Religious leaders as regime enablers: the need for decolonial family and religious studies in postcolonial Zimbabwe

Dube, Bekithemba

doi:10.1080/01416200.2020.1815174

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…To conclude this debate, religious leaders in the pre-Mnangagwa and during the late President Robert Mugabe's era had always been standing as either regime enablers or regime resistors (Dube 2020). The two roles continued in the second republic led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Friend at Night, Enemy during the Day? A Decolonial Engagement of Pastor Shingi Munyeza’s Role as Regime Enabler and/or Regime Resistor

Mujinga¹

2023

SHE

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During Robert Mugabe’s era, religious leaders had always been standing as either regime enablers or regime resistors. The two roles continued when President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed power in 2017. Although most religious leaders choose to be either regime enablers or resistors, Shingi Munyeza positioned himself as both regime enabler and resistor. As a regime enabler, Munyeza sits on several boards appointed by the state president. In addition, when President Mnangagwa got into power, he appointed Munyeza to be in his Presidential Advisory Council. After the appointment, the entrusted cleric somersaulted into a regime resistor, using the Bible to publicly castigate the government of the man who had handpicked him to whisper in his ears for advice. Using decolonial theory, which is a programme of de-linking from contemporary legacies of coloniality, this paper challenges the dual role of enabling and resisting the regime played by Munyeza as a portrayal of a “friend at night and an enemy of the regime during the day.” This paper grapples with questions such as: Why did Munyeza start to denigrate the government the moment he became the president’s advisor? Why did Munyeza not opt to resign from the government that he is labelling as a rogue? How does Munyeza balance the role of an advisor to and an opponent of the same regime? In its decolonial engagement, the paper concludes that the dual role of regime enabler and/or resistor is not possible unless one is a “friend at night and an enemy during the day.”

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We cannot use the same stereotypes for our deliverance" (The Zimbabwe Mail May 25, 2020). Dube (2020) warns that there is always a price to pay when religious leaders become regime enablers.…”

Section: Munyeza's Anti-government Anticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Friend at Night, Enemy during the Day? A Decolonial Engagement of Pastor Shingi Munyeza’s Role as Regime Enabler and/or Regime Resistor

Mujinga¹

2023

SHE

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“…(AFP 2023:n.p) Christian leaders, such as Uebert Angel (born Hubert Mudzanire), who was appointed by Mnangagwa to be ambassador-at-large to the Americas and Europe in 2021, purportedly to market Zimbabwe as 'open for business investments' (Murwira 2021), were recently exposed for being entangled in a fraudulent gold Mafia that also involves the president's family (Al Jazeera Investigative Unit 2023). Dube (2021) argues that, instead of playing a prophetic role, by speaking against evil and advancing transformational leadership and being as the salt and light of the world, a number of them, such as Prophet Walter Magaya, Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi, Apostle Andrew Wutaunashe, and White Garment Church leaders are, instead, regime enablers. Whether such leaders are co-opted or self-submit to court prophecy, they must confirm the need to revive and transform Zimbabwean Christianity, leadership and integral mission to attend all issues affecting the nation.…”

Section: Reviewing the Context: Unpacking The Zimbabwean Crisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebuilding the broken walls of Zimbabwe with the Church, leadership and followership

Tagwirei

2024

Verbum et Ecclesia

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Biblically and historically, Christianity is meant to enlighten people, transform lives, and develop responsible and effective leaders and followers who influence life-building change across generations and borders. Somehow, even while churches mushroom everywhere, selfishness, irresponsible citizenship, moral decadence, systematic corruption, and related travails proliferate and are sinking Zimbabwe into monumental political, economic and social crises. Meanwhile, the holistic mission of the Church has been narrowed down to proclamation, while demonstration of the gospel has lost attention, and the integral mission has become socialised and secularised. As a result, Christian principles of leadership and followership, such as stewardship, servanthood, responsible citizenship and all-encompassing service delivery, have become correspondingly elusive. The ruling government of Zimbabwe has been militantly silencing dissenting voices and the nation has a dire need for a prophetic voice to speak about reformation. Meanwhile the Church is sheepish, divided, erratic, somewhat inaudible and this submission addresses that gap. Some Church members appear helpless and hopeless, while countless others are migrating to cool off in neighbouring countries, to seek greener pastures, political and socio-economic relief. Thus, many Zimbabweans – those who are scattered and those still in Zimbabwe – are in critical need of a great revival. By reflecting on the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s broken walls by Nehemiah, and employing an in-depth analysis of available transformational leadership and Christian literature, this article calls for an inclusive, spiritual, strategic and integrally missionary revival, to achieve a revolutionary transformation of leadership, followership, and nation building.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article interfaces ecclesiology and transformational leadership with politics for inclusive transformation.

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“…The call to freedom is often ambiguous, especially when cloaked in religious language; for post-colonial adventures in emancipation may become mired in corruption and nepotism. For example, Dube (2021) explores the potential for abuse by church leaders and their close associations with political powerholders in his study of contemporary Zimbabwe. Here, he argues, religious leaders use their influence to reinforce the power of political regimes, even when those regimes are demonstrably totalitarian.…”

Section: “Let Freedom Ring”mentioning

confidence: 99%

Josh Hawley meets Igor Stravinsky: A leadership symphony

Bathurst

2023

Leadership

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In this essay I explore two leaders: the composer Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) and United States of America Senator Joshua Hawley (b. 1979). These two offer an opportunity to re-describe leadership as an acoustic art thereby enriching the field beyond its current ocular orientation. Through this discussion, then, I invite readers into the world of music. The year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of Stravinsky’s death, and in that same year, Hawley came to international fame through the 6 January invasion of the United States Capitol building by people protesting the confirmation of Joe Biden as the 46th President. I offer a polyphonic analysis of Hawley and Stravinsky by operationalizing the music construct of tonal pairing which allows two tonalities to play together. I conclude the essay by noting the ubiquity of Manicheanism, a belief system that affords leaders an ability to characterize opponents as being evil. I mitigate this deleterious system by proposing that symphonic leadership calls for diversity and difference. Leadership as an acoustic art has implications for understanding the current war in Ukraine and China’s role on the international stage, including her relationship with the United States of America.

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Religious leaders as regime enablers: the need for decolonial family and religious studies in postcolonial Zimbabwe

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Friend at Night, Enemy during the Day? A Decolonial Engagement of Pastor Shingi Munyeza’s Role as Regime Enabler and/or Regime Resistor

Friend at Night, Enemy during the Day? A Decolonial Engagement of Pastor Shingi Munyeza’s Role as Regime Enabler and/or Regime Resistor

Rebuilding the broken walls of Zimbabwe with the Church, leadership and followership

Josh Hawley meets Igor Stravinsky: A leadership symphony

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