IShowSpeed in Africa: The Danger of Internet Idols

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Paul Schlehlein

— Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

The media is awash with posts of a young man named ‘IShowSpeed’. Presidential motorcades had to be unleashed to accommodate him on his African tour, where he vowed to visit over 20 African countries in a short space of time, with the aim and agenda to show the world that Africa is not as backward or archaic as they presume it to be.

The allure produced by being in the presence of people of renown is not new to our day. The Queen of Sheba trekked from faraway lands to listen to the wisdom of Solomon in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the adoring crowds heaped praises upon King Herod after he gave a powerful speech. Two thousand years later, who is this man who has gripped the young and old and managed to make them ‘follow’ him whilst he does crazy stunts on his 3-5 hour live-streams?

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The Evil Extortion Epidemic

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In most African countries, when citizens see the police, they turn the other way or pass them begrudgingly. Instead of feeling safe and secure around their supposed protection unit, people would rather risk driving into the drainage ditches, fleeing from their assailers. This is the reality that every Zimbabwean, believer or non-believer, must live with: the fact that they are likely to be arrested, extorted, and harassed on trumped-up charges.

It is no secret that Zimbabwe is one of the most corrupt countries in Africa. The logic follows that a country with leaders who selectively apply the law is policed by lawless men and women. In 2017, for example, the head of police was arrested for failing to prove how he acquired his seven-million-dollar mansion and other properties, despite being a mere civil servant.

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Family Overreach in Marriage

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Ubuntuism is a good thing. What makes it unique is the emphasis on communal living. Not too long ago, African communities were distinctly community-oriented. It was as if Acts 2:42-47 was being re-enacted, but without Christ as the focal point. Whenever someone was sick, they didn’t run out of aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters to lend a helping hand.

In such times, high yard walls were still very much a vague, futuristic half–baked concept and the only thing that separated you and your ‘neighbour’ was the closed doors and windows at night. This was the ideal scenario, until it was time for prospective couples to wed.

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Zimbabwe Shuts Down – Yet Again!

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Recently, Zimbabwe was plunged into yet another shutdown. What is meant by shutdown is when a country comes to a standstill. The usually noisy streets were empty and quiet, the central business district (CBD) resembled a ghost town, and in a sense, being in the middle of it on that day was scary.

For decades, Zimbabwe has been on a downward spiral morally, economically, and politically. The country is no stranger to grabbing international attention through its myriad problems. Imagine a country where state-run hospitals have neither running water nor basic medication such as painkillers. As if that were not enough, extortion, bribery and “back door deals” are the order of the day. It’s normal to see street vendors fleeing from police in the CBD and the outskirts on a daily basis.

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Whatever Happened To The Lord’s Day

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In the Southern African country of Zimbabwe, Harare lies as a rapidly growing capital city that is bursting at the seams. Many years ago the population was officially estimated at 2 million. A few more censuses have been taken since then, but it is hard to come up with the true figure as the Government of the land is inadequately resourced to effectively carry out a successful census of the people of Harare, not to mention Zimbabwe! The population is something to behold, especially on Sundays. Yes, that’s correct, on Sundays!

Normally, weekdays in big cities are characterised by the hooting of cars and the calling out of touts who are either selling oranges and apples or directing the masses to their ‘ride home’. The CBD sounds like a symphony of migrating bees, there isn’t much space to maneuver and everyone is in a rush to get somewhere. Sadly, this too is the status quo of Harare on a Sunday. When the rest of us are coming from gathering with the Lord’s people, the CBD is busier than ever. I could be accused of making sweeping statements or judging wrongly, but based on what has been happening on the ground, the hoards of Hararians are not coming from church, but are trading! In other words, for many people, the best day to go for any sort of shopping is a Sunday.

I suggest two possible contributing factors for this:

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The Pandemic That Is Still With Us

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Human beings are prone to amnesia, and the famous former German monk, Martin Luther, summarized our condition well by saying the following words, “We need to hear the Gospel every day because we forget it every day.” This is true especially when it comes to the aggressive growth of the pandemic that is still with us – The charismatic movement. The true Church of Christ, for many reasons, seems to forget that we are in a holy war, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is at stake. Presently, Africa is believed to be the centre of missions in the world. Whilst the US is fast abandoning its Christian heritage for liberalism, Europe is equally on a similar path with churches closing down.

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“Brother, the Woman You Are Looking for Doesn’t Exist”

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

Audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

I have been a Christian now for 10 years, 5 of which have been spent on the mission field preaching, teaching, pastoring, discipling and observing. Apart from the rampant charismaticism we see these days, there is not a more perplexing and bewildering issue as single Christian men looking for a marriage partner.

Marriage was instituted by and is a gift from God. It was God Himself who said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18-24). When we read the Bible we quickly observe that God’s intention was that mankind even after the fall was not meant to be alone. The most famous Apostle, Paul, makes this clear in his first letter to the Corinthians where he points out that each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2). For many single Christian men, searching for a woman is an arduous task, not a joyful, hopeful exercise. This is because I believe that the woman they are looking for doesn’t exist. There are three possible reasons I would say so.

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The Commercialisation of Lobola (the bride price) in Zimbabwe

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

Listen and subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Gone are the days when the milkman used to refill our empty bottles that were left neatly arranged at our gates, gone are the days when Coca–Cola used to taste like Coca-Cola, and gone are those days when Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of Africa!

Zimbabwe – the teapot-shaped nation of Southern Africa, is but a shadow of what it once was. As goes the economy, so goes the sanity, which has only contributed to the further hardening of men’s hearts as they invariably devise more and more ways to simultaneously ‘survive’ the harsh economic environment as well as formulate new schemes to act out their rebellion against their Creator – Yahweh (Jeremiah 17:9). One such example is that of the bride price, also known as Lobola (Amalobolo) or as we say in Shona, ‘Roora’.

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