A Tribute to Africa University’s Munashe Furusa
Professor Munashe Furusa, Africa University’s fourth vice-chancellor, died suddenly on Jan. 13. He was 59.
Africa University is the first and only fully accredited institution of higher learning established on the African continent by action of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Furusa served as dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at California State University, Dominquez Hills, before being named vice-chancellor at Africa University. He held a Doctor of Philosophy degree in African Literature and Critical Theory, a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Honors in English, all from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as a diploma in education from Bondolfi Teachers College in Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
The church deeply mourns this death, said Charlie Moore, a member of Community UMC in Crofton serves on the Africa University Board of Directors. “Jesus wept.”
Moore remembers Furusa as a significant leader, a friend, and a great servant of the Lord. He wrote:
This past Wednesday morning, I woke up to what I thought was going to be another quiet day of managing through this never-ending Covid pandemic. However, this calm was totally rocked as I opened my first WhatsApp message from a friend in Zimbabwe and read:
This past Wednesday morning, I woke up to what I thought was going to be another quiet day of managing through this never-ending Covid pandemic. However, this calm was totally rocked as I opened my first WhatsApp message from a friend in Zimbabwe and read:
This past Wednesday morning, I woke up to what I thought was going to be another quiet day of managing through this never-ending Covid pandemic. However, this calm was totally rocked as I opened my first WhatsApp message from a friend in Zimbabwe and read:
“It’s so sad Pro Furusa is no more. This COVID-19 has robbed us.”
I frantically read through a long list of other messages confirming the fact that a very dear friend and colleague had succumbed to the ravages of this dreaded disease. I tried to convince myself that this was not true. After all, I had received a message from my dear friend VC Furusa only two days before saying:
“I have been focusing on recovering. I was able to walk a few steps this morning. I'm still very weak. It has been tough, but God is helping me to pull through.”
Yes, it was true that the Vice Chancellor of Africa University had died earlier that morning. As the day unfolded, there were many messages, phone calls and a 90-minute ZOOM meeting of The Board of Directors of Africa University as we learned more about the circumstances and reflected upon the impact of this loss.
As the day moved on, many voices came forth with profound expressions of shock, grief, respect and love for this great leader in our global connection. A few examples include:
“We are deeply touched by the sudden disappearance of Professor Munashe Furusa.”
“A dark cloud has passed over the valley of dreams this morning …”
“A tree has fallen…”
“Prof Furusa was a giant among us.”
“As we mourn a great leader who inspired, motivated and moved all of us to become the best versions of ourselves, we cherish the memories, transformative work, and powerful moments that we were honored to share with him.”
“We send our most sincere condolences to the biological family and to the whole family of Africa University.”
But it was these following messages that served to pull me into focus:
“Be gentle with yourself.”
“We are all devastated. This came when we least expected. We seek the Lord for strength.”
It was at this point that I felt drawn to John 11:35 to remember that “Jesus wept”. Yes, Jesus was weeping at the loss of his friend Lazarus. This was comforting to me because many of us have been weeping a lot over these past several days. We should all be comforted by the fact that we know that Jesus is also weeping with us today. As we look through our tears into the uncertainties of the future, we thank the Lord for having the privilege of sharing in the ministry and friendship of such a fearless visionary and caring spirit.
Furusa will be buried Jan. 15 in his home village of Nhema in Shurugwi in southern Zimbabwe. He is survived by his wife, Zanele, daughter Charlotte and sons Osborne, Tanaka, and Munashe (Junior).