Blood, Sweat & Treason

Last week I had the privilege of attending an event in a church in Sheffield. Henry Olonga, the former Zimbabwean test cricketer, was sharing something of his life story. It was a fascinating evening, as the audience listened with wrapt attention. We heard about key elements of his life, from his birth in Zambia, to his parents' separation, to life growing up in Zimbabwe, his Christian conversion, life as an international cricketer and beyond. Olonga also has a fine singing voice, and he sang several songs during gthe evening.

Of course, Zimbabwe has had a very troubled recent history, and Henry Olonga related how he came to recognise the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Zimbabwean authorities. He had a growing sense that he could not remain silent in the face of what was happening.

During the Cricket World Cup in 2003, Olonga and team-mate Andy Flower took the brave decision to wear black armbands to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe. He and Flower released a statement, stating in part:

“In all the circumstances, we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup. In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe. In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so, we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our nation.”

This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga's arrest on charges of treason (which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.

Olonga made it clear in what he said that his Christian faith played a large part in helping him come to the decision to take such a stand, at the risk of his own personal safety. His action resulted in the end of his international cricketing career. As I heard him speak, I asked myself whether I would have taken such a stand. And that’s a challenging question. I’m looking forward to reading Henry Olonga’s new book, Blood, Sweat and Treason.