Evan Mawarire (born 7 March 1977) is a

Zimbabwean Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Moza ...

pastor and democratic

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

. He came to prominence during the 2016–17 Zimbabwe protests that challenged the rule of

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

’s government. It was reported that Mawarire urged the people of Zimbabwe to remain defiant and refuse to return to work after the protests. In late 2017, it was reported by

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

that Mawarire was acquitted by a Zimbabwe court where he faced a potential 20-year prison sentence if convicted for allegedly trying to overthrow Robert Mugabe. Thousands turned up at his hearing sparking a spontaneous social movement that challenged corruption, injustice and poverty On 13 July 2017 at least 150 lawyers stood up in court to represent Mawarire, while thousands amassed outside a

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

courthouse.

Early life and education

His parents were civil servants and he was raised in a Christian household. He spent his early childhood in

, before moving to

Mashonaland West Province Mashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million (2012). Chinhoyi is the capital of the province. Districts Mashonaland West is divided into 7 districts: * Chegutu * ...

. He attended Amandas Primary School in the town of

Concession Concession may refer to: General * Concession (contract) (sometimes called a concession agreement), a contractual right to carry on a certain kind of business or activity in an area, such as to explore or develop its natural resources or to opera ...

. From 1990 to 1992, he attended

Prince Edward School , streetaddress = , city = Harare , country = Zimbabwe , coordinates = , type = State school, boarding and day school , established = , headmaster = Dr. Aggrippa G. Sora , gender = Boys , lower_age = 13 , upper_age = 19 ...

in Harare, before transferring to Charles Clack High School in Magunje, a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

mission school The Mission School (sometimes called "New Folk" or "Urban Rustic") is an art movement of the 1990s and 2000s, centered in the Mission District, San Francisco, California. History and characteristics This movement is generally considered to have ...

, to complete his education from 1993 to 1994. At age 16, he was elected to Zimbabwe's child parliament, which was created to celebrate the International Day of the African Child. He was also elected child President of Zimbabwe. He went on to study at the

Harare Institute of Technology Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) is a Zimbabwean university offering courses mainly in technology. History The Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) was established in 1988 as a National Vocational Training Centre (NVTC). Over time, it ev ...

, where he earned an Auto Electrician diploma in 1996.

Career

He worked in business for a number of years, while at the same time volunteering at his church, teaching

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

. He found the work at his church more fulfilling, and in 2002 he quit his job and went to

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

. From 2002 to 2007, he was the young adult and

youth pastor Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry of faith groups or other religious organizations, usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage with young people who attend th ...

at Celebration Churches International in Harare, before serving as the church's regional director in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, he established his own church, His Generation Church, in Harare.

#ThisFlag movement

'' #ThisFlag'', is a democracy movement in Zimbabwe that was founded by Mawarire with the intention of removing the government of president Robert Mugabe. The movement was also considered by some as the most influential civilian-led political movement in Zimbabwe's history. Martin Runganga, a detective in Zimbabwe's criminal investigations department likened Mawarire to

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

stating that he (Mawarire) is brainwashing the people of Zimbabwe through religion similarly to Boko Haram. Some in Zimbabwe compared the movement that of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

. '' The Herald'', a Zimbabwean state-owned newspaper, claimed that Mawarire was a fraudster who conned church goers from his church based in United Kingdom so as to evade tax.

Arrests

In July 2016, Mawarire was arrested on charges of inciting violence in Zimbabwe and the

Zimbabwe Republic Police The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of Rhode ...

seized his phone. On 1 February 2017, Mawarire was arrested in connection with a charge of trying to overthrow Robert Mugabe at the

Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport , (known colloquially as "RGM", or Mugabe Airport) formerly known as the ''Harare International Airport'', is an international airport in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is the largest airport in the country and ...

in Zimbabwe on his way back from the United States. In June 2017, Mawarire was arrested for praying with protesting students of the

University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University o ...

. In September 2017, Mawarire was arrested for citing Zimbabwe's economic problems by the

at his church. Pastor Evan Mawarire was arrested again on 16 January 2019 after calling for and organising a national boycott against rising cost of living and misgovernance. Under the new president

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, American English, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Muga ...

, Mawarire was charged with subversion.

Zimbabwean politics

Shortly after

Morgan Tsvangirai Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was President of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic ...

's death it was reported that Mawarire considered Tsvangirai to be a significant player in Zimbabwe's post-independence legacy as he challenged Mugabe's rule from the outside, different from his predecessors. Shortly after Robert Mugabe's 94th birthday while at the

Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is an annual human rights summit sponsored by a coalition of 20 non-governmental organizations. Each year, on the eve of the United Nations Human Rights Council's main annual session, activists from a ...

, Mawarire voiced his skepticism on Zimbabwe's 2018 election being free and fair. It is uncertain whether Mawarire contemplates running for the Zimbabwean presidency but he has ruled out any prospects. In late March 2018, Mawarire announced that he would be running for a local government position in

Global image

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

published an article on how Mawarire came from obscurity to becoming a well-known human rights activist using the internet to fight for democracy. ''Foreign Policy'' magazine named him as one of 100 top thinkers of 2016. The ''Daily Maverick'' of South Africa named him African person of the year in 2016. In 2017, the

Index on Censorship Index on Censorship is an organization campaigning for freedom of expression, which produces a quarterly magazine of the same name from London. It is directed by the non-profit-making Writers and Scholars International, Ltd (WSI) in association w ...

nominated him as a finalist for the freedom of expression awards 2017. Evan Mawarire is an alumnus of the Stanford University Draper Hills Fellowship for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). In 2020, he was selected by Yale University as a

Yale World Fellow Yale World Fellows is an international fellowship program at Yale University for rising global leaders. World Fellows come from around the world and from diverse disciplines. They are selected through a competitive application process. Each year ...

, a signature global leadership development initiative that connects and trains a group of exemplary practitioners from a wide range of fields. In 2023, he was invited by the Georgetown School of Foreign Service to be one of the three commencement speakers, along with Daria Navalnaya and Debra Tice.

Personal life

Mawarire and his wife Samantha have three children.

References

External links

Sarah Ladipo Manyika Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a British-Nigerian writer of novels, short stories and essays and an active member of the literary community, particularly supporting and amplifying young writers and female voices. She is author of two well received nove ...

"On meeting Pastor Evan"
''Africa Is a Country'', December 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mawarire, Evan 1977 births Living people Zimbabwean religious leaders Zimbabwean democracy activists Zimbabwean human rights activists People from Harare Zimbabwean political candidates