Dinis Sengulane
|
The Right Rev. Dinis Sengulane |
|
|---|---|
| Church | Anglican Church of Southern Africa |
| Diocese | Anglican Bishop of Lebombo, Maputo, in Mozambique |
| See | Lebombo |
| In office | 1976-2014 |
| Predecessor | Daniel Pina Cabral |
| Successor | Carlos Matsinhe |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1975 |
| Consecration | 25 March 1976 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1946 |
Dinis Salomão Sengulane (born 5 March 1946) is a Mozambican Anglican priest. He was the Anglican Bishop of Lebombo, Maputo, Mozambique, from 1976 to 2014. He had an important role in the end of the Mozambican Civil War in 1992 and helped with the surrender of 600,000 weapons that were converted into art. He was amongst the longest serving Anglican bishops.
Dinis Salomão Sengulane trained at the Salisbury Theological College in England. He was ordained deacon in 1974, ordained priest in 1975, and ordained bishop on 25 March 1976.
In November 1988 it became public knowledge that Sengulane was leading a church delegation that was trying to intercede between the rebel force of Redarmo and the President of Mozambique. These talks were to lead to both sides putting forward the conditions they needed to achieve peace. The Peace and Reconciliation Campaign led to meetings with the President of Renamo in August 1989. The efforts of Sengulane preceded meetings in Rome that ended the civil war that were organised by a lay Christian community at Sant Egidio. They and Sengulane were creditted with creating the opportunity for peace.
Sengulane suggested that the thousands of weapons left over from the war should be surrendered in exchange for items useful to a civilian. He founded a scheme that transformed these weapons into art. As Sengulane was known for his work creating peace following the civil war in Mozambique, he was able to obtain funding from Christian Aid. There is an artists collective called "Associação Núcleo de Arte" which was supported by Christian Aid and Bishop Sengulane as part of an organisation called "Transformacao de Armas em Enxadas" or "Transforming Arms into Tools". Works that have been exhibited internationally include Throne of Weapons and the Tree of Life.
In 2005 Sengulane was invited to Britain to celebrate the success of his idea that had transformed "Swords into ploughshares" in the way that Sengulane had devised nine years before. The art works were just the visible part. His idea had allowed people to anonymously exchange 600,000 weapons for books, bicycles, building materials and sewing machines. Most of the weapons were broken and then melted down but some were recycled and the Bishop sometime wears a crucifix that was made out of parts from surrendered weapons. One village in Mozambique had so many weapons that they managed to exchange them for a tractor.
...
Wikipedia