(pichani Prof. Horace Campbell)Long live the Spirit of Joshua Mkhululi: A tribute to a tireless defender of freedom and justice.
By Prof. Horace Campbell
Our brother Joshua Mkhululi joined the ancestors on March 18 but he is with still us in spirit. This is the spirit of peace and love, the creed of the movement that he accepted and practiced without a hint of intolerance towards others. It must be explicitly stated that our brother was a Rasta. His selfless faith was manifest in how he worked with others. Hailing from Jamaica, our brother believed in the making of sacrifices in order to support the full emancipation of all peoples. As a member of the mansion of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, our brother known by his slave name, Ken Edwards, took the name of Joshua. Like the other famous member of the twelve tribes, Robert Nesta Marley (who took the name Joseph) our brother had been nurtured to serve. He was born in Jamaica and studied in the United States at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Brother Joshua graduated from Stanford Business School in California with an MBA. This education in an elite business school opened doors for him in the corporate world and in high paying international organizations. Instead of joining the world of capital and speculation, our brother chose to relocate to Tanzania and became a strong force to support the independence of Tanzania and the Liberation of Southern Africa. He was the first Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Management at the University of Dar es Salaam. At that historical moment the issues of an independent path in commerce and management was being fashioned in a context where Tanzania was shouldering the major task of supporting the independence struggles in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa.
Our brother worked at his calling as the Dean with gusto making untold sacrifices to ensure that the Faculty grew, expanded and trained the next generation of teachers, researchers and scholars. The professionalism that was displayed by Joshua ensured that even those who carried petty prejudices against those with dreadlocks had to respect the major contribution that he was making to Tanzania and Southern Africa. While serving as Dean, he also served as the Chairperson of the Liberation Committee at the University of Dar es Salaam. This was the committee that worked very hard to educate the society on the issues of the decolonization process in Rhodesia. This committee exposed the limitations of the Lancaster House agreement and it was the sense of the committee that independence did not just arrive with a flag. Joshua shared the sentiments of Bob Marley who performed at the Zimbabwe Independence Celebrations in April 1980 in his tribute to the struggles for freedom in Zimbabwe, Bob had warned, “Soon, we will find out who are the real revolutionaries.”
Joshua never sought to benefit from his support for the independence of Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The nature of his last years showed that he wanted to continue to serve his people in his adopted home of Arusha in Tanzania.
I first met our Brother when I joined the University of Dar es Salaam in August 1981. He immediately recommended that I join the committee to work for the liberation struggle. My working relationship with our brother was one of the most rewarding aspects of my sojourn in Tanzania. Our work along with George Rubiik and countless others endured the machinations of Ronald Reagan, Chester Crocker and the neo-conservatives in the United States that wanted to defeat the liberation project. Specifically, inside of Tanzania, there had been efforts to impose the Washington Consensus (in the form of the IMF structural adjustment Program) while seeking to infiltrate the society to spread the view that Tanzania could not afford to support independence in Southern Africa. Our work in the Namibia liberation committee is now part of the history of the Liberation of Africa. We can now say that this work withstood threats, intrigue and efforts to make mischief.
Brother Joshua worked hard with community forces. From his Faculty there were efforts to strengthen the spirit of sharing and cooperation. In the midst of the IMF economic war against the people of Tanzania the Faculty of Commerce established Coooperative at the University to ensure that goods were equitably distributed. Working with Jan Jasper this was truly one of the better examples of Scholarship in Action.
As a community activist Brother Joshua worked hard with his youth group in Kunduchi. He was the trainer, coach, manager and supporter of this community.
In our last two meetings we reflected on our dream of building a Pan African University in Tanzania, specifically in Arusha. During my last visit to Arusha in July 2007, we discussed at great length the need for an institution grounded in the principles of wealth creation for Africa and the values of self reliance.
The nature of his illness and his passing is a strong indictment on the new values and ethics that have overtaken the land of ujamma. Our brother was selfless. He welcomed all into his home. He was father and brother to countless numbers. His home was a refuge for those who wanted to reflect and have peace. Many at this ceremony will not know the importance of Brother Joshua as the senior ambassador for the Rastafari movement. In a sense, he should not be called an ambassador because he was at home in Africa. It is fitting that his mortal remains will lie close to his family and colleagues in Tanzania. To his family we say please draw strength from the fact that this was a man of love. Like Che Guevara, Brother Joshua Mkhululi was guided by the spirits peace and love.
Horace Campbell
By Prof. Horace Campbell
Our brother Joshua Mkhululi joined the ancestors on March 18 but he is with still us in spirit. This is the spirit of peace and love, the creed of the movement that he accepted and practiced without a hint of intolerance towards others. It must be explicitly stated that our brother was a Rasta. His selfless faith was manifest in how he worked with others. Hailing from Jamaica, our brother believed in the making of sacrifices in order to support the full emancipation of all peoples. As a member of the mansion of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, our brother known by his slave name, Ken Edwards, took the name of Joshua. Like the other famous member of the twelve tribes, Robert Nesta Marley (who took the name Joseph) our brother had been nurtured to serve. He was born in Jamaica and studied in the United States at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Brother Joshua graduated from Stanford Business School in California with an MBA. This education in an elite business school opened doors for him in the corporate world and in high paying international organizations. Instead of joining the world of capital and speculation, our brother chose to relocate to Tanzania and became a strong force to support the independence of Tanzania and the Liberation of Southern Africa. He was the first Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Management at the University of Dar es Salaam. At that historical moment the issues of an independent path in commerce and management was being fashioned in a context where Tanzania was shouldering the major task of supporting the independence struggles in Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa.
Our brother worked at his calling as the Dean with gusto making untold sacrifices to ensure that the Faculty grew, expanded and trained the next generation of teachers, researchers and scholars. The professionalism that was displayed by Joshua ensured that even those who carried petty prejudices against those with dreadlocks had to respect the major contribution that he was making to Tanzania and Southern Africa. While serving as Dean, he also served as the Chairperson of the Liberation Committee at the University of Dar es Salaam. This was the committee that worked very hard to educate the society on the issues of the decolonization process in Rhodesia. This committee exposed the limitations of the Lancaster House agreement and it was the sense of the committee that independence did not just arrive with a flag. Joshua shared the sentiments of Bob Marley who performed at the Zimbabwe Independence Celebrations in April 1980 in his tribute to the struggles for freedom in Zimbabwe, Bob had warned, “Soon, we will find out who are the real revolutionaries.”
Joshua never sought to benefit from his support for the independence of Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The nature of his last years showed that he wanted to continue to serve his people in his adopted home of Arusha in Tanzania.
I first met our Brother when I joined the University of Dar es Salaam in August 1981. He immediately recommended that I join the committee to work for the liberation struggle. My working relationship with our brother was one of the most rewarding aspects of my sojourn in Tanzania. Our work along with George Rubiik and countless others endured the machinations of Ronald Reagan, Chester Crocker and the neo-conservatives in the United States that wanted to defeat the liberation project. Specifically, inside of Tanzania, there had been efforts to impose the Washington Consensus (in the form of the IMF structural adjustment Program) while seeking to infiltrate the society to spread the view that Tanzania could not afford to support independence in Southern Africa. Our work in the Namibia liberation committee is now part of the history of the Liberation of Africa. We can now say that this work withstood threats, intrigue and efforts to make mischief.
Brother Joshua worked hard with community forces. From his Faculty there were efforts to strengthen the spirit of sharing and cooperation. In the midst of the IMF economic war against the people of Tanzania the Faculty of Commerce established Coooperative at the University to ensure that goods were equitably distributed. Working with Jan Jasper this was truly one of the better examples of Scholarship in Action.
As a community activist Brother Joshua worked hard with his youth group in Kunduchi. He was the trainer, coach, manager and supporter of this community.
In our last two meetings we reflected on our dream of building a Pan African University in Tanzania, specifically in Arusha. During my last visit to Arusha in July 2007, we discussed at great length the need for an institution grounded in the principles of wealth creation for Africa and the values of self reliance.
The nature of his illness and his passing is a strong indictment on the new values and ethics that have overtaken the land of ujamma. Our brother was selfless. He welcomed all into his home. He was father and brother to countless numbers. His home was a refuge for those who wanted to reflect and have peace. Many at this ceremony will not know the importance of Brother Joshua as the senior ambassador for the Rastafari movement. In a sense, he should not be called an ambassador because he was at home in Africa. It is fitting that his mortal remains will lie close to his family and colleagues in Tanzania. To his family we say please draw strength from the fact that this was a man of love. Like Che Guevara, Brother Joshua Mkhululi was guided by the spirits peace and love.
Horace Campbell
Hi,
ReplyDeleteAm sad to read this, he stayed with us in Nairobi, many years ago it must have been the mid 80s and am trying to get a hold of his family those in Africa, Tanzania .. if anyone has a contact please email me here or drop me a inbox on twitter or FB name jothee kiiru