The Portrayal of Politics and Christianity by the Zimbabwean Print Media During the Socio-Economic and Political Crisis (2008–2013)
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The portrayal of Politics and Christianity by the Zimbabwean print media during the socio-economic and political crisis (2008–2013) Muromo Beauty Student Number: 720475 Doctor of Philosophy A Doctoral Thesis submitted to the School of Language, Literature and Media Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of PhD in Media Studies 2018 Declaration I Beauty Muromo, declare that this thesis is my own original work. It is being submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media Studies of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. This work has not been, in substance, submitted previously nor concurrently, in candidature for any degree at any other University. .................................................................... This................day of ………………….2018 i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank the God Almighty who has taken me this far (Ebenezer). Through His grace which is sufficient for me, I managed to do this much. I worked with Jeremiah 29 verse 11 in mind. I owe this thesis to His protection. I also extend gratitude to my Pastor, Enios Musindo for your counselling and prayers. I also thank my supervisor, Professor Nicky Falkof for her guidance and mentorship. Her patience helped me gain insight into the world of academia. My gratitude goes to my husband Francis and children; Ruvimbo Lorraine, Takudzwanashe Leon and Ruramai Lesley. Francis was my advisor and my editor. You went without a wife and mother for times on end as I tried to put this document together. My grandson, Tawananyasha Dylan, you made me continue working. To my colleagues in the Media and Society Studies Department at the Midlands State University, I thank you. Special thanks go to Elikana Shoko for appraising me on historical aspects of media and religion in Zimbabwe as well as brainstorming ideas with me. To Doctor Alacate- Lyton Ncube, thank you Chiremba for guidance and corrections offered in the process of writing this thesis. Sister, officemate and colleague – Tariro Ndawana, be blessed! To Doctors Albert Chibuwe and Oswelled Ureke; thank you for reading some of my chapters. To Pamela, thank you for editing this work and making it readable. Your sterling work is greatly appreciated. Lastly, I thank my sister and friend, Leticia Tendai Letwin Njanji, we prayed for this kuGotekwa to manifest. My sisters; Roselyn Bhibhie, Rumbidzai Fambai, Tracy and Marvellous Chapwanya and Vivian Mubayiwa, thank you for the prayers. My brothers, Elliot and Lloyd, thank you for standing by me! Be blessed. ii Dedication To my late father, Edward Gwauya Chapwanya, I know you would have celebrated with me. To my mother, Lydia Chapwanya, your prayers and blessing made this possible. iii Abstract The use of Christian biblical discourses by the African ruling elite to negotiate hegemony remains a site of contention in African politics and the academic space. This study examines how the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) government and politicians especially former president Robert Mugabe appropriated and deployed Christianity Biblical discourses to negotiate and renew a waning hegemony against a backdrop of rising political opposition, mainly from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), in the post-2000 epoch. While significant studies have examined intersections of religion and politics in post-colonial Africa at large, studies employing a media studies approach in contemporary Zimbabwe are few and far between. This study employs an eclectic approach, drawing insights from Gramscian hegemony, Althusserian Ideology and Bateson’s framing theory to examine the nexus of ZANU PF political discourse and Christianity religion as reflected in selected media. The study is qualitative employing an interpretive approach. A total of 79 purposively selected newspaper articles from both state controlled and privately owned media organisations published from 2008-2013, were subjected to Discourse Analysis in an attempt to gain insights on the relationship between Christianity and ZANU PF politics in Zimbabwe. The study shows that to save a dwindling hegemony, former president Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF government at large turned to the pulpit for political ‘salvation’ and legitimacy. In essence, the state controlled media portrayed Mugabe as a ‘God-ordained’ leader and a Messiah to Zimbabwe’s economic, social and political problems. iv Table of contents Declaration ................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. ii Dedication ................................................................................................................ iii Abstract .................................................................................................................... iv Table of contents...................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Statement of the problem ................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background of the study .................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 History of ZANU PF ................................................................................. 4 1.2.2 ZANU PF ideologies and formation of MDC ............................................ 6 1.3 Study aim ......................................................................................................... 10 1.3.1 Objectives of the study .......................................................................... 10 1.3.2 Research questions ................................................................................ 10 1.4 Rationale .......................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Scope of study ................................................................................................. 11 1.6 Limitations ........................................................................................................ 12 1.7 Chapter outline ................................................................................................ 12 1.8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Literature review and conceptual framework .................................... 14 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 14 2.2 Literature review .............................................................................................. 15 2.2.1 Spirituality in Zimbabwe .......................................................................... 15 2.2.2 Religion, politics and power ................................................................... 21 2.2.3 Missionary press and colonial politics in Zimbabwe ................................ 28 2.2.4 Operations of the media after independence ........................................ 32 2.2.5. The connections between Christianity and politics ................................ 38 2.3 Conceptual framework ..................................................................................... 50 v 2.3.1 Framing ................................................................................................. 51 2.3.2 Hegemony, ideology and discourse ...................................................... 52 2.3.3 Links between framing and hegemony ................................................... 61 2.4 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3: Research methodology ........................................................................... 64 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 64 3.2 Research approach: qualitative research......................................................... 65 3.3 Research design: case study ........................................................................... 66 3.4 Unit of analysis ................................................................................................... 67 3.5 Sampling .......................................................................................................... 68 3.5.1 Purposive sampling ................................................................................. 69 3.6 Data collection method: archival research ....................................................... 71 3.7 Data analysis methods..................................................................................... 75 3.7.1 Discourse analysis ................................................................................ 75 3.8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 79 Chapter 4: Prophecy as an endorsement of political leadership and justification of clinging onto power ........................................................................................... 80 4.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................