Contested interpretations: the case of Zimbabweans in the diaspora in the United Kingdom responding to the new dispensation

Sande, N. (2023) Contested interpretations: the case of Zimbabweans in the diaspora in the United Kingdom responding to the new dispensation. In: Chitando, E., Togarasei, L. and Tarusarira, J. (eds.) Religion-Regime Relations in Zimbabwe: Co-operation and Resistance. Routledge. ISBN 9781003332435 (doi: 10.4324/9781003332435-14)

Abstract

How to interpret the political transition that happened in Zimbabwe in 2017/2018 has generated debate and controversy among citizens in the country and outside the country. This chapter focuses on how Zimbabwean Christians at home and abroad engaged in biblical and theological reflections to try and make sense of the transition. It highlights how Christianity continues to be a critical aspect of Zimbabwe’s national consciousness. One of its major features, the Bible, is a significant tool used in the democratisation processes in Zimbabwe before and after independence. Some politicians, religious leaders and some groups in Zimbabwe have used the Bible to authenticate the removal of Robert Mugabe from power. They claim this act is justified as ‘God was in it’; that it was a Kairos (divine opportune) time marking the birth of the Second Republic in Zimbabwe. Mugabe was regarded as a ‘political messiah’ when he ascended to power in 1980 after the British colonial rule, but towards the end of his regime there was economic decline and violence which triggered massive migrations. Painful stories and experiences are told about Zimbabweans in the diaspora as they seek asylum, as well as the illegal and legal migrations. This chapter reflects on how the Zimbabweans in the diaspora deconstructed the theological and political voices used during the political processes of the Second Republic of Zimbabwe. Guided by the transnational theory of migration, the chapter qualitatively analyses data gleaned from social media and systematic literature reviews to present diverse interpretations of the transition from Mugabe to Mnangagwa and the status of the opposition. It shows how both supporters and opponents of the regime appropriate and deploy biblical and theological ideas to buttress their arguments and convictions.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Sande, Dr Nomatter
• Authors: Sande, N.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Routledge
• Publisher: Routledge
• ISBN: 9781003332435