe concentrates on the mainline church bodies and denominational histories, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, or Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa. Non-doctrinal religio-political individuals and groups have been treated either as a marginal phenomenon or lumped together with confessional or 'conversionist' churches under the rubric of religious actors. This consequently obscures the uniqueness of emergent religio-political organizations that have assumed a civil society character in pursuit of broader political objectives such as democratization, without seeking political office. Drawing from fieldwork on three religio-political organizations in Zimbabwe namely the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, Churches in Manicaland and Grace to Heal, this article argues that Zimbabwe is witnessing a new consciousness of the role of Christianity on the political field. Thus we require a nuanced analysis of religious formations within prevailing discourses on democratization, civil society, and religious freedom.
The practice of democracy has been one of the most contentious issues in post independent Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a country with a constitution that allows for democratic practices that include citizen participation in political issues. However it finds itself with a practise that is in slight askew of these tenets, because of the conflict between the ruling government socialist party thrust and the constitution, hence putting pressure on the constitution to submit to the ideology of the ZANU PF party. It is in such a context that this study interrogates the role of Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in participatory democracy. The study ascertained the extent to which the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has been involved in governance issues and the extent of its influence on citizen participation in governance and policy issues in Zimbabwe. The research highlighted the processes that have been put in place to promote participatory democracy, and the role of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in these processes, and the extent to which Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has been influencing citizen participation in political issues. It also looked at constrains faced by the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in its involvement in political issues in Zimbabwe. The research was guided by participatory democracy theories. A mixed methods approach was adopted in the study with gathering data being conducted by means of initiating in-depth interviews, the use of questionnaires and documentary review. The research also aimed at suggesting recommendations for the church in Zimbabwe that will help in achieving effective political participation in the country. The study recommends that the church should have a clear ethos of engagement, engage competent skills within its structures, research on policy and governance issues and develop a proper contextual theology of democracy in order for it to be able to engage the government and involve the citizens in political participation in Zimbabwe.
Socio-Political Agenda for the Twenty-First Century Zimbabwean Church
Edwin Mellen Press, 2006
This book deals primarily with the interface between religion and politics in the public square in Africa, in general, and Zimbabwe, in particular. The thesis is that Christian religion has a huge potential of democratizing the contemporary Zimbabwean social and political space. The book argues for a contextual theology that takes into serious consideration both social and political realities in the creation of democratic spaces. In Zimbabwe, the church and the school are generally the main foci of social life of the village in most communities. The absence of a strong civil society, independent press and independent judiciary system calls for the church and the school to play important roles in the construction of a democratic social and political order. Ordinary citizens interact on almost a daily basis with these two institutions on a village level.
Churches, voice and politics in Zimbabwe
This paper examines the experience of Zimbabwean churches in mobilizing citizens to engage with Zimbabwe’s political challenges since 1980. It begins by questioning the apparent disjuncture between citizenship as a legal status – voting or carrying a passport -- and active citizenship – holding government to account. It proposes that these two conceptions of citizenship are more tightly connected than is often understood with both hinging on the issues of ‘voice’ and ‘legitimacy’. If we examine the churches’ engagement in Zimbabwe, we can see how these conceptions shaped their opportunities for action and the way in which they framed their interventions. Despite the important role of church people in Zimbabwe’s nationalist politics, they have been sidelined from public discourse in the independent state. They have not been entirely absent, but positioned as ‘mid-wives’ or interlocutors rather than as legitimate participants. This reinforces and legitimizes the claims made by those in control of the state about who is legitimately allowed to speak, and how representation is understood. In this paper, I want to explore how this dynamic emerged, and why the crisis post-2000 may have begun to transform these relationships in significant ways.
2017
A distinct phenomenon of religio-political actors that emerged in Zimbabwe as a result of the socio-economic and political crises since 2000, alleged co-option and acquiescence of the mainline churches and the influence of globalisation, has received no more than fleeting attention in the academic discourse of religion in Zimbabwe’s political domain. Much of the available literature and research on religion and politics in Zimbabwe concentrates on the mainline church bodies and denominational histories, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, or Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa. Non-doctrinal religio-political individuals and groups have been treated either as a marginal phenomenon or lumped together with confessional or 'conversionist' churches under the rubric of religious actors. This consequently obscures the uniqueness of emergent religio-political organizations that have assumed a civil society character in pursuit of broader political objecti...
‘Rocking the boat?’: Church‐NGOs and democratization in Zimbabwe
"Rocking the Boat? Church NGOs and Democratization in Zimbabwe" African Affairs 101 (2002).
My first published journal article: Historically, relations between church and state in independent Zimbabwe have tended to be co‐operative and non‐confrontational. However, in 1997 the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) initiated the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), leading to the government's defeat in the first post‐independence referendum and setting the stage for the violent elections of June 2000. Nevertheless, as the NCA developed the strength and capacity which enabled it to challenge the status quo, the ZCC withdrew. As a key‐player said ‘…as churches we had to take issues that don't raise too much dust or rock the boat too much, but the boat was rocking’. This suggests that, although the church may play a critical role in opening up space for debate, the state may still co‐opt and weaken churches and other groups, in its effort to retain hegemony. Churches and church NGOs relate ambiguously to both the state and society, in both colonial and post‐colonial Zimbabwe, and remain vulnerable to political, economic and social pressures. Theories of democratization, and in particular the role played by churches and NGOs, must begin to recognize the complexity and ambiguity of state‐society relations as detailed in this study.
Alternation: Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa, 2018
Religion and politics in Zimbabwe have always been trading together. The country won the liberation struggle because of the role played by religion. African Indigenous Religion (AIR) and Christianity contributed significantly from opposite angles. In the transitional processes of the post-independent Zimbabwe, religion and politics had marriage of convenience. Some politicians took it upon themselves to use, abuse, and misuse religion. Religion in Zimbabwe currently functions as a political platform, with AIR still dominating the political arena while the church denominations struggle between political puppets and opponents. This has resulted in the Zimbabwean church disintegrating. It has been argued that some politicians have turned African Independent Churches and some mega churches into their own havens while pushing mainline churches to the periphery of politics as anti-progressive. Against this background, the paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which the Zimbabwean church has become a 'riding horse' for politics in its socioeconomic and political transformation.
‘The March Is Not Ended’: ‘Church’ Confronting the State over the Zimbabwean Crisis
Religions, 2022
The Zimbabwean crisis has been on-going since the year 2000. The various ecumenical bodies of the church in Zimbabwe have been voicing their concerns to the state through meetings and pastoral letters. While the church has been touted as a critical player in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, concerns about the church have been raised. One of these has been the issue of a divided organization that has failed to speak with one voice. With the coming into power of the so called ‘Second Republic’, hopes were raised that the state would be willing to have the crisis resolved. However, the crisis has just worsened, and the church has again been forced to break its silence. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the pastoral letter that was issued by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference on 14 August 2020, titled ‘The March is not Ended’, which sought to respond to the crisis in Zimbabwe. The paper seeks to establish what religious groups can achieve in the event that they set asi...