Zimbabwean Bishop Bakare Wins Swedish Award

It is good to see a good man honoured. When I was Baptist Chaplain at the University of Zimbabwe in the 1980's, Rev. Bakare was the Ecumenical Chaplain there. He was a great chaplain and is a true leader and champion of justice. I applaud those who chose him to be recepient of the Per Anger Prize.

Read more: Zimbabwean Bishop Bakare Wins Swedish Award

S African icon Miriam Makeba dies

This is a sad day for all who love South African music. Miriam Makeba has passed from us. She was the first South African musician I really knew. A college room mate who had served in the Peace Corp in Malawi introduced me to her music. Pata Pata was my favorite song on the album he had. It continues to be my favorite, although she did a good version of the song that gave my daughter her name, Malaika.

Read more at: S African icon Miriam Makeba dies on the BBC web site.

Zimbabwe has lost a friend

Zimbabwe has lost a friend with the death of Zambia's President Mwanawasa. May Zambia be blessed with an equally courageous successor.

Obituary: Zambia's Levy Mwanawasa

The Wisdom of Baba Nyemba

There had been a lot of petty theft at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe and the surrounding neighbourhood. Whereas previously people freely took shortcuts across each other's property, now everyone was viewed with suspicion. How could the thieves be thwarted without falsely accusing and insulting innocent passers-by?

[The late Saul Nyemba (in the suit) was a teacher at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe when I taught there. He taught me much about Shona culture and life in Zimbabwe when it was Rhodesia. This is another one of my favorite stories. I miss him.]

One morning as students and staff were leaving the chapel and heading to tea, a stranger was seen walking along the drive near some staff houses across the field in front of the chapel. Baba Nyemba waived a broad friendly greeting to the walker.

Some students asked, "Baba Nyemba, who is that?"

Baba Nyemba replied, "I don't know, but he knows that I saw him."

Nelson Mandela

BBC has an excellent audio slide show on the life of Nelson Mandela. View:

Audio Slideshow: Nelson Mandela at 90

Mr. Bean

[The late Saul Nyemba (in the suit) was a teacher at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe when I taught there. He taught me much about Shona culture and life in Zimbabwe when it was Rhodesia. This is one of my favorite stories. I miss him.]

One day Baba Nyemba went to town to get some meat. At the butcher shop he saw a nice piece of steak in the window that was just what he wanted. However, as a black citizen of Rhodesia, he could not go in and purchase the meat. He had to go to the back door where blacks were served. The nice meat wasn't available there. He could only purchase low grade cuts called "ration meat." That wasn't what he wanted, so he didn't buy any.

As Baba Nyemba was leaving, he saw a black man enter the front door of the store, give a note to the butcher and receive a nice cut of meat. This domestic worker had brought a note from his boss and was permitted to buy meat for him. Baba Nyemba thought to himself, "I can write. Nyemba means 'bean.' I'll write a note from Mr. Bean asking for the steak I want. That's my name, so it won't be a lie."

Baba Nyemba wrote his note and went into the butchery and presented it to the butcher. The butcher read the note, sold Baba Nyemba the meat and said, "Tell Boss Bean we have plenty of good meat whenever he wants it." Baba Nyemba left with his meat and his note.

Boss Bean ate well that night.

Deja Vu -- All Over Again

It's been over a week since Ian Smith's death and I still don't know exactly what to say. Many comments have been in the press and on the web giving varying views of his place in the history of Zimbabwe. I have mixed feelings. I never met him. I never lived under his rule. I did once meet one of his farm workers. I did live in post-Smith Zimbabwe. A few observations:

I remember living in Harare in the early '80's and having to dodge the then Prime Minister's motorcades almost every time I went to town. It was dangerous to encounter one since the soldiers shot first and looked to see if your car was stopped or not, later. I remember friends being roughed up by soldiers in bunkers on the city's main golf course, guarding the presidential mansion grounds which were surrounded by barbed wire and closed circuit cameras. Old-timers told how Ian Smith rode to work with only his chauffeur and walked alone down the sidewalk from the car to his office. I was shocked that the beloved father of the nation needed such protection while during war-time, the architect of UDI didn't. That caused me to begin to look more closely at Smith as a man rather than as just the symbol of an unjust societal system.

I hold Smith responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths due to his refusal to move toward a society where all men had full political and social rights. Had he been willing to compromise in the late '60's and early '70's, the war could have been avoided. Probably Mugabe would never have risen to power in ZANU and would never have come to rule Zimbabwe. This would have saved not only lives, but livelihoods. For this reason, I think Smith's overall legacy is negative.

However, I am convinced that Smith truly loved Zimbabwe. For that reason he eventually decided to surrender power rather than destroy the country by continuing to cling to power. It is at this point that he must be seen as far superior to Robert Mugabe. Mugabe is destroying the country rather than surrender power. The people mean nothing to him.

Perhaps, the best words as this time are "Wakafa wakanaka." In English we'd say, "Only speak well of the dead." May Ian Smith find God's forgiveness for the wrongs he committed and reward for what good he accomplished.

Tribute to Lucky Dube

Here is some music by Lucky Dube. Let us celebrate his music as we mourn his death.