Across continents, the issue of race and race relations has been under discussion for many years with scholarship also focussing on it at the same time.
However, despite progressive forces shining a light on it, the controversial ill has continued to haunt humanity. It is crucial to note at this point that the major victims in these relations have been the black population — mainly resident in Africa while some found themselves domiciled in the Americas through the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
During one excursion on Facebook, I bumped into Reverend Gift Makwasha Muendamberi’s post on his fellow clergyman, Reverend Monte Tugwete.
“I am very proud to announce that my great friend, Rev. Monte Tugwete, has published a book I recommend to all who are victims of racist attitudes and behaviours, and those who want to know how they can be racist without even realising it, and those who want to understand the origin of racism and desire to contribute towards its annihilation. Well done, Fr. Monte for this timely, scholarly, evidence-based publication,” read Rev. Makwasha’s post.
This is how I came to read It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred , Hatred of A Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression
Firstly, it is important to trace the beginning and spread of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade — essentially a trade in human beings, particularly Black Africans — for purposes of unpaid work in plantations in the far-off Americas.
The lessons learnt through the history of apartheid, especially in South Africa before Independence in 1994 are also instructive. People were segmented according to their race: Whites, Coloureds, Indians and Blacks. The same could be said about pre-Independence Zimbabwe where sections of urban Rhodesia were no-go areas for black citizens.
The trend is the same across the world where issues of the colour of the skin have largely been responsible for shaping preferences which may in turn influence our behaviours towards others. Unfortunately, it has been blacks who have been on the receiving end in most cases. Rev. Tugwete cites real-life instances — where blacks have been treated as second-rate human beings.
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The writer cites the 2014 cases of Jaguan McDonald and one Garner, as well as that of George Floyd, all black American teenagers who died at the hands of white police officers, cases that define the hatred Rev.Tugwete seeks to document in this 2025 rendition.
To buttress his point, Rev Tugwete gives the case of Robert Lewis Dear Jr of Colorado who entered a Planned Parenthood clinic and killed three people, including a police officer. In contrast, Robert was taken into custody alive and yet the black teenagers were slain by the police.
What Rev. Tugwete sees in these incidents is something beyond racism. It is rather hatred of other skin colours that are not white. In this case, it is black Americans.
The academic-cum-cleric does not end there as he tries to dig deeper into possible causes of this kind of behaviour.
In his own unique way, the United States-based Zimbabwean cleric has made an invaluable contribution to already-available scholarship on the subject of racism in general and black-white relations in particular, through It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred, Hatred of A Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression. The book almost serves as a manual with real-world case studies drawn from the United States, where racism has continued to subsist, typified by the examples Rev. Tugwete picks on.
In an interview with IndependentXtra, Rev. Tugwete said penning the book was a deliberate choice for him. He added on the birth of It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred, Hatred of A Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression: “Having grown up in Zimbabwe where 98% of the people have the same skin colour as mine, I was shocked when I went to the US and I was given what is deemed ‘the talk’.
“The talk’ is what is given to those with a brown skin colour in the US when they become of driving age or they are new comers in the country and if ever they decide to get behind the steering wheel.
“In ‘the talk’, you are told that if ever you decide to drive, you have to place your billfolder where it is accessible for when you get stopped by the police. If and when you get stopped, keep your hands on the steering wheel and do not make any sudden movements or you will be dead! I laughed at this until the names and stories started coming in.
“The explanations behind their deaths were bizarre until one did thorough examination of the circumstances compared to similar scenarios with others of a different skin colour. Difference then became the distinguishing characteristic that led to my research on the root cause of all this.
“Also listening to the stories of the perpetrators and those of surviving significant others of the deceased helped me zero in on the systems of inequality embedded within US society that caused this senseless loss of life and It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred, Hatred of a Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression was born”
Published by Tellwell Talent, the 134-page book’s picking on reported instances of conflicts where race and race relations are central makes it unique.
Some interesting comments appear in endorsements of the book, which were done by fellow clergymen and academics. The Right Reverend Bishop John Hannen, Bishop Emeritus of the Anglican Diocese of Caledonia, Canada has this to say about the book and its contents:
“In the long history of humanity, we have been plagued by numerous very damaging prejudices, of which Tugwete’s primary focus is on an analysis of what we call ‘racism,’ its complexities and deep-rootedness in human’s psyche, particularly as it pertains to its attending manifestation in the United States of America where he lived and extensively studied.
In the latter section of this book, he offers a way forward out of this morass by faithfully adhering to the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Rev. Makwasha, who is also former Dean of Studies at Bishop Gaul Theological Seminary in Harare, views the book as a masterclass on race relations and a timely publication, stating: “It is exactly what America needs if she is to be exorcised from her demons of racial oppression and inequity.
Drawing from the psychological tools before him, his pastoral theological education, and experience of working with families and youths, the author argues that the missing piece in any discussion on racism and violence is ‘difference,’ a social construct created to promote ‘white supremacy’ thereby justifying ‘white privilege’ at the expense of those who are ‘different,’ particularly African Americans.
The author calls for the demystification and deconstruction of such false ideologies, which lead to hatred of the dark skinned and consequently their oppression with the aim to keep them in their place of subjugation.
This book is a must-read as it offers psychological, pastoral, and theological solutions to the obtaining race challenges in the United States.”
Replete with a detailed bibliography and index at the end, It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred, Hatred of A Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression becomes a useful tool for scholars who find race relations as a part of their study programme. They can cross-reference for more information and alternative discussions.
Monte Tugwete is a Chicago Theological Seminary PhD in Pastoral Psychology and Leadership, and a Human Development pre-candidate. An exciting and creative university instructor with a combined 10+ years of experience in business, ministry and the academy, Rev. Tugwete is dedicated to creating and providing a fun-filled experiential and exploratory critical-thinking learning environment for students.
Rev. Tugwete has taught Human Development at Rhodes Wellness College, Leadership at Trinity Western University and currently teaches Leadership, Talent Management and Change Management at University Canada West.
As Rev. Makwasha recommends, It’s Not Racism, It’s Hatred, Hatred of A Different Skin Colour: A Meta-Analysis of the Root Cause of Racialized Oppression is a must-read book for those who may want to pursue studies on racism and race relations.
