BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
pers, publishers and religious leaders is that Africa is poor and her peo-
ples are struggling because the leaders, especially the revolutionary
leaders who have fought against Western colonialism have overstayed.
Attached to that is the notion that Africa is poor because there is no
democracy since the leaders are despots, particularly because they are
old. In order to eradicate poverty Africans therefore must get rid of their
old leaders. In Zimbabwe, for example, biting poverty in the country and
its entire myriad problems are explained as direct consequences of
mismanagement of the economy because Mugabe has overstayed in
power and is now too old to run the country. This is the philosophy
behind MDC slogans^29 and policies of regime change.^30
The MDC and its media allies have of late attached Mugabe’s age and
health to the national security issue. For them, Mugabe must go now,
because if he dies in power that will plunge the nation into security
crises. In other words, to be old, for the MDC and their allies, is syn-
onymous to being dull, retrogressive, dictatorial and even out right stu-
pidity. Supporters of the MDC derisively call people in the rural areas,
especially, as, zvichembere ne zvidhara zve Zanu (PF) or Mazidhara ne-
machembere eZANU(PF). Some have as such been implicated in violence
against old people they suspect of being ZANU PF supporters, such as
village headmen and traditional chiefs.^31
This narrative is still ongoing in Zimbabwe. Conway Tutani for example,
equates gerontocracy to dictatorship, poor governance and mismanage-
ment, but associates democracy with young leadership.^32 While these
(^29) One of the most popular MDC slogans from as far back as 1999 was: Mover: kana
Jongwe rakwegura rinoitwa sei? (when the cock is too old, what do we do?), then audi-
ence would respond; Mupoto (we cook it). In other words, the slogan meant that Mug-
abe must go because he is old.
(^30) Tsvangirai is quoted as having said, ‘I warned him and he wants out. I don’t know
whether it is fear, but he is old. He needs help from young people like me. He is just
old’ ... ‘Robert Mugabe lied says Tsvangirai’. http://www.zimbabwemetro.com/news/
robert-mugabe-lied-says-tsvangirai/. Also, Biti, secretary General of MDC is quoted as
having told his supporters at a rally in Mutare that, “The major problem is that our
country (Zimbabwe) is being led by very elderly people,... “We now need wheelchairs
in Cabinet because a lot of them are too old...“Give Save (Tsvangirai) a chance who still
has the energy to take over,” Cf. Kakomo Community Radio Station, ‘Biti says Mugabe
now too old to continue ruling’ Thursday 13 August 2009. http://mutareradio.
blogspot.com/2009/08/biti-says-mugabe-now-too-old-to.html.
(^31) The Herald. ‘Politiburo condemns assault on chief Serima’. 04. November 2010.
(^32) Conway Tutani, ‘Gerontocracy equals oppression’. NewsDay. 12 May 2011.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2011-05-12-gerontocracy-equals-oppression.