A tribute to Chirevo Kwenda

The African Association for the Study of Religion has learned with great sadness, the passing away of Professor Chirevo Kwenda of the University of Cape Town. He will be missed and the memories of his work will remain with us and to his many students. Here is a short statement from the University of Cape Town.

The University of Cape Town is deeply saddened by death of Dr Chirevo Kwenda on October 16 in Zimbabwe. Born in 1948 in Charter, Zimbabwe, of a chiefly family, Chirevo Victor Kwenda received the PhD in Religion from Syracuse University in 1993. He joined the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town as a Lecturer (1994-1998), Senior Lecturer (1998-2006), and Head of Department (2002-2004). A brilliant teacher, inspiring supervisor, effective administrator, and valued friend at UCT, he was also a global presence, participating in conferences of the International Network for Interreligious and Intercultural Education in Utrecht, the International Association for the History of Religions in Mexico City, and the meetings on religion and globalization in Farmington, Maine, as well as holding a Mandela Fellowship at Harvard University during 2000-2001. In his publications and conference presentations, Chirevo Kwenda was the master of the revealing phrase—“pedagogy depends on spirals of learning”, “social cohesion depends on cultural justice”, “religion is giving and receiving”, “African traditional religion is deal-making”—that condensed powerful insight and lingered in ongoing reflection and conversation. Chirevo Kwenda is remembered by his colleagues not only for his valuable scholarly contributions but also for being a wise, compassionate and inspiring human being. We hold Chirevo Kwenda in our thoughts along with his wife, Rosemary, their children, and family.