Garfield Todd biography launched




Sir Garfield Todd
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RENOWNED author and journalist, Pius Wakatama, has described Susan Woodhouse’s new biography of former Rhodesian Premier Garfield Todd — The End of the Liberal Dream in Rhodesia — as an important tool that will bring enlightenment around a crucial period in the country’s history.

BY LIFE & STYLE REPORTER

Wakatama, who was the guest of honour at the book launch last week, said the book gave him “a related sense of awakening”.

“It was as if it was written specifically for me by someone who knew that I needed it to fill some gaps in my knowledge and understanding of the most crucial time in the history of our country,” he said, adding that it gave him an insight into the transition period from Rhodesian to Zimbabwe.

Wakatama said reading the book — written by Susan Woodhouse and published by Weaver Press — was a bittersweet experience.

“Perhaps, I am over emotional when it comes to these things but I confess that after reading the book I felt so angry that I could punch both Ian Smith and Robert Mugabe on their noses for not heeding Todd’s prophecy and leading us into unnecessary bloodshed and the mess that we are now in,” he said.

He said literature was vital to humanity’s progress as books helped to bring knowledge about the past.

“When we know and understand the past we are closer to understanding our present and how to deal with it. We are better able to make the right decisions for our future,” he said.

Wakatama said Woodhouse’s book helped him understand Todd and what he represented better.

Garfield Todd came to the then Southern Rhodesia from New Zealand in 1934 as a missionary of the Church of Christ. He was sent to Dadaya Mission where he and his wife preached and provided education to Africans.

– News Day