Tanzania: President Magufuli showing up to CHURCH at this point is endangering the faithful

We are not closing places of worship. That’s where there is true healing. Corona is the devil and it cannot survive in the body of Jesus” (…) “People don’t argue, we’re too competitive. I pray to the Christian brothers and Tanzanians of all denominations, this is the best time to trust in God than ever, continue to work, continue to build our economy, we cannot surrender our corona disease and fail to trust God and fail to sustain our economy” – Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli

Mr. President these words your saying now isn’t words of wisdom. They are neither smart or wise. They are actually very stupid. As the world as we know is exercising social restraint or social distancing. That is a sport, which hopefully be a part of the next summer Olympics. However, until then, maybe it will be more respected.

To go to a service, prayer meeting or to “church”, usually means a solid amount people in a closed space. They are between closed doors and the preacher/reverent/prophet or priest in the front with a musician, choir and whatnot singing psalms, worship-songs or whatnot. This is being done to praise the lord and collectively redeem the souls and arm the body of Christ. Which in ordinary days are fine. It is golden, that people decides to do this.

However, by continuing this now is foolish. It is ragouts and dangerous. This is endangering the lives of the faithful. This is deceiving them. God gave them a mind and heart, they should use them both. God isn’t based in a building, but everywhere. Prayers can be done from wherever. Singing psalms and reading uplifting scriptures can be done from wherever. God isn’t in a box and only the clergy can reveal the facts of the scriptures. If they say so, they downplaying the Holy Ghost and the whole Trinity itself.

President Magufuli should beg for mercy. His is sending people into big gatherings in the midst of COVID-19 or Coronavirus. Endangering the faithful, the men of faith and the ones whose good Church people. The President is not stopping this or suspending these practices. Because, he believes his praising the devil by doing so. The devil is in the details and when you know something will harm the public. Than you stop it. Even when its usually unharmful. Usually going to church is causing no one harm, unless the local church is playing to high music and destroying people’s earholes while singing worships. That is a well-known phenomenon.

The President should reconsider, if he cares for these Christians and their faith. If he cares about their lives and souls. That is if he does. He should close these churches. Only temporarily. Not forever, but all public gatherings are open gates for transmitting the disease. When you know this, you should not engage it.

If your a Christian in Tanzania, you should defy your President and your clergy. Stay home and pray. Your born with a great mind, God gave it to you. Not for you to spoil it for the tithes of the Church. You are a person of faith, who deserve to live on and pass this pandemic. God can see you in your home and in your neighbourhood. You don’t need to travel to the church now. He see your heart and see your will. His the almighty for a reason and we just his servants.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is”- Ephesians 5: 15-17 (New International Version).

Still, he gave us wisdom. We got to be faithful, but not naive. We shouldn’t risk our lives to pray together. God will understand. His the biggest big-man and know our struggles. He didn’t create church to make it a gate to funerals. Peace.

Opinion: A crisis like we’re living through now is exposing the leadership

You can sit back- and enjoy the show. No, you really cannot. There is no enjoyment. Nor relaxing, as the uncertainty is growing. The howling questions of how long will this state last and what measures are truly working.

We have borders closed. Airports shut-down, schools, churches, libraries and bars/restaurant all closed for the moment. There are only the bare minimum and necessities are still open. Hospitals are getting full of people with symptoms, the lack of enough health care workers, ventilators, masks and medicine is happening. Even enough test-kits and whatnot. This is an international problem and not just a problem locally.

The leadership with this sort of affair is exposed. The lack of enough ICU beds and extra ventilators, respirators and everything else shows the lack of investment. Also, that they never thought it could become like this. There was no plan for emergencies of these levels. There was no response team or task force put in place to research this.

The state have in the sunshine days never expected this. Even if there been smaller crisis like the Swine-flu and the SARS. Now COVID-19 or the Coronavirus is exposing the matters. They are showing that the Health Care systems provided wasn’t measured for this. Neither was the will to create enough beds and equipments for a possible outbreak. Now, there is added measures and procurement. Now, other factories are creating the needs, which usually made designer cloths and fabrics. Suddenly are used to fix the issues at hand. That is good business for them, but also a proof of actual leadership.

The things done and measures put are done with good intentions. The social distancing and the washing of hands programs. The solidarity and the asking for time to fix it. However, the states itself. The leadership should ask themselves, why they didn’t deal with it better in the sun, but cries havoc in the rain. There is a need for this hindsight 20/20 and also wondering if they could have invested more and built more robust hospitals.

It is easy to catch the breath for 10 seconds and check if you cough or not like the Taiwanese experts says. It is easy to wash hands and avoid other people. Be one meter away and if you have any symptoms, be home. That is not rocket-science.

However, the barricades at home. Still, should ask the authorities and the state if they could have done more to prevent it. If there was enough warnings and signs to follow. I don’t know, but I am questioning it.

Because, the lack of leadership, the lack of taking responsibility and the adjustment from the state. Shows that some states didn’t take this seriously and therefore, the public will now suffer. Just as they have not put measures or the needed investments from the federal state nor the central government to actually do something.

The ones hit the most is usually the poor, the poorly educated and the ones whose not covered. The ones who doesn’t have a pot to piss in and the ones whose far to reach. The ignorant and the ones with to much to pride to understand the task at hand. These are the ones the state needs to shelter and give direct relief too. Not its easy, it never is and it will cost.

But, if we cannot see redemption for the weakest among us, then who are we then? We are just shallow human beings, never thinking this could strike us too. At one point, it might be a neighbour or a family member. There is no boundaries with a pandemic or a crisis like this. Sooner or later, this bitch hits home.

The only redeeming thing we have then is a cut-throat situation, where the facts remains. The results are already there, we can accept them or be defeated. We can either look into the gist, into the headlines and let it be. We can accept to be muffled and toyed with or we can also question the powers to be. By all means, follow the instructions and show solidarity, but still at the same time wonder if they did enough.

Because, when the days are over and this slows down. When this is under control and the scientists, the doctors and the pharma-industry has fixed this. Then, we can look over the measures, look over the numbers and the statistics. Look over the timeline and ask ourselves. Did the leadership enough. Did the authorities do the right thing. That is what we should ask ourselves.

Last but not least. You really see where the leadership gives a damn, where they are trying to propagandaize this and where they trying to fix it. There is really different realities. There is various of attempts, but also small cover-ups, which will come to light later. Where own personal business, where own personalities has destroyed the effects and the possible changes quickly. Instead tried to downplay the pandemic and acted a fool. The ones paying the cost is the citizens and everyone else involved. They will be remembered for that, as they could see from the outbreak to today. That there were measures to make, but instead they deflected them. That is their legacy.

Leadership of our times is exposed. They could have done, what they precautions they could have done and what they did under the sun. Says a lot, but in the rain it is more important with an umbrella. Now, they are teasing those, but need to get them quickly for all of us. Let’s hope they get enough. Peace.

Guinee: Front National pour la Defense de la Constitution (FNDC) – Declaration No. 087 (21.03.2020)

Ethiopia: Update on COVID-19 in Ethiopia March 22, 2020 (22.03.2020)

World Water Day and World Meteorological Day 2020 – Joint message (22.03.2020)

RDC: La Communaute Humanitaire en Republique Democratique du Congo se mobilise en reponse a la pandemie de COVID-19 (21.03.2020)

Tchad: PLEPT – Communique No. 007 (22.03.2020)

RDC: Ville de Kinshasa – Arrete No. 084 – Du 21 Mrs 2020 Portant Application des Mesures Relatives a la Riposte Contre la Panedemie a Corona Virus COVID-19 dans la Ville de Kinshasa (21.03.2020)

Cameroon: Communaute Urbaine de Douala – Reunion Concertation des elus Locaux de la Ville de Douala relative a la Pandemie du Corona Virus – Communique Final (21.03.2020)

Uganda: Ministry of Health – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Case Confirmed (21.03.2020)