WHERE ARE THE ANCESTORS? : THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPACT OF INTER-DENOMINATIONAL SUNDAY SERVICES AT GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Zimbabwe is a home to a plethora of religious traditions such as African Traditional Religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahai Faith and Rastafari Faith. In postcolonial Zimbabwe, the government promoted freedom of worship and a multi-faith approach. In general, the western missionary colonial historiography has enabled Christianity to remain a dominant religious tradition in all spheres of life. Notably, Christianity claims to have a large following of up to approximately 80% of the population in Zimbabwe. In principle, a long standing campaign from the Christian fraternity to declare Zimbabwe a Christian state in recent years was unsuccessful. Paradoxically, in practice, the state largely utilises Christianity at state functions in political, social, economic, legal and religious spectrums. This double-edged scenario greatly influences the religious experience at institutions of higher learning such as Great Zimbabwe University (GZU). This paper focuses on the impact of the Inter-denominational Sunday services at GZU, a cosmopolitan community whose niche is to be the centre of excellence in creative arts, culture and technology. Evidently, belonging to a non-Christian religion attracts stigma at GZU. It is further argued that it is a misconception to regard both students and staff of GZU as solely Christians, something that triggers the question: ‘where are the ancestors?’ By utilising interviews, questionnaires and participant observation to gather data, the study established that GZU’s Inter-denominational sermons and procedures tend to pursue a colonial legacy that elevates Christianity but militates against multiculturalism that would propel its niche. It is our conviction that the University urgently needs to transform its strategy on spiritual and moral development of students and staff to sustain religious pluralism and social identity in Zimbabwe.