Machanic Manyeruke and his Role in the Inculturation of Christian Faith in Zimbabwe through Shona Songs

Introduction 

After watching the Film'MACHANIC MANYERUKE: The Life of Zimbabwe’s Gospel Music Legend’, by James Ault, I just noticed the role that Manyeruke played and still plays in the Christian faith inculturation in Zimbabwe through his Shona songs. The documentary starts by introducing who Machanic Manyeruke is, his painful early life, how he was not able to continue his education, how he runway from home to Harare, and his conversion. From a gardener, and waiter to a celebrity, Manyeruke’s life is a testimony that ‘there is  no faraway that God cannot take from and there is no far that God cannot take you to.’ Whether you think you are far doing well or bad, if you watch the film you will see God at work, as throughout Manyeruke's life, you will notice a humble and loving man who worshiped God when he was poor and kept worshiping God even when he was a celebrity.

Manyeruke and singing in Shona: The power of the mother tongue (heart language)  

Watching the film, I notice how much Manyeruke loves his mother tongue to the level that even when he went to the United States of America he sang in Shona. Syria Kagoro  the wife of Thomas Kagoro Manyeruke's first pastor, talking  of how she felt the first time hearing Manyeruke singing in Shona playing guitar in Church, indicates “ I like music it helps me feel the presence of God within me as I hear him singing in Shona… you can even see your tears coming.’ This is the power of music and mother tongue; she was hearing songs in her heart language which is Shona. In the film, there is a part where Manyeruke talks of old ladies' comments.  After service, these old ladies came to me and told me, ‘welcome my son, you are singing good songs, Shona songs that we can understand.’ I can connect to what these old ladies said because when I’m singing or preaching in English or French my head works hard, but when I’m singing in Kinyarwanda or preaching in it, my heart speaks. If you watch Manyeruke's story you automatically observe that whenever he sang, you see people’s hearts feeling in the ways they dance, their facial expressions, and singing.  Singing in Shona made it easier for many Zimbabweans to feel at home in Manyeruke’s songs, as they are hearing the Gospel in their heart language. Like on the day of Pentecost many people were able to give their life to Christ due to the fact that they were hearing the word of God in their vernacular. Even when Peter explained to them talking about Jesus Christ, they were hearing in their mother tongues, the reasons why three thousand were able to repent and gave their lives to Christ.

One of the mistakes committed by western missionaries in their great effort of spreading Christianity in Africa was that they first started by considering everything related to the past of Africans as evil, their songs, musical instruments, etc. Thus, singing western hymns, and playing the piano were mostly encouraged and considered good to be used in the church while, drums, dancing, or songs in mother tongues which were not translations of western songs were not allowed in many churches. This was one of the factors that led to the birth of African independent churches as people wanted to feel at home through indigenizing the church ministries. The good thing with Manyeruke is that he was able to bring together Christianity and Culture in a western missionary’s church. Thus, young, and old people all were and are able to sing to his songs like their own.

Manyeruke on Christianity and Culture

In the film, I like that after watching the dancers who were singing and dancing Mhande, Manyeruke came and talk to them. He started by telling them that his father use to dance the same dance that people call ‘evil spirit’, but for Manyeruke it’s a dance.  He continues, telling them, “If people like us forget our culture and where we came from, it will trouble many… because they’ll think, when you become a Christian, you should forget your culture." For Manyeruke forgetting our culture in the name of becoming a Christian is one of the things that are affecting negatively our children, the young generation nowadays.  For Kwame Bediako one of the African leading theologians “in the heart of Gospel we have Jesus, and in the heart of Culture, we have a person.” Thus Gospel and Culture engagement is Christ and human engagement; meaning that, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He takes us as we are and transform us to His likeness. Manyeruke knows that Christ accepted him as a human being and Shona worldview.   Thus, in his journey of serving the Lord, he has to keep in mind that though he is here on earth for a short time, he has to emulate Christ in his community not as a foreigner but as a native. Therefore, through the Gospel, it is easy to know what is good to hold on from our culture and not good to let go. Talking of culture you may think, that Manyeruke is that kind of traditionalist who holds just only on to the past. No, for example, his son, plays different types of music and the father, the mother supports his music. In the film, you will hear and see them perform together. But, Manyeruke's concern is that we need to keep our culture even when we became Christian. Language is the vehicle of the culture, can you stop speaking your language just because you are a Christian? I think no, that is what Manyeruke is trying to tell us. When you sing in colonial languages like English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.., yes you are preaching, praising, and worshiping God, but what about your audience? Is this their heart language? Manyeruke is considered the father of Gospel music in Zimbabwe, not because of his popular English songs, but his Shona songs, the songs that speak to the hearts of his people.

In short, Manyeruke’s life is a good example for the new generation that, though the world is becoming like one village due to globalization, it is good not to forget who we are and where we are coming from. Thus, our culture is one of the means that may help us to spread and strengthen the Christian faith in our communities but watching out for its negative side also. Let me stop here and allow you also to watch Manyeruke’s film from the given link.   http://jamesault.com/documentaries/machanic-manyeruke/ 

Joel Kubwimana 

Author of "A Rwandan Bishop’s Confession: Mother Tongue Use and Primal Religion in the Writings of Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami" 

https://wipfandstock.com/9781666703160/a-rwandan-bishops-confession