Sebastian Bakare (born 1940) is a Zimbabwean retired Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Harare and former Bishop of Manicaland. He was once engaged in a controversial, drawn-out, and divisive power struggle over the leadership of the Diocese of Harare with

Nolbert Kunonga Nolbert Kunonga (born 31 December 1950 in Wedza District, Southern Rhodesia) is the former Zimbabwean Anglican Bishop of Harare and Mashonaland. Controversy Kunonga was criticised within and outside the Anglican Communion for his ardent suppor ...

, the former Bishop of Harare, since Kunonga was stripped of his episcopacy in January 2008 by the Province.

Life

Bakere was formerly Bishop of Manicaland until his retirement. He continued to reside in Mutare, the see city of his diocese, until he was asked by the Dean of the Church of the Province of Central Africa on 7 November 2007 to take over the Diocese of Harare after the ouster of Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, who had aligned himself with the Marxist régime 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 th ...

in an attempt to withdraw his diocese from the Province of Central Africa. It was expected Bakare would be a caretaker bishop until a substantive leader could be elected. Bakare denounced Mugabe's treatment of Christians, particularly Anglicans who refuse to recognize the authority of Kunonga. Many Anglican churches have been closed on the orders of Mugabe's party, Zanu-PF, which believes it should continue to rule Zimbabwe despite an electoral defeat in March 2008. At the decennial

Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference convenes as the Archbishop of Canterbury summons an assembly of Anglican bishops every ten years. The first took place at Lambeth in 1867. As regional and national churches freely associate with the Anglican Communion, ...

Canterbury, England Canterbury (, ) is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climate. Canterbury is a popular tourist destination, wit ...

, Bakare spoke of Zimbabwe to newsmen: "The ruling system is so oppressive that it has denied the people their human rights, including religious freedom. My diocese continues to suffer persecution. We have been denied the freedom to worship." On 30 October 2008, it was announced that Bakare had been awarded

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

's 2008

Per Anger Per Johan Valentin Anger (7 December 1913 – 25 August 2002) was a Swedish diplomat. Anger was Raoul Wallenberg's co-worker at the Swedish legation in Budapest during World War II when many Jews were saved because they were supplied with Swed ...

Prize for his "committed work for human rights in a politically unstable Zimbabwe." He received the award in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on 10 November 2008. "It is like a war, in the sense that there is total absence of peace," Bakare told Swedish radio news in describing conditions in his homeland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakare, Sebastian 1940 births Living people 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa Anglican bishops of Harare and Mashonaland Per Anger Prize