Reverend Massango R. Warakula, an Ecotheologist, grew up in Zimbabwe, land of the Shona/Ndebele people, whose spiritual understanding was informed by the surrounding environment. Mountains, rivers, trees and animals were all held as sacred. Everyone in Zimbabwe belongs to a certain animal totem and indeed, Massango’s very name means ‘tree.’ During his lifetime, however, he’s borne witness to the corporatization of natural resources. Rivers once deemed sacred were turned into waste dumps. Sacred mountains and shrines were destroyed, and water borne illnesses such as cholera and typhoid proliferated. Having traveled to Geneva to attend a Green Churches Conference organized through the World Council of Churches, Massango continues to work for goodness, justice, and environmental stewardship.
