religion and media

There may be need for a deeper investigation of the charity sector in Zimbabwe

June 24, 2013
When you think of foreign charities you will ususally picture smiling faces of American or European adults passing on boxes of donations to Zimbabwean kids, even wider smiles on the faces of the latter. But it’s not that rosy if you read a recent CNN report “Above the law: America’s ...

Welcoming the stranger and challenging others, even leaders in my faith community, to do the same

June 18, 2013
updated on June 23, 2013 “A core value of my faith is to welcome the stranger, the refugee, the internally displaced, the other. ..I will challenge others, even leaders in my faith community, to do the same,” begins joint declaration “Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders”  that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and ...

Zimbabwe’s Ushahidi: 5,000 spiritual leaders to receive training in monitoring of political violence

June 13, 2013
Southern Africa Crisis Management Agency (SACMA) and Christian Action Trust Zimbabwe (CAT-Zim) have come together to launch a grassroots anchored peace initiative ahead Zimbabwe’s watershed elections this year. To lay the groundwork, the organisations are training church pastors and spiritual leaders in electoral processes and monitoring of political violence across ...

Baba Jukwa overtakes Makandiwa on Facebook, fourfold

June 9, 2013
In little more than three months, Baba Jukwa, a faceless Facebook character has overtaken popular preachers Emmanuel Makandiwa and his friend a fellow preacher Uebert Angel. Makandiwa who at one point filled the giant National Sports Stadium is no equal to the enigmatic cartoon character, who claims to be a disgruntled ...

Makandiwa forgives Daily News

April 2, 2013
United Family International Church (UFIC) founder Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa has forgiven the Daily News over a billboard published last year and withdrew an High Court case against the newspaper recently. Makandiwa’s move followed an apology from the newspaper’s editor, which was read and broadcast via an electronic billboard for the UFIC ...

Catholic youths are challenged to use digital technology for evangelisation

February 20, 2013
Catholic youths from St Alois and Agnes guilds in Dzivaresekwa, Mt Pleasant, Hatcliffe, Marlborough, Emerald Hill, Cathedral and Rhodesville parish joined their hosts in Mabelreign, Harare for a day-long commemoration of the life of St Agnes that is celebrated worldwide annually on January 20. The theme of the celebrations was ...

Prophet Angel adds Lamborghini to his car park

February 11, 2013
Charismatic preacher Uebert Angel Mudzanire has confirmed that he owns a Lamborghini — a supercar, which costs nearly $1 million to import into the country.  With a 2012 version of the Lamborghini Aventador priced at USD400,000-plus, it would have cost the “man of God” nearly USD800,000 to land the car ...

What I learn from watching Makandiwa’s DVDs

January 18, 2013
There is a widespread debate within and outside Zimbabwe about Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa‘s authenticity as a man of God. Some people believe that he is a true man of God and likewise others believe he is an opportunist fake prophet bent on swindling blind Christians of their hard-earned cash. I am ...

Zimbabwe’s Oprah: Anglican church members should unite

January 17, 2013
Television personality Rebecca Chisamba, popularly known as Mai Chisamba through her talk show, has dismissed as “malicious, wishful thinking and baseless” allegations that she was involved in an extra-marital affair with Anglican Bishop Nolbert Kunonga. “Maybe it’s a Christmas joke. I don’t actually know where this is coming from, but whichever way, ...

Religion and media: the ultra-religious Zimbabwe of today vs the less loudly, aggressively religious Zimbabwe of 10-20 years ago

January 4, 2013
Alongside Zimbabwe’s great economic and political challenges, another big social phenomenon of the last decade or so has been the astonishing rise of an aggressive form of religious fundamentalism. Still to be well-studied and explained, it is perhaps not surprising that when a society is under deep stress, fundamentalist thinking and ...