Petros Ziwengwa Features Writer— entranced voices of the congregants reverberate across the valley. Madzibaba Joshua, a lanky man sporting...
Petros Ziwengwa Features Writer—
entranced voices of the congregants reverberate across the valley.
Madzibaba Joshua, a lanky man sporting dreadlocks, a shiny goatee and a plain red garment, sprinkles “holy water” on a woman lying helplessly on the ground.
Other supplicants await their turn, as they receive preliminary instructions from “lesser prophets” who tell them how they too can be delivered from evil.
Madzibaba Joshua belongs to one of innumerable African independent churches and sects that have flourished in Zimbabwe over past 50-odd years.
Many of them are not adherents of the Old Testament, hence the peculiar ceremonial rituals that inform their liturgy.
Some of them reject the Bible altogether as “stale sadza”, claiming to operate by direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Most such churches and sects are a blend of African traditional religion and Christianity, while others are purely Christian. The Johanne Masowe and Johanne Marange sects are the largest in Zimbabwe.
And from these have sprouted numerous offshoots for any variety of reasons; which can include power struggles, attempts to make money or “divine revelation”.
The multiplicity of these apostolic sects can be observed by the presence of many small gatherings worshipping under trees that are a stone’s throw away from each other.
Among them is the Johane Masowe Enguwo Tsvuku – a sect that stands out because of the trademark dreadlocks that many followers have.
Both men and women sport dreadlocks, should the “Holy Spirit” so instruct.
Dreadlocked women wear white and green garb, while men wear plain red garments.
There is a smattering of bald heads and the more traditional white dresses and head scarves for some women. There is no black.
Black is an abomination and is associated with evil spirits; the Holy Spirit condemns it.
But other colours are fine, depending on the roles of the person in the church.
The Herald caught up with congregants of Johane Masowe Enguwo Tsvuku sect in the Chitungwiza industrial sites, where they have been “headquartered” for a few years now.
Upon arrival, Madzibaba Joshua instructs us to remove our shoes and switch off our cellphones, then issues a stern injunction to the effect that the “holy proceedings” of the church service cannot be recorded or filmed
We cross the red cloth covering the entrance and words are gravely uttered to “cleanse” us.
No one enters the place without first having been cleansed.
The cleansing process entails Madzibaba Joshua splashing what he says is holy water on us. On entering we observe a group of female congregants sitting down and facing east as they say their prayers.
Like many religious groups with elements of reverence for the sun, there is a strong belief that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit comes from the east. Interestingly though, male congregants face west when saying their prayers. We join them in facing away from the sun.
The Bible is a key instruction in Christian-based churches and sects. Not so with this dreadlocked congregation. They perceive the scriptures as an unnecessary, even compromised.
They claim they do not need the Bible because they receive the Word of God “live and direct” from the Holy Spirit.
Dreadlocks are another outcome of their “direct revelations”. People who have dreadlocks have important roles in the church. They can cast out demons and other evil spirits.
“No one chooses to have ndaza (dreadlocks) in our church, but it is determined by the situation in which a person may be going through. It is actually an instruction from God and any time He may instruct to remove it, we do things as the spirit would have instructed us to do,” says Madzibaba Joshua, who is the sect spokesperson.“Ndaza” is simply a form of devotion.
It is as good as “nhombo” (anointing oil), he explains.
During the church service the person with “ndaza” conveys the word from the Holy Spirit, and heals the sick, exorcises evil spirits and proffers advice on how to solve a variety of social problems ranging from marital woes to unemployment.
The elders, like Madzibaba Joshua, only interact with those who have had evil spirits cast out, it is to these new adherents that they preach. The prophets spend most of their time praying.
They are intercessors for their family and the sect at large. They are known to hold marathon fasts and on days of the year they live solely on water and wild fruits.
It is while they are fasting that they heal people with disabilities and failing health as well as treating children’s sunken fontanelles.
“They rarely eat meat or use electronic gadgets. They dedicate most of their time to God,” Madzibaba Joshua informs us.
He returns to the issue of dreadlocks, providing an enigmatic explanation for some of them: they carry all the transgressions of family members.
“The person will be saving his family members by carrying their sins in the hair and if he or she chooses not to follow the orders they risk being cursed,” says Madzibaba Joshua.
Their apostolic patriarch, Johanne Masowe, is a self-proclaimed John the Baptist of Africa.
“Johanne Masowe’s calling came shortly after he spent 40 days in prayer on Marimba Hill near Norton, during which time he did not sleep and survived only on wild honey.
“He was taken down by a headache, during which time he heard a voice from a burning bush telling him: ‘I have blessed you. Carry on with the good work. Tell the natives to throw away their witchcraft, herbs and not to commit adultery or rape’.
“After these experiences, his headaches ceased and the great work was launched of which we are successors,” narrates Madzibaba Joshua.
He says the prophets are there to provide deliverance, especially where there are problems such as infertility and witchcraft.
“The Holy Spirit binds and makes us unique. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in our blood,” he says in an assured tone.
entranced voices of the congregants reverberate across the valley.
Madzibaba Joshua, a lanky man sporting dreadlocks, a shiny goatee and a plain red garment, sprinkles “holy water” on a woman lying helplessly on the ground.
Other supplicants await their turn, as they receive preliminary instructions from “lesser prophets” who tell them how they too can be delivered from evil.
Madzibaba Joshua belongs to one of innumerable African independent churches and sects that have flourished in Zimbabwe over past 50-odd years.
Many of them are not adherents of the Old Testament, hence the peculiar ceremonial rituals that inform their liturgy.
Some of them reject the Bible altogether as “stale sadza”, claiming to operate by direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. Most such churches and sects are a blend of African traditional religion and Christianity, while others are purely Christian. The Johanne Masowe and Johanne Marange sects are the largest in Zimbabwe.
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| A member of the Johanne Masowe Enguwo Tsvuku (in green robes) sports dreadlocks at a shrine in Chitungwiza. Members of the sect are also allowed to wear any other colours except black depending on their role in the sect |
The multiplicity of these apostolic sects can be observed by the presence of many small gatherings worshipping under trees that are a stone’s throw away from each other.
Among them is the Johane Masowe Enguwo Tsvuku – a sect that stands out because of the trademark dreadlocks that many followers have.
Both men and women sport dreadlocks, should the “Holy Spirit” so instruct.
Dreadlocked women wear white and green garb, while men wear plain red garments.
There is a smattering of bald heads and the more traditional white dresses and head scarves for some women. There is no black.
Black is an abomination and is associated with evil spirits; the Holy Spirit condemns it.
But other colours are fine, depending on the roles of the person in the church.
The Herald caught up with congregants of Johane Masowe Enguwo Tsvuku sect in the Chitungwiza industrial sites, where they have been “headquartered” for a few years now.
Upon arrival, Madzibaba Joshua instructs us to remove our shoes and switch off our cellphones, then issues a stern injunction to the effect that the “holy proceedings” of the church service cannot be recorded or filmed
We cross the red cloth covering the entrance and words are gravely uttered to “cleanse” us.
No one enters the place without first having been cleansed.
The cleansing process entails Madzibaba Joshua splashing what he says is holy water on us. On entering we observe a group of female congregants sitting down and facing east as they say their prayers.
Like many religious groups with elements of reverence for the sun, there is a strong belief that the inspiration of the Holy Spirit comes from the east. Interestingly though, male congregants face west when saying their prayers. We join them in facing away from the sun.
The Bible is a key instruction in Christian-based churches and sects. Not so with this dreadlocked congregation. They perceive the scriptures as an unnecessary, even compromised.
They claim they do not need the Bible because they receive the Word of God “live and direct” from the Holy Spirit.
Dreadlocks are another outcome of their “direct revelations”. People who have dreadlocks have important roles in the church. They can cast out demons and other evil spirits.
“No one chooses to have ndaza (dreadlocks) in our church, but it is determined by the situation in which a person may be going through. It is actually an instruction from God and any time He may instruct to remove it, we do things as the spirit would have instructed us to do,” says Madzibaba Joshua, who is the sect spokesperson.“Ndaza” is simply a form of devotion.
It is as good as “nhombo” (anointing oil), he explains.
During the church service the person with “ndaza” conveys the word from the Holy Spirit, and heals the sick, exorcises evil spirits and proffers advice on how to solve a variety of social problems ranging from marital woes to unemployment.
The elders, like Madzibaba Joshua, only interact with those who have had evil spirits cast out, it is to these new adherents that they preach. The prophets spend most of their time praying.
They are intercessors for their family and the sect at large. They are known to hold marathon fasts and on days of the year they live solely on water and wild fruits.
It is while they are fasting that they heal people with disabilities and failing health as well as treating children’s sunken fontanelles.
“They rarely eat meat or use electronic gadgets. They dedicate most of their time to God,” Madzibaba Joshua informs us.
He returns to the issue of dreadlocks, providing an enigmatic explanation for some of them: they carry all the transgressions of family members.
“The person will be saving his family members by carrying their sins in the hair and if he or she chooses not to follow the orders they risk being cursed,” says Madzibaba Joshua.
Their apostolic patriarch, Johanne Masowe, is a self-proclaimed John the Baptist of Africa.
“Johanne Masowe’s calling came shortly after he spent 40 days in prayer on Marimba Hill near Norton, during which time he did not sleep and survived only on wild honey.
“He was taken down by a headache, during which time he heard a voice from a burning bush telling him: ‘I have blessed you. Carry on with the good work. Tell the natives to throw away their witchcraft, herbs and not to commit adultery or rape’.
“After these experiences, his headaches ceased and the great work was launched of which we are successors,” narrates Madzibaba Joshua.
He says the prophets are there to provide deliverance, especially where there are problems such as infertility and witchcraft.
“The Holy Spirit binds and makes us unique. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in our blood,” he says in an assured tone.
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