Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
4 November 2008
The Anglican bishop of Harare has been named winner of a Swedish human rights prize for "having given voice to the fight against oppression."
Bishop Sebastian Bakare was also cited for his work to promote "freedom of speech and of opinion in a difficult political situation."
He is due to accept the 2008 Per Anger prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 10, said Johan Perwe of the government agency Living History Forum.
Bishop Bakare, installed as bishop of Harare earlier this year, will also be keynote speaker at a human rights conference in Lulea, northern Sweden.
In giving him the award, the agency said Bishop Bakare was an "important voice" who has "received threats as a result of his open and clear criticism of the government, his condemnation of local police brutality and his defence of human rights" in Zimbabwe. The prize, worth 150,000 kronor (19,000 USD), was created in 2004 in honour of Swedish diplomat Per Anger and honours "people and organizations that risk their own safety to defend the rights of the individual against oppression and inhumanity."
Anger was a close associate of Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. The Living History Forum has been commissioned with promoting issues relating to tolerance, democracy and human rights.
In his pastoral letter this September, Bishop Bakare wrote that has been ravaged by corruption and patronage. "Good governance, justice and peace remain a pipe dream for us all in Zimbabwe. Selfish leadership has no room for the neighbour. Such kind of leadership should be reminded of the words of Job: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart'."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Catholic Information Service for Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
