Interview with Zimbabwe's Minister of Tourism at JW HQ

by OrphanCrow 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  OrphanCrow

  I notice that the video I had linked to in this thread is no longer available on youtube. It is available on the org site, tho:
  

  https://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by-region/zimbabwe/interview-zimbabwe-minister-of-tourism/

  And for the sake of posterity, this image is the Minister of Tourism posing with WT dudes in 2014:

  http://www.herald.co.zw/witnessing-a-towering-faith/
  

  
  

  Zimbabwe is undergoing a little bit of upheaval at the moment.

  It appears like Ol' Bob has been dethroned. The army has taken over:

  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42035981

  "Outside State House, the president's office, some people staged a sit-down protest in front of a line of troops, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai addressed the crowd, to cheers.
  The BBC's Andrew Harding in Harare says this is a watershed moment and there can be no return to power for Mr Mugabe.
  Our correspondent says the situation may appear to be getting out of Zanu-PF's control and there could be a broad push to introduce a transitional government that includes the opposition."

  I wonder where that will leave the JWs/WTS in Zimbabwe?

  Apparently, according to this article from January 2016, the WTS in Zimbabwe has been poised to get involved in Zimbabwe's education system:

  http://www.herald.co.zw/jehovahs-witnesses-contribution-to-literacy/

  https://www.newsday.co.zw/2016/07/witnesses-debut-zibf-exhibition/
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  OrphanCrow

  Oh no.

  It ain't over.

  Bob and Grace are standing fast

  http://www.smh.com.au/world/robert-mugabe-defiant-ready-to-die-for-what-is-correct-nephew-says-20171118-gzo91b.html
  
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  OrphanCrow

  Now it is over.

  The fat lady has sang.

  Mugabe is finished.

  He resigned just as impeachment proceedings got under way.

  http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/africa/robert-mugabe-resigns-zimbabwe-president/index.html
  

  Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN)Robert Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe's President after 37 years of autocratic rule on Tuesday, finally succumbing to the pressure of a military takeover and the humiliation of impeachment.
  The announcement came minutes into a joint session of the Zimbabwean Parliament in Harare, convened to prise the 93-year-old from power.
  As the Speaker read out a letter from Mugabe, lawmakers broke out in thunderous applause. The impeachment proceedings were immediately suspended.
  In the streets outside, crowds erupted in rapturous celebrations, dancing and cheering in joy, raising their fists and waving Zimbabwean flags.

  Read more at link

  
  
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  OrphanCrow

  From this link here:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/285370002/similarities-between-witnesses-wwll-witnesses-under-rulership-robert-mugabe-zimbabwe

  joe134: ...I was having a conversation with a black brother from Zimbabwe while out in field service about the persecution the brothers would be enduring under the rulership of Robert Mugabe. To my surprise this brother actually said the exact opposite to what I thought. Robert Mugabe is quite favourable to the witnesses And prefers to have them working for him in none political roles e.g grounds men, cleaners etc. Because of political neutrality they arnt a threat to his ideals. Interestingly to I note that recently there was an international convention there, and I can't help but wonder if this was a political ploy to perhaps convert the masses to an organisation that will allow him to carry on unhindered. What I think to is this would of also allowed him to improve his public image with the locals e.g foreign currency /spending etc.. As let's face it at the time what other westerner would want to visit Zimbabwe.

  And a later comment in that same thread (to add - oops, I see that Searcher posted the same thing earlier on this thread too):

  The Searcher: I spoke (at a convention) with a white brother from Zimbabwe who related the story of a young black Zimbabwean man who was fleeing for his life from a group of men who wanted to kill him. He evaded a terrible death by running into a Kingdom Hall where he was hidden by the J.W.'s attending. The young man was Robert Mugabe. The brother also informed me that Morgan Tsvangurai warned the Witnesses a few years ago, that once he had dealt with Mugabe, he was going to deal with them.
  This explains the enigma of Zimbabwe's tolerance of J.W.'s.

  Can anyone confirm or deny this story?

  Searcher? I find this story to be quite interesting. Especially now that Mugabe is gone and Tsvangurai is poised to share in the power re-structuring of Zimbabwe. That story of Mugabe being rescued by JWs - is that another of the those JW legends or is there any truth to it?
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  steve2

  Mugabe work putty on JWs who exclaim, "Thank you, kind sir!"

  
  
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  OrphanCrow

  There we go. I found the interview on youtube

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6u9jASyLtA
• 

  OrphanCrow

  I am a little bit fascinated with the 2014 convention held in Harare.

  Every time I read/hear something from the org's sources, the number of 82,500 is emphasized. This fellow in the video interview does it too - 82,500 in attendance!

  Here is the fluff piece, the press release that follows all JW conventions:
  

  Jehovah's Witness convention ends on high note
  

  August 25, 2014
  Bronfenbrenner Torubanda
  The three-day International Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses ended in Harare yesterday with the giant National Sports Stadium filled to capacity. The convention, which ran under the theme “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom” attracted thousands of people, with a bumper crowd of over 82 000 attending yesterday. So huge was the crowd that some speakers and giant screens were mounted outside at the National Sports Stadium B Arena to cater for those who failed to secure space inside.
  The convention was conducted in Shona, English, Ndebele, Chinese and sign language and everyone was counted when entering the stadium.
  Out of 3 500 international delegates, 2 000 were from United States of America, while 1 500 were from Brazil and Germany.
  About 2 000 delegates came from African countries such as Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa.

  Now. Lets look at this article:

  50,000 Jehovah's Witness pilgrims denied entry into Zimbabwe

  by Staff reporter
  15 Aug 2014
  At least 50 000 pilgrims from South Africa who were supposed to attend the annual conference of Jehovah's Witness scheduled for August 22 -24 at the National Sports Stadium were stopped from coming into the country for fear of logistical nightmares.
  Addressing a press briefing in Harare yesterday ahead of the conference, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive oficer Karikoga Kaseke said a good number of South Africans, who were supposed to come for the religious gathering, would no longer be attending the event.
  "If they were allowed to come there was going to be chaos at Beitbridge Border Post as they were going to come by road. We are interested in religious tourism, but we do not have facilities to handle such huge numbers of people," he said.
  About 3 500 international pilgrims from the United States and United Kingdom have been confirmed to attend the event and were booked in hotels around the capital, while over 42 000 locals were set to attend the annual conference.
  Jehovah's Witness digital events co-ordinator Carl Lindstrom said locals would be staying in schools.
  "Guests are booked into 16 hotels around the capital and 37 lodges. About 3 500 international guests are expected while over 42 000 locals are set to attend. Most of the locals would be accommodated at five schools that have offered to house guests," he added.
  John Hunguka, another representative of the church, said internationally, the church has 7,9 million followers with an estimated 42 000 followers in Zimbabwe.

  And then there is this:

  Ebola Fears Cloud Jehovah's Witnesses Meeting in Zimbabwe

  August 14, 2014HARARE — Zimbabwe's government is in a quandary as the country prepares to host a three-day Jehovah's Witnesses conference with 50,000 people from around the world expected to attend. Some delegates will come from West Africa, where there has been an outbreak of Ebola. Given the state of the host’s health care system, however, some delegates might be barred from attending.
  Dr. Christopher Tapfumaneyi, the principal director in Zimbabwe’s health ministry, says the country has not had an Ebola case, but that the government is aware of problems that the conference might present. Tapfumaneyi says with the advice of the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has started educating some medical officials about Ebola.
  “They are going to ensure that if there is a visitor coming into the country who in the past three weeks has been in the three countries that have been targeted, they will look at the person closely. If there is reason to isolate that person, that isolation will be done. The centers have already been prepared for that," he said.
  The Zimbabwean official is referring to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and that Zimbabwe is not taking chances. The government has since recalled all its soldiers on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia following the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
  The World Health Organization head in Zimbabwe, Dr. David Okello, says the southern African nation must not panic.
  “The likelihood of Ebola coming here is remote," he said. "The risk is low, but we live in a global village. Somebody could be infected with Ebola in Liberia, flies to South Africa and is here the next day. I think my main worry is we are now dealing with, not an epidemic of Ebola here, but an epidemic of fear and panic."
  Zimbabwe's health care system has been near collapse for more than a decade.
  Earlier this week, the African Union said the continent’s ministers of health would meet in September to lobby their countries to replenish the AU's Special Emergency Fund for Drought and Famine, which will also now cover public health.
  The AU said the Ebola outbreak provides an impetus to speed up the establishment of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention for early detection, preparedness and response. An early detection center is what all Jehovah's Witnesses coming to Zimbabwe will experience.
  If they have been to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea, they might not attend the conference, but Effort Mugabe, the coordinator of the Jehovah's Witnesses conference, is convinced all will go well.
  “We are not very much concerned, because very shortly the government assured that they are in total control of it. We do hope that with the help of the government, we will be happy to do it without any problems at all," he said.
  The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is probably the deadliest in history and led health ministers from southern Africa to meet in South Africa last week. They asked World Health Organization officials to provide for the control of the international spread of disease across borders.

  
  
  

  
  
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  OrphanCrow

  *damn editing...picking up where I left off...*

  So.

  A convention that was expecting 45,500 to 50,000 attendees had 50,000 stopped at the border and then, with the remaining ones who were scheduled to attend, there was, apparently, screening for Ebola done on them.

  And...the full attendance turned out to be 82,500? Did it? When they were only prepared for less than 50 thou? turned 50, 000 away?...and yet still managed to accommodate over 80 thou.

  Something doesn't add up. Something doesn't smell right.

  
  
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  stan livedeath

  just watchtower accountancy