Tofa, The Bible and the Quest for Democracy and Democratization in Africathe Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm,
with great terror, and with signs and wonders.(God Hears the Cry of the Op-
pressed People, Pastoral Letter by the Zimbabwe Catholics Bishops confer-
ence)Psalm 103:6 also reads that “God, who does what is right, is always on
the side of the oppressed”. This paper holds that while the argument
that God is on the side of the oppressed is Biblically and spiritually true;
this is hardly applicable in contemporary politics. It gives the oppressed
a passive approach to fighting against their oppressors and oppressive
institutions. The fight against authoritarianism in contemporary socie-
ties requires the adoption of affirmative action.
The Church holds that the crisis in Zimbabwe negates the God’s proc-
lamation that “I [Jesus] came so that they may have life and have it
abundantly” (Jn 10:10). The suffering of the people of Zimbabwe is
interpreted in the context of all members of the family (1 Cor. 12:26) and
so the Christian community “is feeling the pain with us; it wants to walk
with us and to listen to our story just as Jesus walked with the two disci-
ples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-35) (TZWW, 13). The church
therefore calls for love, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation (2 Chron.
7:14). As in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-280, the church
calls for people to extend ‘love to all people regardless of race, religion,
nationality, or any other artificial distinction. We must practice love
towards our enemies!’ (TZWW,19). The church calls for justice and the
rule of the law: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what
does the Lord require of you? To act justly or to require mercy and to
walk humbly with your god” (Mic 6:8;3:1-4;6:10-11;7:2-4) (TZWW,21). In
short, the Church bemoans the negation of human rights and freedoms
on the basis that Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming the Jubilee
year – “the year of the Lord’s favour” (Lk. 4:18-19) (TZWW,31)!
References
Bond Patrick. Uneven Zimbabwe: A Study of Finance, Development and Under-
development. Harare: African World Press Inc, 1998.
Moyo Jonathan. Voting for Democracy. Harare: Univ. of Zimbabwe Publications,
1989.
Ncube Welshman. “Constitutionalism, Democracy and Political Practice in
Zimbabwe” in The One-Party State and Democracy: The Zimbabwe Debate. Ed.
by Mandaza Ibbo and Sachikonye Lloyd, 155-177. Harare: Southern African
Political Economy Series Trust, 1991.