BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
of unemployment that the country experienced.^26 This is the reason why
several women regarded Jesus as their provider.
Women of Zimbabwe therefore considered it their duty to pray for the
nation instead of blaming leadership as was the habit in the society. For
them the socio-economic and political turmoil was not a result of leader-
ship but it was God’s punishment in response to the sins of the people.
In other words, the ordinary people of Zimbabwe and not the leadership
were responsible for the challenges. Hence the solution was going to
come only from the generality of the people of Zimbabwe. To convey
this message to the people, women of Zimbabwe organized interde-
nominational vigils that culminated into National Days of Prayer rallies.
Since 2002, when they started, the prayer rallies were predominantly
attended and led by women and were conducted countrywide. In such
prayer vigils and during national prayer days, biblical texts such as 2
Chronicles 7:14-15 were often read.^27 It says;
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will
be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
Because of emphasis on prayer and individual examination, rather than
taking the political course of demonstrations against the government,
politicians especially from ZANU-PF who had been subjected to blame
for the economic melt down quickly moved in to support the holding of
these prayer rallies countrywide. In most cases, government leadership
attended the rallies and addressed the gatherings. Thus, although prayer
rallies were received by ordinary people as a source of hope in a hopeless
situation, politicians found cover in them. In the end the prayer rallies
ended up being an instrument of the government. The Sunday Mail of
13 January 2002, for instance, reports that churches from different walks
of life gathered in the Harare International Conference Centre, in which
several pastors took turns to attack the West (following the government
transcript) for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe, so as to fan the flames
of disunity, civil unrest and poverty.^28
(^26) Togarasei, Bible in Context, 70-71.
(^27) Ezra Chitando, ‘Down with the Devil, Forward with Christ!’ A study of the interface
between religious and political discourses in Zimbabwe’. African Sociological Review,
No. 6 (1), 2002, 1-16.
(^28) Obvious Vengeyi, Prophetic Clash: A Replay of the Judean Drama (Jer. 28) on the
Zimbabwean Stage, from 1999-2003, unpubl., BA Diss., Univ. of Zimbabwe. 2004.