The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
IT was a moment of anxiety for Mr Fidhas Siduna of Piki Village, Zimunya in Manicaland province. A member of the Guta raJehovah (GRJ) sect, Mr Siduna had been tasked by the sect’s leaders to explain to this reporter a supposedly strange phenomenon. Moving about restlessly, he finally gathered the courage to step into the sect’s shrine to take a picture frame that has clearly seen its better days.
Without wasting time, the old man hurriedly drew out a black and white photograph before placing it on a table for everyone present to see. At first glance, the picture, which came out to be that of Mai Chaza (real name Theresa Nyamushanya), the revered faith healer who founded the sect in 1954, looked like any other.
A closer look however, revealed that the picture had some strange additional features. A hysterical Mr Siduna quickly offered an explanation.
“This is Mai Chaza and on her right are the angels that guides her. You might find this strange and unbelievable but the truth of the matter is that angels and other heavenly figures always appeared on her photos each time the pictures were developed,” Mr Siduna said.
Mai Chaza was one of the most revered local faith healers of her time. Reputed for having the ability to cure almost every known ailment, large numbers of people from all races thronged her healing centres better known as Guta raJehovah (City of God) for treatment.
Beginning her healing work in Seke in 1954, she moved to Zimunya, Manicaland, two years later before settling in Zvimba, Mashonaland West, shortly before her death in 1960
Apart from her phenomenal healing powers, Mai Chaza left the country spellbound after availing bizarre photographs that baffled those who saw them. In one of the photos, it appears as if the faith healer is surrounded by glowing angels and other heavenly bodies.
One of the bizarre photographs is said to have been taken whilst she was at the Great Zimbabwe monuments and a strange object, with wings like those of an angel, can be seen perched on the monument.
A heavenly image, which her followers say is Jesus Christ, also appears in that photo. Several other photos are paranormal and defies any earthly explanations. But can angels and other heavenly bodies appear on photographs?
Naturally, questions regarding the authenticity of the photos have been raised. Believe Nyakudjara, the Zimpapers Harare branch chief photographer questioned the authenticity of the photographs.
“If this is a photograph, then it is impossible for the foreign objects to appear, unless if there was some sort of miracle light. In my view, the so-called pictures are either graphics, drawings or fine art,” Nyakudjara said.
Did Mai Chaza alter the photos to deceive the public? Her followers believe that their leader was guarded by angels and that the photos are genuine. According to online sources, photo manipulation dates back to some of the earliest photographs that were captured on glass and tin plates during the 19th century.
In modern times, there has been popular image-editing programmes such as photoshop. Altering an image includes changing its colours, modifying its size and scale, or putting another picture “within” it.
Did Mai Chaza, a typical rural woman during the 1950s, resort to altering photographs for propaganda purposes?
Although the earliest cases of photograph manipulation were detected as early as the 1860s in the United States, online sources argue that the technology that made it possible to alter pictures was not only crude and cumbersome but also rare during Mai Chaza’s time.
Since the introduction of photography, there has been cases of mysterious photos that cannot be explained. One example is that of Jim Templeton, an American man who took photos of his young daughter.
When the photos were developed, there appeared to have been a Spaceman in full astronaut gear standing behind her. Strangely, there was no spacemen present when the picture was taken.
Reputed film developing company Kodak verified the picture and concluded that it was not tampered with. Whether Mai Chaza altered her pictures or not remains a subject for intense debate.
