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WCC honours the legacy of Mandela

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GENEVA – Calling Nelson Mandela a leader with hard-won wisdom and maturity unparalleled in our time, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary gave thanks to God for Mandela’s life, which he described as a gift to South Africa and the whole world.

A renowned anti-apartheid activist and Nobel peace laureate who served as South Africa’s first black president, Mandela, 95, passed away on Thursday 5 December at his home in Houghton near Johannesburg.

“He will be recalled as the leader who acted to unify a nation once deliberately divided along the lines of race,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC general secretary. Tveit added that Mandela was a “liberator who by force of his remarkable personality raised the dignity of Africans after centuries of colonialism, oppression and discrimination.”

Tveit described Mandela’s relationship to the WCC as a special one, recalling Mandela’s visit to the WCC Geneva offices in 1990 soon after his release from prison. This is when he expressed his gratitude for the churches’ support to the anti-apartheid struggle.

mandela with childrenAs South Africa’s president, Mandela addressed the WCC’s 8th Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1998. He praised churches’ efforts against apartheid in South Africa, as well as missionaries for bringing high standards of education to Africa from which he benefitted as a child.

Mandela said, “… you have to have been in an apartheid prison in South Africa to appreciate the further importance of the church. They tried to isolate us completely from the outside. Our relatives could see us only once every six months. The link was religious organizations, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and members of the Jewish faith. They were the faithful who inspired us.”

“The WCC’s support exemplified in the most concrete way the contribution that religion made to our liberation,” he added. In his concluding remarks at the assembly, Mandela paid missionaries the compliment of saying that by their faith and action they shared in the “distinction of immortality” as “men and women whose names will live beyond the grave and down the centuries.”

In her reaction to Mandela’s death, Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC’s Central Committee, said, “We thank God for giving us Mandela for 95 years. Through his life and works he has become an icon of dignity and freedom for all human beings.”

“We will remember Mandela for his forgiveness he extended to his enemies and the perpetrators of apartheid, a quality very rare among many world leaders today.”

“Our prayer is all that Mandela stood for may become part and parcel of our global values for justice, peace and dignity for the whole humanity,” added Abuom.

Mandela’s life was also described by the WCC’s general secretary as “consistent with the best teaching of his Christian educators and the ecumenical movement”. Calling him one of the most deserving Nobel peace laureates, Tveit added that Mandela’s ideals inspired freedom from apartheid and transformed his country during his presidency.

“I am convinced that it is entirely accurate to say of him that his name ‘will live beyond the grave and down the centuries.’ Indeed, as is said in the Orthodox tradition of Christianity: May his memory be eternal!” Tveit concluded.

 

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Painkillers Damaged My Kidney, Says Ufoma McDermott[VIDEO]

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Nollywood actress, Ufoma McDermott has shared how her long-term painkiller use led to kidney disease.

In a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, she opened up about her 12-year struggle with the illness and urged the public to prioritize their health.

While revealing that her condition was a side effect of long-term painkiller abuse, McDermott said; “I really wish everyone would understand the importance of health. My brother was diagnosed late on stage 4 of kidney disease and he goes straight into dialysis and has complications.

“I was diagnosed earlier, so I have lived on medication for almost 12 years now. When my brother I ran to my cardiologist. My parents were scared, thinking if this is genetic? We had to trace the kidney disease and we learned it was from drug abuse.

“I grew up with migraines, headaches and eyeaches, and I never wore my glasses because they made me look like a geek. I’d take painkillers for my migraine. I took strong painkillers and not the ordinary painkillers because I wanted the pain to go away.”

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Music Icon Quincy Jones Passes Away At 91

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Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer, composer, and cultural icon whose career spanned over seven decades, has passed away at the age of 91.

Jones died peacefully on Sunday night at his Bel Air home, surrounded by family, according to his publicist, Arnold Robinson.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” his family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Renowned for his unmatched versatility, Jones collaborated with some of the greatest musical talents of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Will Smith. He played an integral role in producing Jackson’s groundbreaking albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, which catapulted the pop star to global superstardom and earned Jones worldwide acclaim.

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Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones’ journey into music began early. His childhood introduction came from a neighbor’s piano playing and his mother’s singing. After moving to Washington state following his parents’ divorce, he honed his skills in his high school band and began playing with a young Ray Charles in Seattle’s vibrant club scene.

Jones’ career took off in New York, where he played trumpet in Elvis Presley’s early TV performances and worked with bebop legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. By 1958, he was working with Frank Sinatra, arranging for the singer’s band at the request of Princess Grace Kelly. Their partnership flourished, spanning several projects including Sinatra’s final album LA Is My Lady in 1984.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Jones’ talents extended into film and television scores, composing music for films such as The Italian Job, In the Heat of the Night, and the acclaimed The Color Purple, for which he earned three Oscar nominations. He also scored hit TV shows including The Bill Cosby Show and Roots.

In 1985, Jones produced and co-conducted the charity anthem “We Are the World” alongside Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, raising millions for Ethiopian famine relief. Despite personal and professional challenges—including surviving a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1974—Jones’s career continued to thrive.

Jones’ influence wasn’t limited to music. In 1990, he founded Quincy Jones Entertainment, the company behind the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith. His media ventures also included the creation of Qwest TV, an on-demand music streaming service, and the magazine Vibe, which celebrated Black music and culture.

Over his career, Jones earned 80 Grammy nominations, winning 28—making him one of the most decorated artists in the award’s history. Tributes poured in following news of his death. Actor Michael Caine, who shared Jones’ birthdate, called him “a wonderful and unique human being.” Music artists such as LL Cool J expressed gratitude, saying, “You were a father and example at a time when I truly needed one. Music would not be music without you.”

Jones is survived by his seven children, leaving behind an indelible legacy that will resonate through generations to come. His life’s work transformed music, television, and culture, proving that there truly was no limit to what Quincy Jones could accomplish.

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Prayers Won’t Build Roads, Fund Children’s Education – Jesse Jagz To Nigerians

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Singer and rapper Jesse Jagz has called on Nigerians to rethink their approach to religion.

Jagz suggested that African traditional religious gods have become ineffective, attributing this to the excessive alcohol given to them during rituals, which, according to him, has made them obese, diabetic, and unable to aid their worshipers.

Speaking on the ‘Big Talk’ podcast, the rapper also criticized followers of foreign religions for relying solely on prayer and expecting miracles without putting in the necessary effort. He stressed that prayers alone cannot provide essential social services or infrastructure.

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“When you go to a shrine and you see the priest pouring gin on the gods, Google how much a bottle of gin was in slavery. 40 slaves.

“Our gods are drunk on alcohol and meat. They are obese and diabetic.

“They can’t help us do anything. Prayers do not build roads or buy books for children. We have forgotten humanity,” he said.

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