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Tendai Manzvanzvike-Zimpapers Knowledge Centre Head

NINETEENTH century short-story writer Washington Irving said: “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.” 

Such is the feeling when you learn that a house-hold name like Father Emmanuel Francis Ribeiro has passed on. The 86-year-old Catholic priest died yesterday morning at St Anne’s Hospital, in the capital. 

Whichever way one reflects on his life, the conclusion is that he lived life to the full as a human being and as the people’s priest. 

Fr Ribeiro was the embodiment of Zimbabwe’s “hunhu/Ubuntu” — its spiritual, social, cultural and political journey, tying together the colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe through his various works. 

He was also a voice of reason during the various eras, making tremendous contributions to the Zimbabwe people dream of: self-actualisation. In foreign lands, Fr Ribeiro was Zimbabwe’s unofficial ambassador — taking the Zimbabwean story, thought pattern and even its politics to them until they understood and appreciated the contestations that the country had with Western nations, and with itself. He did that valiantly in the United States. 

He never beat his own drum, although he was one of the personalities behind the introduction of Shona hymns and “traditional” musical instruments such as the cowhide drum, “mbira” and rattles in the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe. 

Shona Catholic music would not be where it is today, and when he spoke about that journey, you could see the passion through the long pauses, a tear or two in his eyes and the wry smile. The narrative on Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence would also be incomplete without the mention of the role Fr Ribeiro played — before and after: chaplaincy in the prison service; education system; Shona literature and the setting up of the now defunct Literature Bureau to promote writing among black people; the design of the national flag; the composition of the national anthem; the arts through the National Dance Company, and much more. 

All these were intertwined in his 86-year-old life. He just wanted to be useful to Zimbabwe and the whole human race. 

We interfaced with him directly and/or indirectly, without realising it. The story of Zimbabwe’s political detainees has been told so many times, but intentionally or unknowingly, his name and that of his colleagues in the church have paled into insignificance. 

It was only in 2018 that Fr Ribeiro opened up about President Mnangagwa, a member of the Crocodile Gang and his imprisonment after bombing a locomotive in Fort Victoria, now Masvingo in 1964. 

According to The Herald, Fr Ribeiro who was assistant Chaplain-General of Prisons at the time said, “I went to his (President Mnangagwa) holding cell at Harare Central Prison and asked him whether he had written a letter to the president (Clifford Dupont), and he said to me, why should I waste my time writing the letter, what will it change.” 

Fr Ribeiro said during the time, President Mnangagwa was in solitary confinement where he spent 23 hours inside his cell, getting only one hour for recess per day. His colleagues – Victor Mlambo and James Dhlamini had been hanged and buried at the prison by the Rhodesian colonial regime. 

“I went to his cell again when things had really gotten tough in the country and looked at him and said to myself, but this is just a boy. I don’t want to say much about the other things, but I went to the doctor at the prison Dr Lavaccoco, and told him that he (President Mnangagwa) was just a boy and he went and looked at him,” said Fr Ribeiro. 

“After looking at him and he was convinced that he was indeed just a boy he (Dr Lavaccoco) wrote his report that was attached to the other papers that were sent to president Dupont.” 

Fr Ribeiro was relieved to see President Mnangagwa after he was removed from death row: “I was surprised to see him after two weeks walking freely inside the prison complex having been removed from death row his sentence commuted to some years in jail. He then started his education, which he continued after his transfer to Khami Prison where he completed his sentence before being released,” he said. 

He told The Herald reporter, “I will disclose more details at the appropriate time, this is all I can say today and I deliberately left some details that I will disclose when the timing is right.” Many a time he had said that to me, but would change tact when I persisted, 

We have also heard about how in 1975, President Mugabe and national hero Cde Edgar Tekere crossed into Mozambique, but most of these narratives are disjointed because they do not recognise that such operations required trustworthy and committed people to execute them, and the Catholic priest and his colleagues in the church was one such personality. 

This was why the celebration of his Golden Jubilee as a priest on December 13, 2014 at St Peter’s Kubatana in Harare’s Highfield suburb was a semi-State occasion. By then, Zimbabwe’s politics was already at a tipping point. 

That was also why the now Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga was among the many dignitaries that attended the celebration mass. 

In his address, Dr Chiwenga put the Zimbabwean story into proper context, showing the role that Fr Ribeiro and the church in general played in the fight against settler colonialism. Thus the church and State honoured a man whose contributions will leave a lasting impression on the nation. 

This writer has known the Chivhu-born priest through his hymnal compositions, his Shona novels “Muchadura”, “Tonderai” and “Ndakaitei”. Born in 1935, Fr Ribeiro did his education at Kutama Mission, Gokomere in Masvingo and trained as a teacher at Gwelo Teachers’ College (now Midlands State University). He studied Theology at Chishawasha Mission. 

For three years, he was my spiritual mentor while we were studying at Indiana University, Bloomington campus in the Unites States of America, where he was reading a Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology, together with reggae musician and academic King Isaac (Isaac Kalumbu). 

Thus I revisit the wide-ranging interview I had with him on the eve of Golden Jubilee celebration mass for his service in the church. 

The first question was who is Fr Ribeiro, to which he gave a philosophical response: “This will produce a five-volume book, but the simplest answer is that I don’t know. Today, you’re here, but before that you were somewhere else. You speak to this one and that one. Sometimes you say or do things whose repercussions you don’t know of” he said. 

“When you think you’re done; you won’t know that what you said or did implicated or affected many people. Again, you’re looking at consequences. What you did yesterday is not what you’ll do today because the future is important. You can’t repeat yesterday. It’s gone. All you can say in terms of yesterday is that you wish you could have done this or changed that, but that’s wishful thinking. What influenced you yesterday will not repeat itself the same way.” In the five-hour interview, I knew that he had more to talk about, but did not want to say it. What influenced him to become a priest and some of his memorable moments? Fr Ribeiro, who was trained at Chishawasha Mission from 1952 and was ordained on December 13, 1964, said: “It’s like you’re in a house with builders. The conversation will be around the building profession. The same when you’re around soccer players. Eventually, you’re influenced to want to play football. 

“But, sometimes you might even take a negative approach, but people surrounding you would have influenced even that. Be that as it may, every situation has its own challenges and good points. Sometimes, you might be attracted by the problems.” 

After his ordination in 1964, Fr Ribeiro worked in Mhondoro, Highfield in Harare and from 1968 to 1983, he was a Prison Chaplain for Harare Central Prison, then half the country and the whole country. It was during this period that Fr Ribeiro met the majority of Zimbabwe’s nationalists including Presidents Mugabe and Mnangagwa. This was a difficult period where he encountered issues he had never received practical training on. 

Said Fr Ribeiro: “When you’re a chaplain, you’re not there to convert anyone. Your duty is to care for the spiritual and social needs of every inmate regardless of their standing. All of them have needs — personal and family needs — so, when you are chaplain, you serve them ALL. And, every inmate is extremely important.” 

He recounted one incident when the Rhodesian forces sent truckloads of political detainees from Gokwe: men, women, children and the elderly. It was a trying time for him because as chaplain, he had to ensure that their basic needs were met. He also said the folly of the settler colonial regime was to think that by locking away people as political prisoners, they were dealing with the problem. 

“What they did not realise was that they were in actual fact creating more problems because the conditions were very harsh. They did not realise that they were also creating ‘terrorists’ in these people, the very terrorists they were fighting. Oh, God forbid! . . . That’s why I left the prison system because it has never reformed anybody.” 

He pointed out that these inhuman detentions were eventually the model used when the Rhodesians started protected villages or “keeps”. 

I asked Fr Ribeiro: “You have seen so much, dealt with so many people, there are challenges, how should people deal with them?” 

After a long pause, he answered, “This is where minds meet. If we lock up people, does it change them?” 

He lamented the seeming lack of identity and allegiance to Zimbabwe and everything therein saying: “We don’t have a sense of value where we say, this is my country and I am prepared to die for it. We need to define and affirm that this (Zimbabwe) is my country and I will die for it. 

“I’ve to protect her inherent assets because all that is in me is Zimbabwe, everything is mine: Life, Land and Liberty. There is a sacred covenant with my God, soaked and sealed in the blood of its gallant sons and daughters. This is why Zimbabwe is a nation among a community of nations today.” 

After writing “Muchadura”, one of the most prominent Shona novels of the 20th century, Fr Ribeiro said his writing career never stopped: “I am now writing something different — composing music. ‘Ngoma ingadai ichirira muchechi here? Ko hosho?’” (Would the cowhide drum be played in church; even rattles?), he asked what I knew was an open-ended question. 

According to ZimCatholic magazine, “To many people, Fr Ribeiro has been outstanding as a priest especially in the area of church music where he is credited with composing the first Shona hymns in the late 50’s. He has composed many popular hymns to an extent he has lost count, although conservative figures put his lot at 30. 

“His first song, ‘Gamuchirai Mambo mupiro uyu’ came in 1961 and continues to be sung today. His other popular compositions include ‘Alleluia munyika dzose’, ‘Tauya nezvipo zvemupiro’, ‘Mambo Mwari wamasimba’, ‘Hwayana yaMwari’, ‘Mwari Ngaarumbidzwe’, amongst others.” 

ZimCatholic also wrote that Fr Ribeiro expressed gratitude to the Archdiocese leadership who saw it worthy to celebrate his Golden Jubilee through music which is an appreciation of his works. He challenged the Catholic University of Zimbabwe and Seminaries to have departments of music to help improve the quality of music and singing in the church. 

After 50 years of service to the church and nation, one would think that he would have announced his retirement. It was folly to ask such a question considering the litany of programmes he said he was working on. 

He continued with the Lord’s work, and also lending support to the Second Republic’s new thrust of engagement and re-engagement; Zimbabwe is open for business mantra; national prayer days; national peace and reconciliation, etc. Fr Ribeiro was a storehouse of knowledge. The Church, together with interested partners must ensure that his legacy is well preserved, and that the large personal library he has left behind, will be accessed by everyone interested in the various facets of his life and works. 

May your dear soul rest in eternal peace Baba Ribeiro!