O. Vengeyi, The Bible in the Service of Pan-Africanismderstand as eloquently articulated by Itumeleng Mosala that, ‘the Bible is
not only the product and record of class, race, gender and cultural strug-
gles, but also the site and weapon of such struggles. The Bible is the
place where and the means whereby many contemporary struggles are
waged’.^12
Zimbabwean Political realities from the pan-African perspec-
tive: Context for understanding Mahoso’s biblical exegesis
From a pan-African perspective, one of the most noticeable features in
Zimbabwean politics is interference from the Western world. This has
seen the West found and sponsor opposition political parties (through-
out Africa) which parrot none other than the Western transcript. These
political parties in Africa characteristically, have teamed up with Western
media, and local (African) academics, NGOs, churches, among other
non-state actors.^13 They all chant well-coordinated anti-African liberation
slogans and have developed an almost irredeemable hatred of nationalist
leaders/forces across Africa. Their common agenda is not to address
colonial imbalances in terms of equitable land and economic redistribu-
tion, among other structural injustices, but the preservation of the status
quo whereby black people especially in Southern Africa are almost slaves
of the whites. As a matter of fact, in Southern Africa, all the best oppor-
tunities; economic, social, educational and health, are enjoyed by the
whites owing to nothing other than colonial history. For many blacks
these services have remained a pie in the sky several years after political
independence.
Be that as it may, the so called ‘pro-democracy’, political parties or ‘pro-
gressive’ forces in the Western governments and local private media
circles are not concerned about this state of affairs. This position has led
with special reference to the use of the Bible (BiAS 3), 2010, 88-111; Mbiti, Bible and Theol-
ogy, 29; David B. Barrett, Schism and Renewal in Africa. Nairobi: Oxford Univ. Press,
1968, 109 f, 127-134; M.L. Daneel, Quest For Belonging: Introduction to a Study of Afri-
can Independent Churches. Gweru: Mambo Press, 1987, 84-86.(^12) Itumeleng Mosala, Biblical Hermeneutics and Black Theology in South Africa. Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans Publ. Company, 1989, 11.
(^13) Cf. Vengeyi, ‘Israelite Prophetic Marks among Zimbabwean men of God: An
Evaluation of the Conduct of Selected Zimbabwean Church leaders in Recent Politics’,
Exchange, Vol. 39 No. 2 (2010), 159-178; Vengeyi, Davidic Royal Psalmody and
Propaganda: A Comparative analysis with Zimbabwe’s Third Chimurenga Songs. VDM
Verlag Müller GmbH & Co, 2011, 53-68.