The Editor, Sir:

After reading the article titled 'Pentecostals buckle up Africa's Bible belt' published in your June 30 edition, all I could think was: I weep for Mother Africa. One of the most startling statements from that story said: "Some, like Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, seek favour with the televangelist-backed United States administration." That statement aptly summarised one overriding implication of the report which was that Africa was again being raped, ravished, robbed and bamboozled by Euro-Americans using Christianity as a tool, aided and abetted by Mammon-serving blacks.

One wonders if these African leaders have heard of or learned anything from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart or from Walter Rodney's How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Why in God's name would any African country allow U.S. televangelists even to enter that continent much more to come there and take up collections at some mass hypnotic religious gathering?

Truth is that white Euro-American preachers need to clean up their own backyards before venturing into black countries to sell their wares of words. Specifically, they need to take a Christ-like stand against the racism that rules in countries like the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom and show some love by helping to free blacks in those countries from socio-economic slavery.

The Christ himself must be weeping for Africa as he once wept for Jerusalem.

I am, etc.,

REV. MERVIN STODDART

inmerv@hotmail.com

Florida