Oh Chilume!Give Us Less Self Pity
9/5/2005 11:26:04 AM (GMT +2)
At first sight, Mr. Chilume’s lucid if afrocentric piece on the values of ancestor worship seemed well-informed, novel and amusing. But, reading to the end, one realises that it is yet another whining, self-abasing, Us Poor Africans, chunk of facile polemic “knocking” Christianity and Whites in general.
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While not actually racially abusive, the item used very unsound and (to many of us Christians) offensive “theological” arguments to promote his own brand of primitive “black” religion. I sincerely hope that, in any future writings, he will strongly abjure any connection with human sacrifice, and/or the use of body parts, in the latter.
Space, and a general sense of distaste on the subject matter, prevent picking out all the points of contention, but: a) Have socio-economic conditions in this country really “not improved even an iota” since Independence, let alone since the arrival of Christianity? Where has Mr Chilume been living - in a cave, throwing bones to put curses on the Christians (and Moslems, for good measure,) for causing drought and famine? B) How does Brother Bugalo maintain that Christ - widely accepted to have been unmarried and celibate - is the “ancestor” to whom we pray? A slip of the theological pen? C) why, as an obviously intelligent, theosophical and well-read thinker, does BB ignore the fundamental precept of Christianity i.e. to love the Lord, and one’s neighbour as oneself? Rather than to pray for some miraculous and un-earned benefit of a personal / family / national nature - and for which BB recommends communing with dead forbears.
And a final point: I totally refute the foul slander that...” the black race... Africans are the very bottom of the heap without even a faint glimmer, etc. etc.” Get off your lame and scabby hobby-horse, Chilume, and give us less self pity, and more inspiration. Your sort of negative vituperation does Botswana poor service, and is emphatically not welcome.
M.O. Ditlhare
GABORONE
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