Recently I went to see some of the lost sheep of the house [not of Israel, but of] Zimbabwe, driven by our economic malaise to the UK. Among others I saw a family from Mbare now firmly established in the Midlands. They still have their hearts in Mbare and give us much support. (Pictured: Oskar Wermter)It was very gratifying to see them and other Zimbabweans form a vibrant Catholic community, never happier than when they can sing in Shona in a Shona Mass celebrated by a visiting priest, even wearing their various sodality uniforms from home.
My friends from Mbare demonstrated to me what a loss Zimbabwean migrants are to the country: the wife who worked for years as a mere nurse aid is now a student nurse and her husband will soon start his training as a social worker. They have three lively children, but they dont sit back yet. Doing further studies while working part-time and keeping the family alive will not be easy, but they see a chance to improve themselves and they take it. My hope is that one day all this hard work will benefit Zimbabwe.
I also went on a biblical pilgrimage to the Holy Land/Israel. It was great to see Jesus country and walk where he walked, especially up in Galilee around Lake Genesaret.
In Bethlehem, Jesus birthplace, we saw something that rang a bell with me coming from Southern Africa. Bethlehem is largely a Palestinian town, separated from Israel by a very high protective wall. On Manger Square in front of the Basilica of Jesus Birth there was a large showcase giving the Palestinian side of the conflict. We Palestinians, it said, are the original inhabitants and the true owners of the country. The Canaanites were our ancestors, and the Israelites/ Hebrews came only later. ..
I was reminded of heated debates in the old Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The black leaders used to say (and still say even today!) to the settlers from Europe: You are mere invaders, you have no right to be here.To which the settlers used to reply: You Bantu people are not the original owners of the country either. The bushmen (Khoi-San) were there before you migrated from the North and settled here.
And at the time of Murambatsvina (2005) so many Mbare people were told: You dont belong here, go back to your rural home (even those who had no rural home because they or their parents were migrant labourers from neighbouring countries).
Conclusion: if only the original true owners are allowed to stay where they are who will not be uprooted? Jesuit In Touch Communications
Post published in: News