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David Kaulemu
Correspondent
In life we sometimes encounter a unique and rare breed of human beings, whose footprints are larger than life, and who come into our lives, exuberant, pleasant and joyful.
I count Professor Jameson Kurasha to be one of them.
Prof Kurasha died last Friday at a hospital in Harare after battling kidney ailments.
He was a respected academic, teacher, researcher, administrator, graduate supervisor and leader.
Many will talk about his wonderful exploits in academia, in the church, business, management, the family and other public offices.
Others, especially colleagues and students will bear witness to his contributions at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), at the then Arrupe College, now Arrupe Jesuit University, and indeed at other universities in Zimbabwe and the world over.
I will not talk about my 13 years working with him at the UZ and other professional collaborations at colleges, universities in Zimbabwe and abroad. I will rather reflect on how I knew him as a brother, a friend, and a wonderful human being.
He loved to see others succeed and being happy.
It gave him joy.
He was not intimidated by the success, intelligence and flourishing of others.
In fact, he worked hard to make others achieve more. I know this from experience.
He accompanied me and showed me the way to Gutu to get married. He pushed me to do a doctorate and supervised my thesis. I enjoyed writing my thesis because he facilitated for me to, as he would say, “find my own voice”.
Jamie, as he wanted me to call him, even though he was much older than me, was a blessed and cheerful person.
Those who worked with him at the Zimbabwe Open University, where he worked say “he was a kind and humble Professor. An inspiration to many, and a true gentleman with a great sense of humour.”
Even as his health began to fail, when people went to see him, he always made them to feel good.
He was the one joking, talking and making people laugh and feel better as if he was not ill.
Prof Kurasha saw the good side of people. He trusted people and had hope and best wishes for them.
This was his strength as a human being. But it may have made him vulnerable in the kind of world we live in.
As a people person, during his time, Professor Jameson Kurasha could talk to the highest people on the land, in the State House, in the Harare City Council, in leading companies and institutions.
Internationally, he also engaged with State Houses.
His favourite anecdotes were about the late first president of Zambia, His Excellency Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
Prof Kurasha’s brother in law was a Cabinet Minister in the Malawian Government.
He could engage at their level. Yet he also had the language to engage those considered to be the lowest of the lowest even on the street.
You should have seen him talk to old wise women and men in rural villages.
Prof Kurasha engaged young people and gave them hope.
This man, Jameson Kurasha, had a gift of engaging others without threatening them with his status, education, or his physical size.
He enjoyed conversations and human encounters. In a world where class, ethnicity, politics, and religion are dividing people, Jamie revelled in engaging human beings as human beings.
I will miss him dearly. I know many will miss him too. Professor Jameson Kurasha’s life teaches us that in modern society we meet in the realm of politics where we engage with power and state bureaucracies.
We also meet in the realm of the economy where we make contracts and grapple with issues of resources and their distribution. Yet, any healthy society must also find or deliberately create a realm where we must meet simply as human beings — not as business people in the economy nor cadres in the political scene.
This realm, where we must meet and engage simply as human beings, is called civil society.
Pope Benedict XVI, recognised the importance of civil society when he wrote, “a strong civil sector is the basis of a healthy society and a healthy economy: economic contracts and state bureaucracies cannot hold a society together in peace, nor increase its solidarity” (Caritas in Veritate, 2009)
Professor Jameson Kurasha was a civil society citizen par excellence.
It is with a heavy heart, but with much pride to have known him, that today, I say to Professor Jameson Kurasha, Jameson, Jamie, go well my brother.
Online Reporter