O. Vengeyi, The Bible in the Service of Pan-Africanismthe European not because of the obvious physical and biological features
or the fetishised technologies, but because of his or her relationships
throughout our history’.^36 In other words the Bible in Num.11:16-17 and
Exo. 4:29-31 confirms and approves African values. As he argues, in
terms of the African philosophy of unhu, the structure of a sound educa-
tion for children and youths comes from siblings, peers, mentors, eld-
ers, ancestors and God, more or less in that order, but with wise elders
(vasharuka vakangwara) being the most critical.^37 It is important to un-
derline the fact that elders according to the structure given here are not
only nearest to ancestors but they are also the first humans to receive
from God and not the young ones. For Mahoso, African philosophy of
ubuntu is therefore biblical and God given and that should be respected.
By implication, only those Zimbabweans who support ZANU-PF respect
their elders hence are abantu, have unhu.
Mahoso also, clearly associates old age with wisdom. His addition of
vasharuka vakangwara in his interpretation of Num.11:16-17 and Exo.
4:29-31 suggests that there are some old people who are not wise hence
should be avoided. In the same way, there could be youths who are eld-
ers by virtue of their wisdom, thus should be respected. This position
sounds contradictory to his argument. But looked at closely, this is not a
contradiction. Mahoso praises whoever is a messenger of his people, one
who refuses to buy the Western narrative. That stance has seen him sing
praises for old Robert Mugabe, together with young generation of lead-
ership like Hugo Chavez, Ahmadinejad and Julius Malema for example.
And the same stance has seen him rant at Mandela or others young or
old world leaders, whom he accuses of having decided to collaborate
with the West against the wishes of their people, hence forfeiting their
right to elderhood. The wisdom of the elders according to African ub-
untu philosophy is by virtue of them being vessels of the divine or com-
munication channels between ancestors and God on one hand and the
rest of humanity on the other.
In that order, according to Mahoso, listening or being led by elders is not
anything wrong but everything to be celebrated as it is connected to
divine presence and wisdom. To be led by an elder is to bask in God’s
favour. Elders as spokespersons of ancestors and God in the African
(^36) Mahoso, ‘Flush white disk from an African memory’. AFRICAN FOCUS: Zimpapers.
28 May 2011.
(^37) Mahoso, ‘Denigration of African Elders’.