TANZANIA: Church Leaders Warn Parents on Rising Murder Incidents in the Country
Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba, Rt. Rev. Methodius Kilaini,
Pascal Mwanache
Failure of some families to guarantee proper upbringing and development of their children has been cited as one of the reasons for the recently worrying trends of incidents of killings which involve family members.
This has been stated by some religious leaders in the country at different times especially following the escalation of killings of various people in different parts of the country. The Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba, Rt. Rev. Methodius Kilaini, said that many parents and guardians are not responsible for the upbringing of their children, leading to globalization to take over.
“There is apparently one misfortune: we have given birth to children of dot.com and globalization. In our time we used to stay with parents, we spent time with them, talking to them, they tell you stories and you stay together. Nowadays, a child does not see the father or mother. Instead, the child is glued on the television and cell phone…All the child knows is the TV, phone, and computer. All the child learns is from these gadgets,” he explained.
Bishop Kilaini added that since a child is brought up in this environment, what he/she sees there is what becomes one’s way of life.
“If it is murder he is watching on television or violent films, this becomes normal to him,” laments Bishop Kilaini.
For his part, Abbot Pambo Martini OSB of the Holy Spirit Abbey, Mvimwa, said that the nation must return to prayer, strengthen faith, teach justice and restore social and family ties that are currently disrupted.
“Today parents are strangers to their children, and children are strangers to their parents. We have come to a scenario where you hear the father slaughtering the wife and the children, and the radio/ television announcer announces with complete peace. We need to be concerned about this bad situation, or else something worse will happen to our society,” he said.
