What if God was one of us?

At a time when many are using the Bible as a weapon to vilify LGBT people, Zimbabwean theologian Dr Masiiwa Ragies Gunda takes it upon himself to research and write about the bible and homosexuality in a book entitled: “The Bible and Homosexuality in Zimbabwe.” Below is an excerpt of the interview with the man who writes.: “The search for meaning must always precede the search for truth. The search for meaning leads to understanding while the search for truth is a search for power.”

QUESTION: Where did you draw the inspiration to write this book?

Having studied religion from 1997, something that has crossed my mind over the years is how much religion permeates our lives, and how much we depend so much on religion as the foundation in many aspects of our lives. I was still a teenager then in 1995 and that’s when discussion on homosexuality started with the president taking the lead role. I didn’t take part in the discussion I just didn’t understand it.

Having then studied over the years and working in the religious studies department at the university, I started to realize that there was so much for me to learn and that the academic environment provided me the opportunity it does not give to many people, because a lot of people are involved in sectors that are too sensitive for them to initiate discussion on controversial subjects. That’s one thing which the academia has. In some environments you talk about it and you get fired whereas in academia we have that freedom to debate in territories that a lot of people are afraid of. When I realized my role the thing that came to my mind was the need for someone to stand from outside and look at this thing called homosexuality in a more rational way without political pressure or all the other pressures that other people face. For me it became the driving inspiration. What can be my contribution?

I am not saying I started this to say homosexuality is wrong or right. In my epigraph in this book: “I write that the search for meaning must always precede the search for truth. The search for meaning leads to understanding while the search for truth is a search for power.” For me it was not about truth it was not about false things. It was about what it means, what exactly can be learnt about homosexuality. How have people dealt with it, so I had to go back into the archives, newspaper articles and magazines. I also benefitted from research by Marc Epprecht among other dissertations. But largely they were within the mainstream discussion within that framework. So I sought to then unravel. For me when you look at the public discussion one thing that is very dominant is the Bible. That why I choose the idea of looking at the Bible and homosexuality in Zimbabwe. Professionally I am trained in biblical studies, also being an Old Testament specialist that’s how these two things came together. Even Mugabe himself also refers to biblical issues. Because when he talks of ‘sodomists’ and so on, he is also referring to the Bible. So the Bible has been a very dominant player in the discussions between same relationships.

I completed my Masters in 2003 and worked as a lecturer in 2006 in Germany. I completed my PhD in 2010. I did a lot of fieldwork in 2007 and 2009. I researched on the work looking at material that had come into the public limelight. My focus was on the issues that had been raised within the public sphere, opinion pieces, letters in public media both print and broadcast seeing how the people were addressing the issue and how they were also making use of the bible.

QUESTION: How was this process of documentation for you?

It’s a huge challenge when you are talking about homosexuality with people in Zimbabwe. Because the first perception is that you are one of them and so you have to deal with that perception. You have to explain why you are doing this and what benefit it has for the whole community or people will be suspicious. I went to the Zimbabwe council of churches and they could not allow me to use their archives as they felt the issue was too controversial. People are very guarded and they don’t know why you are asking them these things and how you will use the information. If somebody is sympathetic and they don’t know how you want to use the information you could eventually damage their reputation. Some weren’t willing and others were willing without revealing their identities. While the work may not be quantitative in terms of the number of people you talk to, qualitatively it’s a work that opens the way to a more mature discussion on the topic. It’s a document that people can read and look at the arguments that have been put forward, no argument has been suppressed, I looked at the arguments that Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) put forward, politicians and traditionalists, Christians and realised what is needed now is for people to sit down and begin the journey of understanding. To openly discuss what does homosexuality mean for our societies and not focus more on what is the ‘truth’, because more often than not we are interested in ‘truth’ because it empowers some and disempowers others.

QUESTION: What discoveries did you make during this journey?

The issue of homosexuality is a reality and homosexual people are real human beings, because when people speak of same sex practices they speak in the abstract. When I started my research speaking to LGBT people, I saw people just like me. The difference is not something one can see from a distance. I had an eye opening discovery that when we talk about homosexuality we are dealing with human beings who hold important almost all the things that we do as Zimbabweans or citizens. Yet, the only difference is whom they love intimately, which is a qualitative difference.

I also discovered that as scholars we are never really detached from our faith. You will possibly find some deep convictions that are clear in the work. When I interacted with LGBT people I saw a very high degree of suspicion. Some are not comfortable with religion, because it has not been sympathetic to them. Religion has been ruthless and brutal towards them. I don’t think and believe that religion is entirely evil. I believe there’s a lot that LGBT people can use to empower and strengthen themselves. While you have individuals who attend church services, they continue to withstand the abuse that occurs within religions because they do not want to speak out.
Religion has become the weapon against which LGBTI people are being attacked from the pulpit. Religion has become a divisive element when discussing homosexuality in Zimbabwe. In the long term, my personal convictions are that Christians have always believed in a God who has always intervened in human activity. The moment we begin to try and politicize how God created heterosexuals and not homosexuals we are missing the essence of being Christian. In the New Testament God proclaims freedom to those that have been oppressed. When you look closely at the whole ministry of Jesus you see that Jesus is geared towards a ministry that transforms people’s lives to be better and so for me with these theological convictions I don’t see any reason why we should engage in meaningful discussions on same sex practices because at the end of the day all human beings are created by God, and if God is the all-powerful God that we believe in then we should admit that this God can never be fully comprehended by us and we cannot limit what God can or cannot create. So for me judging same sex practicing people is not for us as heterosexual people.

QUESTION: With this publication, how do you plan on sharing the knowledge?

This book is a resource document for students in various disciplines as well as in religious studies. I realised that the talk on same sex practices is something not happening openly and constructively. There is very little open-minded discussion. There needs to be more seminars and workshops involving LGBT people and engaging with students.

QUESTION: Can this book be used in other contexts in Africa?

It is specifically focusing on Zimbabwe in the sense that the primary research is done in Zimbabwe. Apart from maybe South Africa, the arguments have largely been similar in many African states. Africans can read and understand some of the arguments as they are cultural. This is a book that would apply across Africa even other communities outside Africa.

QUESTION: In your view why do politicians and religious leaders ride on the issue of homosexuality?

People find a social issue that is highly emotive and try to use it to prosecute their private wars and that’s why people are not interested in understanding LGBTI people. They are interested in the existence of the issue without understanding. Those in positions of power need to keep the issue of homosexuality at that emotional level so that whenever they think things are not going right for them, they invoke that issue and ensure that many will share the same hatred and fears. The people spearheading homophobic diatribe possibly don’t have any fears or hatred, they are simply using an issue that is there and they know that does it does not bring numerical disadvantage. That’s why conservatives fail to continue to fight against the empowerment of women, because women are too many if they mobilize they can get anyone out of power. Homosexuals may not have those numbers; it becomes a perfect field for those prosecuting personal wars it has few people. So if you keep it at an emotional level a lot of people are not going to seek understanding, they will just buy into your argument. So in 1995 Mugabe used it to win an election in 1996. Whenever the chips are going down for Zanu PF Mugabe invokes homosexuality because it brings people behind him.

The majority of Zimbabweans are Christians and lack information surrounding homosexuality. Very few understand what it is. For example in 1995 Mugabe said: ‘how can we be asked to give rights to people to have sex in public?’, which is spewing propaganda out there.

When issues are being used for political and other reasons they are not meant to inform, but meant to instigate people to take certain positions which is what happens in the case if homosexuality some people do not even agree with their leaders, yet on the issue of homosexuality they will rally behind them. These leaders will then appear as the ‘messiah,’ because they create an evil, in this case homosexuality then destroy it by enacting harsh legislation or oppressing LGBTI. Thus these leaders are deified and supported.

QUESTION: What needs to be done to begin this discourse on LGBTI people and rights at the level of the community and within academia?

There is need for collaboration between scholars and activists. Activists have easy access to a lot of people. We could through collaboration produce much smaller pamphlets addressing topical issues. We must continue engaging so that eventually we get the information to the people. People must understand what homosexuality is and from an informed standpoint so that they can decide on how they relate with LGBT people. The danger sometimes is when you rush people to make a decision without the correct information. You do not want a situation that in South Africa were you have the best constitution that guarantees LGBT people rights, yet there are alarming levels of violations of LGBTI people. This creates an impression that the constitution is not in any case related to the views that people have. People will continue with the myths and fears that they have about homosexuality, even when the constitution says something else, they retaliate in a violent way. What is crucial is for activists to get more people to understand and talk about LGBTI rights. People should be able to say I disagree, but without harming you.

Although for us researchers availability of resources will affect here and there what we want to do. One thing is clear, unlike before where people swept homosexuality under the carpet, now the lid is off. What is needed is more dialogue and for people to continue talking about it so they get understanding and eventually even without agreeing or approving there will be tolerance.

*Miles Rutendo Tanhira

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