Kyrkor i Sydafrika mot främlingsfientlighet

Den senaste vågen av främlingsfientlighet i Sydafrika kommer efter ett uttalande som zuluernas kung, Zwelithini, gjorde någon gång under helgen 22-23 mars. Det råder delade meningar om avsikten med hans tal men helt klart har det uppfattats som att utländska medborgare inte är önskade i åtminstone Zululand. IOLNews rapportera om detta.

Det blev inte bättre av att president Jacob Zumas äldste son, Edward Zuma, ställde sig bakom kungen och även spädde på det hela rent verbalt. Mer om detta går att läsa i News24.

En av Svenska kyrkans partners i
Sydafrika.

Säkert hade inte kungen tänkt sig att det skulle resultera i våldsamma upplopp. Igår dog åtminstone 3 utländska medborgare på grund av detta, skriver BDLive.

Mail and Guardian kan berätta om över 1000 utländska medborgare i Durban, som sökt skydd hos polisen.

Nu ska dock Diakonia Council of Churches – en av Svenska kyrkans partners i Sydafrika – medla i konflikten. Enligt News24 kommer kyrkorna vara med och rätta till de missförstånd som kungens uttalande lett till. I ett land där de traditionella ledarna åtnjuter stort förtroende är detta ett synnerligen känsligt arbete men därmed inte mindre viktigt. Jag önskar kyrkoledarna Guds välsignelse i uppgiften.

På samma tomt som vår bostad ligger bor även fyra studenter. Vi umgås flitigt.
Vid detta tillfälle var det fr v jag, Malibongwe, hustrun, Calvin, Noma och Menelisi.
Två av oss kommer från Sydafrika, två från Sverige och två från Zimbabwe.
Här råder dock fred.

Greed, Corruption, Inequality, Poverty, and Violence

The service was well organised and I was
esepcially impressed by all the ushers.

These words are written on the big cross on the stage. It’s around 06h00 in the morning and the Good Friday Service is about to start. Since 1985 the Diakonia Council of Churches in Durban organises this service. It starts in the Durban Exhibition Centre and proceeds to the City Hall, where it ends. The history is this:

In 1985 a number of UDF-activists were detained in Durban. Church leaders decided that a silent Good Friday procession outside the City Prison would be a good way to show solidarity with the detainees. Since then the Good Friday procession forms a natural part of the Easter tradition in Durban.

I am not sure how many we were but it must have been more than 1 000. The service had actually begun already at 05h15, when people started to gather, singing songs. We got up at 04h30, because we had to travel the odd 80 kilometres from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. When we came the exhibition hall was only half full but when we left, it was almost full.

The theme of the service was:

Things must change

but the preacher, Graham Philpott, director of the Church Land Programme, was not happy with the wording. He felt that this theme was too inactive. As if somebody else should carry out the change for us. I thought he would come to the conclusion that we ought to become more active but the sermon had an unexpected twist. He argued that Jesus never said that things must change. Jesus spoke more about the seed that has to fall into the soil and die. Jesus spoke more about losing your life if you want to gain it. So, the message of the sermon was instead that

Things have changed

through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Left to us is the choice what to do with this reality. It was a good and challenging sermon.

I also liked the way he challenged the political leaders of today. This was brave, because the Premier of the Province as well as one of the Provincial Ministers were there. So was also the Mayor of the Municipality (the wider Durban). The Province of KwaZulu-Natal and the Ethekwini Municipality had also sponsored the service. Therefore it was good to challenge them. In my opinion the chairperson of the Diakonia Council of Churches, Rev Ian Booth, gave the dignitaries a bit too much attention. But again, this is a cultural difference between South Africa and Sweden. In South Africa all protocols always need to be observed. Even before the cross. As far as I understand we are all equal on Calvary.

It was also contra productive, when the procession started, to see only mighty men leading it. Bishops, the cardinal and politicians! Only after them went lots of religious sisters. I can understand that you place the leaders in front, but I would have chosen to blend male church leaders with religious sisters.

All of us wanted to touch the cross.

A positive thing was the change in the tradition that the all of us got a chance to carry the cross. Formerly the leaders in front did that. This year the cross “wandered” between us in the procession.

My youngest son has given me a cap, especially made for clergy.

Generally speaking it was a very well organised and inclusive service. English, isiZulu and Afrikaans were mixed. I appreciated this gesture. It means a lot!

One of the marshals reminding us that the procession

is supposed to be a silent one.

The history of oppression is still alive in South Africa.

On our way to the City Hall we passed a wall, which is the only remaining part of the old City Prison. A number of people were standing in front of the wall. Some of them had been detained in the prison, others were relatives or friends of detainees. This action of just standing, while we passed in silence, carried a strong message.

The old legend, that the cross on Calvary, started to live,
when Jesus died, is also a strong symbol.

At the City Hall people were invited to flower the cross as a symbol of hope. The whole service ended with a Roman Catholic Bishop sending us out with the words:

Go in peace and influence the change we wish to see in the world

And to this we answered:

Thanks be to God.

One Billion Rising - Durban

The first person I saw was a woman directing herself to the President of South Africa. J Z. Jacob Zuma.

Den första personen jag såg var en kvinna som riktade sig till Sydafrikas president. J Z. Jacob Zuma.



When we got to the Magistrates Court in Durban the dancers, who were going to lead as all, were already well prepared.

När vi kom till tingsrätten i Durban var dansarna, som skulle leda oss i dansen, redan väl förberedda.



My wife was also among the dancers.

Hustrun var också med och dansade.



You need an umbrella when the sun shines.

Man behöver ett paraply när solen skiner.



Look at the text that Kudzai has written: "I rise because I am a real man."

Observera texten som Kudzai har skrivit: "Jag reser mig upp för att jag är en riktig man.



At the end of the event hand made flowers were planted outside the Magistrates Court.

Mot slutet av manifestationen planterades handgjorda blommor utanför tingsrätten.



A petition was also handed over by a representative from Diaconia Council of Churches to one of the prosecutors.

En skrivelse överlämnades av en representant för Durbans kristna råd till en av åklagarna.



My wife and I also made a short speech and greeted everyone from my sister, Elisabet, who told us about this event. She is responsible for an activity in Falun later today.

Hustrun och jag höll också ett kort tal och hälsade alla från min syster, Elisabet, som berättade för oss om att det skulle bli en manifestation i Durban. Hon är också ansvarig för en aktivitet i Falun senare idag.