“Freemasonry is not a tool of religion, he adds, but neither is it
anti-religious. Indeed, he explains, Freemasons explicitly welcome all
men irrespective of their religious creed, and make no effort to change
their faith or influence their worship”
SIR ANDY CHANDE
Dar es Salaam. They have been the subject of
all kinds of rumours. We have seen advertisements inviting people to
join them if they want to get rich and powerful. Yet the Freemasons
remain a mysterious society in the eyes of most Tanzanians. Now we can
bring you the story of a prominent Tanzanian, who opened up on how he
joined the world’s oldest fraternity.
Testimonies of a desperate search for wealth have
been aired on some radio stations locally, especially after the death of
movie star Stephen Kanumba in 2012. Adverts bearing a contact number
have been posted on electricity poles—supposedly inviting those who want
to join the Freemasons to call for details on how to do so.
Some have fallen into the trap and many more are
still willing to take a gamble in the pursuit of wealth and, perhaps,
magic powers.
Now one man, Jayantilal Keshavji Chande, popularly
known as Sir Andy Chande, who joined the fraternity on October 25,
1954, after rigorous vetting, opens up on how he rose from an ordinary
family man to become the Grandmaster of the Masonic brethren in Eastern
Africa.
Sir Andy Chande, who has been a member for nearly
six decades, reveals how he was recruited and ended up at the highest
level in the organisation’s hierarchy. Sir Andy was born in Mombasa in
Kenya, on May 7, 1928, though his parents lived in Bukene town in Tabora
Region in western Tanzania.
To understand the Order more clearly, he writes in his book, A Night in Africa—a Journey from Bukene,
and thus perhaps to start to close that gap between perception and
reality, one must return to the guiding principles of Freemasonry.
The tenets of morality and virtue drew him into
his first discussions on organised philanthropy with Messrs Campbell
Ritchie and McLean back in early 1950s.
“At that time, I began to realise that Freemasonry
is, at its heart, a science of life whose purpose is to spiritualise
man and make him what he must become—an integrated individual,” Sir Andy
writes in his 207-page memoir.
Much of this underlying purpose, writes Sir Andy,
is veiled in allegory—which perhaps goes some way to explain the
mythology attached to the Order’s workings.
Sir Andy reveals three key Freemason principles in the book printed in Canada by Penumbra Press.
He writes: “Thus, in the first degree toward
initiation, the guiding principles of moral truth and virtue upon which
Freemasonry is based are suitably impressed on the mind of the aspirant
member or suitable candidate. The second degree of the Order stresses
the development of talents and skills in the arts and sciences in order
to play as useful a role in life as possible.”
The third degree provides an opportunity to
contemplate the last few hours of one’s existence, however fanciful or
far-off this might actually seem.
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