By Randy Brown | Project Leader
In the first quarter of 2023 we would like to report on the Fireside chat with Zakayo Malekwa - "An amazing life story from Tanzania, from Olympic athlete to priest of the poor".
We hosted a fireside chat with Zakayo Malekwa from Tanzania on Thursday, March 9th in Munich at the Catholic University Community at the Technical University of Munich (KHG TUM). We asked Pastor Zak, as Mr. Malekwa is also known, about his amazing life story and his practiced ethics and cordially invited all participants to exchange ideas directly with Pastor Zak. The dialogue primarily took place in English. Of course, we were considerate of anyone who did not feel comfortable in English and supported with translations on request.
About Pastor Zak:
Born in 1951, his father died when he was just three days old. Without a protective father at his side in a country that was still strongly characterized by patriarchal structures, especially in the middle of the previous century, his life could have taken a completely different direction. But he didn't let the adversities of life get him down and demonstrated resilience throughout his life. At a young age, he even made it to the Olympics because of his physical strength and endurance. He represented his country at the Olympic Games three times – in Moscow in 1980, in Los Angeles in 1984 and in Seoul in 1988. At some point in his life, the moment must have come when he decided to be there more for others, to support them on their path with advice and assistance, to share his life experiences and his faith with them - and so to become Pastor Zak, who lives in the Tanzanian hinterland, takes care of his congregation and especially the children, who had a similarly difficult start in life as he had himself.
Topic:
In line with the "DNA" of Ethica Rationalis, we were very interested to learn more about Pastor Zak's practiced ethics, his motivations that transformed him from being a famous Olympic athlete to Pastor Zak and of course we also want to hear from him how the Tanzanian people view life.
This event was hosted in cooperation with our partner "Bridge of Hope Foundation". In the past we had already executed several programs together with the foundation. For example, a video podcast with Bridge of Hope on the topic "Poor yet happy," or a PhiloBrunch with Arnd Weil of Bridge of Hope on the topic: "Life has been good to me; it's time to give something back!"
As always, there was plenty of room for discussion with our guest as well as snacks and beverages.
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