Browsing by Author "Phiri, Stephen."

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A critical assessment of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace's contribution towards good governance in Zimbabwe from 1990-2000.
(2013) Phiri, Stephen.; Rieker, Mark Ivan.; Hewitt, Roderick Raphael.
Zimbabwe and its controversial government, with Mugabe at the helm, has been a source of concern for Southern Africa, global politics and not least Zimbabweans themselves. Though Mugabe has presided over the country for more than three decades, there has been relentless criticisms of, and opposition to, his form of governance. Apart from caustic political opponents of Zimbabwe’s government, there has also been advocate groups or the civil society who have been intrepid critics of the government. One of the most influential civil organizations in Zimbabwe is the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Zimbabwe has a college of Bishops which gives the most formal and influential stance of the Church on Zimbabwean politics. One of the most effective advocacy channels used by the Catholic Church has been the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ). This paper analyzes the role of the CCJPZ in trying to infuse political and moral rectitude in the Zimbabwean governance. Through the use of Antonio Gramsci’s theory of civil society, the paper analyses why the calls of the CCJPZ have remained largely unheeded by the Mugabe leadership. By this the paper further analyses whether certain tendencies that have rendered CCJPZ hamstrung or ignored are solely because of its own weakness, or the impervious nature of the Zimbabwe government to those it considers its wanton detractors and hypocrites. Gramsci talks of civil societies which can be pro-hegemony i.e. in tandem with the ruling class and one that is counter-hegemony i.e. at variance with the ruling class. The findings in this paper show that the CCJPZ has not abdicated its moral certitudes in support of the ruling class, hence it is counter-hegemony. The paper tries to explore how far-reaching the crusade for good governance, as championed by the CCJPZ has been. Despite being a Catholic group, the paper argues, the CCJPZ has to incorporate all Zimbabwean who are restive because of what is largely considered bad and violent governance. Only a wide-reaching crusade that does not include participants based on religious persuasion can give a more forceful voice against the form of governance that rules Zimbabwe. The key terms that underpin this study are: Civil society, State, Good governance, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace.
A critique of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the state in Zimbabwe : towards an empathetic dialogical method.
(2010) Phiri, Stephen.; Tonsing, Detlev Ludwig.; Phiri, Isabel Apawo.
This study serves to evaluate the effectiveness of the Catholic Church‟s prophetic voice in the post-independence Zimbabwe. It also serves to show that being prophetic is not enough unless this prophesy engages with the other. This study proposes a dialogical prophetic voice, which engages with the one to whom it is challenging. For the prophetic voice to be dialogical it has to be empathetic and being empathetic in this case points to the ability to understand the other party‟s perspective. Understanding in this context does not mean to sympathise or compromise but to be able to see through the eyes of the other party in dialogue in a bid to constructively challenge or criticize the other. This study suggests an Empathetic Dialogical method as central and foundational to an effective dialogical process. It also proposes Bonhoeffer‟s Church-State model as a conducive ground for an Empathetic dialogue. The study ultimately wants to show that the ineffectiveness of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe to dialogue with the State is due to its predominately non-empathetic dialogical model. It (the study) specifically points to two trajectories: the first trajectory points to the Catholic Church‟s unwillingness to consult the State, while it has a tendency to prescribe for the State. The second trajectory lies in the failure of the Zimbabwean Catholic Church to speak with one voice, which consequently led it to compromise with the State. This study is informed by the suffering Zimbabwean people at the hands of a ruthless regime and a Church whose prophetic voice is ineffective.
Learning to be ‘Out of Order’: a life history of the Church land programme and the theoretical development of its praxis.
(2019) Phiri, Stephen.; Harley, Anne.
This thesis is driven by the view that we urgently need a more truly emancipatory African politics, beyond the politics of the state or the hegemonic politics of the powerful; and the potential role of ‘civil society’ in this needs to be explored. Using a Gramscian frame, the study focuses on the life history of the Church Land Programme (CLP), an NGO based in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. This organisation claims to have radically shifted its praxis from that of a conventional NGO to one which has adopted an emancipatory politics. In a document reflecting on why and how it underwent this shift, the CLP made specific reference to the thinking of Paulo Freire, and post-shift, it has made frequent reference to Frantz Fanon. This study seeks to understand why and how the organisation shifted its practice and how this relates to the work of these two emancipatory thinkers. It finally considers the implications of this for emancipatory politics in the current South African context. The study seeks to make three contributions. Firstly, it redresses the scarcity of work on the relationship between Fanon and Freire, despite the considerable recent interest in their individual thought and writings. Secondly, the study adopts a life history approach that is normally used to narrate and understand individual stories, to tell, and to understand, the story of an organisation. Thirdly, as the study confirms, CLP is a deeply reflective and self-critical organisation; however, it has not yet been subjected to outside scrutiny and the study thus provides an outsider’s view of the organisation and its shift. The findings reveal that for CLP emancipatory politics is a lived reality. CLP thought its emancipatory praxis into being through deep reflection on how it acts in the world, often with others. Rather than directly influencing CLP, Fanon and Freire (and others) resonate with this emancipatory thinking, and act as a resource. The study concludes that whilst civil society is a realm within which hegemony is created, as Gramsci argued, because emancipatory politics is of the order the order of thought, civil society organisations can act in emancipatory ways.