Ezra Chitando
“If My People ...” A Critical Analysis of the Deployment
of 2 Chronicles 7:14 during the Zimbabwean Crisis
Introduction
Scholarly reflections on the bible in African Christianity have grown
appreciably (see for example, Mbiti 1987; Kinoti and Waliggo 1997; West
and Dube 2000; and Wendland and Loba-Mkole 2004). It is becoming
increasingly clear that if previously the bible was regarded as a “white
man’s book” or a “foreign oracle”, it has gradually become an “African
text.” James N Amanze (2010a: 116) contends that, “its centrality in
African Christianity is beyond dispute.” Africans no longer engage in
transactions with the bible as an alien document: they have warmed up
to it, owned it and read into it too! In the words of Nthamburi and Wa-
ruta (1997: 40), the bible gradually gained prominence as its message
reached the people “who found it to be their own message, a message to
and for them”(1997: 52). The irruption of biblical names, the presence of
car stickers with biblical verses, swearing by the bible (“bhaibheri kudai”
in Shona) and the use of the bible as a protective charm all confirm the
centrality of the bible to the lives of many Africans.
In this chapter, I focus on the appropriation of the bible during “the
crisis years” in Zimbabwe (2000-2008). In particular, I concentrate on
the popularity of a specific passage, namely, 2 Chron 7:14. I argue that
the reading of this passage during the Zimbabwean crisis had some
positive dimensions. However, the appropriation of the passage also had
the effect of shifting blame from politicians tasked with guiding the
country to citizens. It also tended to suggest that the country’s failure
had a spiritual origin, thereby glossing over failed policies and other
factors.
From the onset, I should state that this chapter does not undertake an
exegesis of the passage under review. Rather, it is concerned with estab-
lishing how Zimbabwean Christians read the passage during the crisis.
In the sections that follow, I seek to characterise the Zimbabwean crisis
in a few broad strokes. I use both the past and the present tenses as in
many respects the effects of the crisis continue to be felt (at the time of
writing, 2012). I also endeavour to highlight the popularity of the specific
passage as well as to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of de-