Ezra Chitando

HIV and AIDS, Stigma and Liberation in the Old Testament

As the HIV and AIDS pandemic continues to affect most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the church has attempted to mitigate its effects. Unfortunately, stigma has emerged as a major challenge. The church has been implicated in stigmatizing people living with HIV and AIDS. Some Christians have used the Bible to justify the exclusion of people living with HIV and AIDS. This article examines HIV and AIDS stigma. It highlights the various forms of stigma, alongside exploring the occurrence of stigma in the Hebrew Bible. The study calls for a re-reading of the Hebrew Bible in the context of HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination. It argues that the theme of liberation that underpins the Hebrew Bible implies that stigma has no place in human relations. The paper draws attention to the need to bring liberation to the heart of mission in the light of HIV and AIDS in Africa.

'The Good Wife' : a phenomenological re-reading of Proverbs 31:10-31 in the context of HIV / Aids in Zimbabwe

HIV/AIDS poses a serious existential challenge in Africa. Its effects have been devastating, particularly for the disadvantaged members of society. Women, children, orphans, displaced people, prisoners and others have been negatively affected by the pandemic. Patriarchy has also compounded the vulnerability of women. Women are unable to negotiate safer sexual practices with their partners, especially in the marriage context. Religious and cultural factors have combined to dangerously expose women to HIV infection in Africa. Due to the influence of Christianity in Africa, its sacred writings have been used selectively to justify the marginalisation of women. This study offers a re-reading of Proverbs 31: 10-31. It interrogates the meaning of being “the good wife” in the context of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe. The first section analyses the influence of African and biblical patriarchal values and how they expose women to HIV infection. The second section explores new models for appreciating “the good wife” in the era of HIV/AIDS. The third section calls for greater action by women’s religious groups in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention and care. Phenomenological techniques like cultivating empathy and recognising the value of religion guide the study.

Songs of pain and hope: HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwean Music

ABSTRACT Music accompanies the African from the cradle to the grave. Music is played on both happy and sad occasions. This article examines the theme of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwean music. In the first section, it describes how traditional music responded to threats to health and well-being. Music empowered communities to face war, pestilence, disease and death. In contemporary times, music seeks to equip society to face the AIDS pandemic. The article reflects the changing attitudes – from the initial denial and stigmatisation, to the current calls for respect for people living with HIV. The article highlights new themes relating to the epidemic that could be addressed in Zimbabwean music.

Challenging Patriarchy and Exercising Women's Agency in Zimbabwean Music: Analysing the Careers of Chiwoniso Maraire and Olivia Charamba

Abstract Most authors tend to distinguish women in Zimbabwean music according to the genre. While this has some merit, it tends to create an artificial demarcation amongst women artists who might face similar challenges and struggles. This article utilises the careers of two women to illustrate the challenges and successes that women in Zimbabwean music experience. Through a discussion of the careers of Chiwoniso Maraire in mbira music and Olivia Charamba in gospel music, the study seeks to highlight the status of women in Zimbabwean music. The article maintains that women in Zimbabwean music face a multiplicity of challenges. In particular, they have to contend with patriarchy and its construction of space. However, they have exercised their agency to negotiate these challenges. This has resulted in some of them, such as Chiwoniso and Olivia Charamba, becoming visible as accomplished cultural workers.

‘Faithful Men of a Faithful God’? Masculinities in the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa

Abstract Many scholars have examined masculinities in African societies. However, these examinations cannot be generalised across Africa, given the socio-cultural, economic, political and historical factors that infringe with religious beliefs. This article offers a case study of masculinities in a specific religious context, the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (zaoga), a Pentecostal church. It utilises zaoga’s teachings on masculinities against the background of Shona religion and culture (the dominant ethnic group in Zimbabwe). The analysis specifically focuses on the role of the Jesus-figure in the discourse on masculinity in zaoga, exploring whether Jesus presents a model of ‘redemptive masculinity’ or rather reinforces hegemonic notions of masculinity. The article highlights the ambiguity of Pentecostal masculinity and offers an overall critique of the effects of masculinities upon Pentecostal faith and practice.

Philosophy in the 'house of stone' : a critical review

Post-colonial African philosophy has emerged as a viable discipline in a number of African countries. In particular, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and to some extent, Malawi and South Africa, have contributed to the fledging discipline. Although it does not receive prominent coverage, Zimbabwe has witnessed a growing expansion in the teaching of philosophy, as well as in published philosophical reflection. This article provides an overview of the developments of philosophy in Zimbabwe, paying particular attention to the post-colonial period. It surveys the context in which philosophical reflection has taken place in Zimbabwe, alongside highlighting the key themes that have preoccupied practitioners in the field. The article explores some problematic aspects of philosophy in Zimbabwe, and interrogates the possibility (or lack thereof) of locating Zimbabwean philosophy within the broader philosophical traditions such as the analytic and continental traditions.

VaJudha (African Jews) in Harare: Expressing contested identities in tight spaces

Most studies on religion in Zimbabwe have concentrated on Christianity in its various forms, African Traditional Religions, and to a lesser extent, Islam. These three religions have been generally taken to constitute “Africa’s three religions” (Parrinder 1969). In reality however, the religious market in Zimbabwe has come to be marked by radical pluralism. Many religions have found a home in Zimbabwe. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Rastafarianism, the Baha’i faith and others (Platvoet 1996). Due to their smaller numerical strength, such religions have not received adequate scholarly attention. Numerical strength alone should not be used to justify the limited research on other religious traditions that claim the allegiance of some Africans. Indeed, it is in these numerically challenged traditions that considerable creativity has been undertaken in negotiating African identities.

Africanizing the discourse on homosexuality: challenges and prospects

One of the most abiding accusations in the debate on homosexuality in Africa is that the whole enterprise is ‘western’ and that it lacks ‘a true African flavour’. For some, the insistence on the human rights of homosexuals is a Euro-American imposition, while others contend that the whole raft of terms used in the discourse is foreign. Thus, terms such as ‘queer’ and ‘LGBTI’ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) are regarded as exogenous and as confirming the crisis which characterizes discourses on homosexuality in Africa. When this is added to the widely held perspective that homosexuality is ‘of foreign origin’, the contestation is deepened even further. Consequently, there have been efforts by some scholars and activists to Africanize the discourse on homosexuality in Africa. These have included the quest to use African terms for homosexuality and exhortations to deploy African epistemologies in discourses on homosexuality. This article seeks to examine the background issues and assess the gains and losses in the quest to Africanize homosexuality discourses. It analyses the politics of these discourses and highlights their underlying assumptions and tensions.

The Religions of Zimbabwe in their Plurality

This chapter outlines the various religions as they occur in Zimbabwe. It highlights that though people have applied the generic term ‘religion’, the phenomenon does not occur in the singular. Zimbabwe is home to numerous religions and the use of the singular form should not be allowed to obscure the multiplicity that characterizes the religious scene. Since most works tend to focus exclusively on Christianity, African Traditional Religions and, to a less extent, Islam, this chapter also highlights the presence of communities of faith that are often overlooked. It is hoped that through such an exercise such communities are de-marginalised and a broader perspective on the religions of Zimbabwe may be attained.

Walter Magaya's Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries and Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe: a preliminary study with particular reference to ecumenism

At the time of writing, Zimbabwe was in the midst of an intriguing expansion of the Pentecostal prophetic sector. There had been a notable increase in the number of predominantly young men exercising the gift of prophecy, healing and deliverance since 2009. After Prophets Emmanuel Makandiwa and Uebert Angel had captured the national imagination, Prophet Walter Magaya entered the scene with gusto. His Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries threatened to overshadow his “fellow workers in God’s vineyard”. In this article, we locate Magaya’s PHD Ministries within the broader context of the post-2008 Pentecostal prophetic movement. We describe PHD Ministries, paying attention to the religious, socio-economic and political context in Zimbabwe. We draw attention to the ecumenism that is emerging within the prophetic and healing sectors of Zimbabwean Pentecostalism. Overall, we argue that this is a phenomenon that demands serious scholarly attention. The focus on Walter Magaya’s PHD Ministries is motivated by the fact that it has attracted thousands of people at its weekly Sunday services in Waterfalls, Harare, Zimbabwe. Further, in 2015, Magaya took his brand of Pentecostalism to Botswana and South Africa. This article addresses the theme of ecumenism to question the dominant narrative that places emphasis on tension, rivalry and competition within Zimbabwean Pentecostalism. It analyses how Magaya deploys it to deflect attention from himself and to project a more progressive view of himself.