EDITOR – DAVET Muzwidzwa’s piece titled ‘Mwari Religion: Zimbabwean pillar for self determination’, in The Patriot of November 14, made interesting reading.
Being a Christian, I however do not agree with his assertion that the ancestral gods helped in bringing victory in Chimurenga and that Christianity was used to subdue the so-called natives and exploit our resources.
We should know the origins of the Bible, that its manuscripts were discovered in Africa.
It therefore defies logic to then say that Africa was colonised by the Bible, whose discovery she pioneered.
The Bible remains the infallible written word of the Almighty God which saves all who sincerely heed it, Muzwidzwa included.
But my main aim here is to interrogate the good doctor’s submission that “Freedom fighters were given specific rules and regulations of engagement by Mwari summarised in the song, ‘Kune nzira dzemasoja dzekuzvibata nadzo’, those who breached these spiritual rules faced immense challenge in the execution of war.
Muzwidzwa unequivocally displayed his lack of touch with reality here, by implying that Mau Mau was the freedom fighters ‘Mwari’.
So much for his argument that, “it’s not just any religion that comes to your rescue in times of tribulations, but the religion of your ancestors.”
We all know that the song ‘Kune nzira dzemasoja’ did not come from the ancestral ‘Mwari’, but was adopted from Mau Mau’s principles.
Mau Mau was a guerilla warfare expert who helped in the training of vanamukoma.
It is even a public secret in one line at the end of the song, which says “Aya ndiwo mashoko akataurwa kare naivo VaMau vachitidzidzisa.”
It is therefore mischievous to say that these were ‘spiritual rules’ from the gods.
May all glory continue to be to YHWH, the God of gods and Lord of Lords.
Clemence Machadu