How I became a Freemason: The boss speaks out

[Bavaria]

​

Sir Andy Chande


"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
By The Citizen Reporter

Friday, August 22 2014 at 07:58

In Summary
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.


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.

The three principles are summed up as Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. "By these means, the initiate is taught how to live life to its fullest potential in a manner consistent with the Order's three guiding principles-Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth-while at the same time recognising, and thereby beginning to come to terms with the inevitability of death," he writes.

These three principles, adds Sir Andy, once unwrapped from the symbolism of the builder's art that enshrouds so much of Masonic ritual, were what intrigued him most when he first got to know some of the final details about the Ancient Order. He is the head of Freemasons in Eastern Africa.

What do the Masonic principles teach?

In the Masonic scheme of things, writes Sir Andy, the principle of Brotherly Love teaches all brethren to regard the entire human species as a single family created by an Almighty Being.

"Relief, meanwhile, brings home the message that mirrors the creed passed down to me by my father, namely that the relief of the distressed, whether it be the relief of material poverty or the soothing of troubled and unhappy minds, is a duty incumbent upon us all," writes Sir Andy.

Truth, the third and perhaps most important principle, is a divine attribute and, to a Mason, the foundation of every human virtue…to be a good man and true is the lesson that is taught to each and every initiate at an early stage-a time honoured saying of the broadest applicability, which is put forward as a means of regulating and, if necessary, reordering the course of one's life and actions on the basis of the Order's four cardinal virtues: temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice.

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.

"It simply tries to make them better men," writes Sir Andy. "This, then, was the world that I was initiated into in 1954, and it has been a significant part of my life ever since…my spirit, my mind, and my soul have been enriched by my involvement in Freemasonry, and this enrichment stands in stark contradiction to the assumptions one finds in the Western popular press.

How did the Masonic fraternity become private and secretive? How did Sir Jayantilal Andy Keshavji Chande join the fraternity? What were the challenges of being a member of the Masonic brotherhood for over five decades? Is there a political conspiracy among the Masons?

Don't miss Part Two of Sir Andy's life inside the Freemasons on Monday


SOURCE: The Citizen

 

[BIGURUBE]

Dah mzee ana sura ya kifo! Huyu kweli ni real Masonic

 

[Obama wa Bongo]

mbona alieleza kwenye kitabu chake cha safari kutoka bukene

 

[kitigiria]

siwezi kuamini mambo ya gizani...when you deal with spirit and soul its already a religion...

 

[Hornet]

Nikafikiri maneno ya The Boss

 

[BIGURUBE]

mbona alieleza kwenye kitabu chake cha safari kutoka bukene

Wengine hatukukisoma sheikh.

 

[Eiyer]

Sidhani kama kunamwizi ambae atakubali kuwa yeye ni mwizi ...!!

 

[Gibeath-Elohimu]

Mbona kama anakinzana na mwenzie Albert Pike....tena jamaa ameandika mtabu huo "Morals and dogma" ambao mie nao kama ni ushirikina tu!.

Mimi sidanganyikiii!

 

[Criterion]

Huyu mtu ni mumiani hata macho yake yanasema. Shetani @ work!... Pyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!.

 

[Senior Boss]

Nashindwa kuelewa hii kitu mpaka kwa sasa ni kitu gan na inakua kua vp. Cz kila mtu anaongea lake. Huyo mzee anasema " 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 " na kwamba ni kitu hakiingiliani na imani yeyote na kidini wala kumbadilisha mtu imani yake rather than a science of life and its simply tries to make individuals a better version of themselves realising their skills and abilities.

Kama hayo yanayosemwa ni kweli na kwamba si kitu kilicho kinyume na Mungu huyu ninae muomba na kumuamini. Basi mim niko tayari kujiunga unless wanajamvi mna cha kunishauri. Its time hii kitu iwe clear and understood cz kila mtu anajikuta mjuaji. Wanaojua waje kutuelimisha tafadhali.

 

[tansoma]

2 b 1a 1

 

[badiebey]

The Boss si nikajua wewe,nmefungua kwa spidiiii yani..

 

[Bavaria]

Nashindwa kuelewa hii kitu mpaka kwa sasa ni kitu gan na inakua kua vp. Cz kila mtu anaongea lake. Huyo mzee anasema " 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 " na kwamba ni kitu hakiingiliani na imani yeyote na kidini wala kumbadilisha mtu imani yake rather than a science of life and its simply tries to make individuals a better version of themselves realising their skills and abilities.

Kama hayo yanayosemwa ni kweli na kwamba si kitu kilicho kinyume na Mungu huyu ninae muomba na kumuamini. Basi mim niko tayari kujiunga unless wanajamvi mna cha kunishauri. Its time hii kitu iwe clear and understood cz kila mtu anajikuta mjuaji. Wanaojua waje kutuelimisha tafadhali.

Baki na imani yako mkuu

 

[UPOPO]

Nashindwa kuelewa hii kitu mpaka kwa sasa ni kitu gan na inakua kua vp. Cz kila mtu anaongea lake. Huyo mzee anasema " 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 " na kwamba ni kitu hakiingiliani na imani yeyote na kidini wala kumbadilisha mtu imani yake rather than a science of life and its simply tries to make individuals a better version of themselves realising their skills and abilities.

Kama hayo yanayosemwa ni kweli na kwamba si kitu kilicho kinyume na Mungu huyu ninae muomba na kumuamini. Basi mim niko tayari kujiunga unless wanajamvi mna cha kunishauri. Its time hii kitu iwe clear and understood cz kila mtu anajikuta mjuaji. Wanaojua waje kutuelimisha tafadhali.

"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 skill

Hiyo sentence ilivyoanza inanitia wasiwasi ,kwa nini kuwepo ana initiation?kama ni kitu cha kawaida sidhani hiyo ni sawa
Ila una akili timamu angalia mwenyewe na umwombe Mungu akusaidia uwe na maamuzi sahihi

 

[Kibo10]

Hekalu la Freemasons lililopo katika Mtaa wa Sokoine jijini Dar es Salaam. Picha na Rafael Lubava

Dar es Salaam. Wamekuwa wakitajwa kwenye kila aina ya minong'ono. Tumeona matangazo yakialika watu kujiunga nao kama wanataka kupata utajiri na kuwa watu wenye nguvu. Lakini bado Freemason, imebaki kuwa kitendawili miongoni mwa Watanzania wengi.

Leo tunakuletea habari kuhusu Mtanzania maarufu aliyefungua kinywa na kueleza namna alivyojiunga na Freemasons, kundi lililo kongwe duniani.

Tayari watu mbalimbali watu wenye hamu ya kupata utajiri wamekuwa wakitoa ushuhuda kuhusu kundi hilo na kusikika kwenye vyombo vya habari, hasa baada ya kifo cha mwingizaji nyota, Stephen Kanumba, mwaka 2012.

Siyo hivyo tu, bali kumeibuka pia matangazo yenye namba za simu yanayoshuhudiwa kwenye nguzo za simu mitaani hadi vichochoroni yakiwataka watu wanaotaka kujiunga na Freemason kupiga simu ili wapewe utaratibu wa namna ya kujiunga kwenye ‘kisima hicho cha mafanikio'.

Baadhi ya watu tayari wameshanaswa na mtego huo, huku wengine wakiendelea kujaribu bahati yao kujipatia utajiri kwa njia ya ‘nguvu za giza'.

Hata hivyo Jayantilal Keshavji Chande, maarufu zaidi nchini kwa jina Sir Andy Chande, aliyejiunga na Freemason Oktoba 25, 1954 baada ya kupita kwenye usaili mzito, anaeleza namna alivyoibuka kutoka familia ya kawaida hadi kuwa kiongozi wa Freemason Afrika Mashariki.

Sir Andy Chande, ambaye amekuwa mwanachama wa kundi hili kwa karibu miongo sita sasa, anaeleza namna alivyosajiliwa na kufikia hatua ya juu ndani ya kundi hilo.

Chande alizaliwa Mombasa Kenya, Mei 7, 1928, ingawa wazazi wake walikuwa wakiishi Bukene mjini, mkoani Tabora, magharibi mwa Tanzania.

Katika kufafanua utaratibu mzima wa Freemason, Chande ameandika kitabu alichokiita; ‘A night in Africa-a journey from Bukene' (Usiku wa Afrika-Safari kutoka Bukene), pengine akitaka kuweka sawa dhana na kuondoa tofauti ili misingi inayoendesha Freemason ifahamike.

Imani ya kimaadili na thamani ya kundi hilo ilianza wakati wa mazungumzo yake na Messrs Campbell Ritchie na McLean mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1950.

"Katika kipindi kile nilianza kutambua kuwa Freemason ipo katika msingi wake. Ni sayansi ya maisha ambayo malengo yake ni kumbadilisha mtu kiimani na kumfanya awe anavyopaswa kuwa. Ni mabadiliko ya mtu binafsi," Sir Andy Chande ameandika katika kitabu chake chenye kurasa 207.

Anasema kuwa malengo ya Freemason yamefunikwa na mafumbo, ambayo pengine ndiyo yanayoeleza utamaduni uliojificha katika utendaji kazi wake.

Chande anabainisha kuwa kanuni kubwa tatu za Freemason ziliandikwa kwenye kitabu kimoja nchini Canada, kilichochapishwa na Kampuni ya Penumbra Press.

Anaandika: "Kwa hiyo, ukiwa kwenye ngazi ya kwanza (first degree), kanuni inayoongoza, inamtaka mtu awe mkweli na mwenye maadili ambayo hasa Freemason inalenga kuyaweka kwenye akili, ili mwanachama awe mzuri.

Ngazi ya pili ya utaratibu inatilia mkazo kwenye vipaji na akili kupitia sanaa na sayansi, ili kutoa mchango mzuri iwezekanavyo kwenye maisha."

Anafafanua kuwa ngazi ya tatu inampa mtu nafasi ya kutafakari uwepo wake kwa kina na kwamba kanuni zote tatu zinafahamika kama upendo wa kindugu, kujiweka huru na ukweli.

"Kwa njia hizi inamaanisha, unafundishwa namna ya kuyafurahia maisha kwa kiwango chake cha juu. Kwa kufuata hizo kanuni tatu za upendo wa kindugu, kujiweka huru na ukweli, wakati huohuo ukijitambua na kuanza kujiandaa na kutokwepeka kwa kifo," anaandika Chande.

Anaongeza kuwa, wakati kanuni hizo tatu zinapoondolewa kwenye alama ya sanaa inayofunika imani ya Freemason, ambazo zilimpa udadisi wa kupata taarifa kuhusu utaratibu huo wa kale.

Sir Andy Chande ni Kiongozi wa Freemason Afrika Mashariki.

Kanuni za Freemason zinafundisha nini?

Katika ratiba ya Freemason, anaandika Chande akieleza kuwa, kanuni ya upendo wa kindugu inawafundisha ndugu wote kuwachukulia wanadamu wote kama familia moja iliyoumbwa na nafsi moja kuu.

"Kujiweka huru, vilevile, inaleta ujumbe nilioupata kutoka kwa baba yangu, aliyesema ni kuwekwa huru kwa mtu mwenye msongo. Kama ni kuwekwa huru kutoka kwenye umaskini, matatizo au akili isiyo na furaha," anaandika Chande katika kitabu hicho.

Anafafanua kuwa ngazi ya tatu ambayo ni ukweli na pengine ndiyo muhimu zaidi ni mchango wa kimungu kwa mwanachama wa Freemason.

Anabainisha kuwa kipindi hicho ndicho kinachoheshimika kama njia ya matazamio na marekebisho na kama inawezekana, kurudiwa kwa kanuni hizo kama msingi wa kuelekea kanuni kuu nne alizozitaja kuwa ni; udhibiti binafsi, nguvu, umakini na haki.

Chande anaeleza kuwa Freemason siyo kifaa cha dini, pia siyo mpinzani wa dini, lakini inakaribisha watu wote bila kujali dini zao na haijaribu kubadilisha imani zao au kushawishi kuabudu kwao.

"Inajaribu tu kuwafanya watu kuwa wema," anaandika Sir Chande akifafanua:

"Hii ndiyo dunia niliyoingizwa mwaka 1954, imekuwa na mchango mkubwa katika maisha yangu tangu wakati huo…: Roho yangu, akili yangu na nafsi yangu, vimetajirishwa na kushiriki kwangu Freemason.

Source: Mwananchi

 

[lyinga]

Anayefanya kinyume cha mapenzi ya Mwenyezi Mungu muumba wa mbingu na ardhi na vyote vilivyo ndani yake kuingia ufalme wa Mbunguni ni kama Mbingu na ardhi.

 

[utinotino]

Ideology ya Freemasons iko above uelewe wa akili za wengi wetu. Hivyo ndivyo ilivyo. Na kiukweli Freemasons hawawezi kufaidi lolote kwa kujaribu kuwashhawishi waAfrika wengi waingie. Upeo wetu ni mdogo na umeshatiwa sumu hivyo ni ngumu ku grasp maana na umuhimu wa fraternity ya kawaida tu, achilia mbali freemasons.
Wako beyond hao, acha tu mwendelee kuwaita dini ya mashetani! Average minda always insult that which they dont know.

 

[Gama]

Hekalu la Freemasons lililopo katika Mtaa wa Sokoine jijini Dar es Salaam. Picha na Rafael Lubava

Dar es Salaam. Wamekuwa wakitajwa kwenye kila aina ya minong’ono. Tumeona matangazo yakialika watu kujiunga nao kama wanataka kupata utajiri na kuwa watu wenye nguvu. Lakini bado Freemason, imebaki kuwa kitendawili miongoni mwa Watanzania wengi.

Leo tunakuletea habari kuhusu Mtanzania maarufu aliyefungua kinywa na kueleza namna alivyojiunga na Freemasons, kundi lililo kongwe duniani.

Tayari watu mbalimbali watu wenye hamu ya kupata utajiri wamekuwa wakitoa ushuhuda kuhusu kundi hilo na kusikika kwenye vyombo vya habari, hasa baada ya kifo cha mwingizaji nyota, Stephen Kanumba, mwaka 2012.

Siyo hivyo tu, bali kumeibuka pia matangazo yenye namba za simu yanayoshuhudiwa kwenye nguzo za simu mitaani hadi vichochoroni yakiwataka watu wanaotaka kujiunga na Freemason kupiga simu ili wapewe utaratibu wa namna ya kujiunga kwenye ‘kisima hicho cha mafanikio’.

Baadhi ya watu tayari wameshanaswa na mtego huo, huku wengine wakiendelea kujaribu bahati yao kujipatia utajiri kwa njia ya ‘nguvu za giza’.

Hata hivyo Jayantilal Keshavji Chande, maarufu zaidi nchini kwa jina Sir Andy Chande, aliyejiunga na Freemason Oktoba 25, 1954 baada ya kupita kwenye usaili mzito, anaeleza namna alivyoibuka kutoka familia ya kawaida hadi kuwa kiongozi wa Freemason Afrika Mashariki.

Sir Andy Chande, ambaye amekuwa mwanachama wa kundi hili kwa karibu miongo sita sasa, anaeleza namna alivyosajiliwa na kufikia hatua ya juu ndani ya kundi hilo.

Chande alizaliwa Mombasa Kenya, Mei 7, 1928, ingawa wazazi wake walikuwa wakiishi Bukene mjini, mkoani Tabora, magharibi mwa Tanzania.

Katika kufafanua utaratibu mzima wa Freemason, Chande ameandika kitabu alichokiita; ‘A night in Africa-a journey from Bukene’ (Usiku wa Afrika-Safari kutoka Bukene), pengine akitaka kuweka sawa dhana na kuondoa tofauti ili misingi inayoendesha Freemason ifahamike.

Imani ya kimaadili na thamani ya kundi hilo ilianza wakati wa mazungumzo yake na Messrs Campbell Ritchie na McLean mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1950.

“Katika kipindi kile nilianza kutambua kuwa Freemason ipo katika msingi wake. Ni sayansi ya maisha ambayo malengo yake ni kumbadilisha mtu kiimani na kumfanya awe anavyopaswa kuwa. Ni mabadiliko ya mtu binafsi,” Sir Andy Chande ameandika katika kitabu chake chenye kurasa 207.

Anasema kuwa malengo ya Freemason yamefunikwa na mafumbo, ambayo pengine ndiyo yanayoeleza utamaduni uliojificha katika utendaji kazi wake.

Chande anabainisha kuwa kanuni kubwa tatu za Freemason ziliandikwa kwenye kitabu kimoja nchini Canada, kilichochapishwa na Kampuni ya Penumbra Press.

Anaandika: “Kwa hiyo, ukiwa kwenye ngazi ya kwanza (first degree), kanuni inayoongoza, inamtaka mtu awe mkweli na mwenye maadili ambayo hasa Freemason inalenga kuyaweka kwenye akili, ili mwanachama awe mzuri.

Ngazi ya pili ya utaratibu inatilia mkazo kwenye vipaji na akili kupitia sanaa na sayansi, ili kutoa mchango mzuri iwezekanavyo kwenye maisha.”

Anafafanua kuwa ngazi ya tatu inampa mtu nafasi ya kutafakari uwepo wake kwa kina na kwamba kanuni zote tatu zinafahamika kama upendo wa kindugu, kujiweka huru na ukweli.

“Kwa njia hizi inamaanisha, unafundishwa namna ya kuyafurahia maisha kwa kiwango chake cha juu. Kwa kufuata hizo kanuni tatu za upendo wa kindugu, kujiweka huru na ukweli, wakati huohuo ukijitambua na kuanza kujiandaa na kutokwepeka kwa kifo,” anaandika Chande.

Anaongeza kuwa, wakati kanuni hizo tatu zinapoondolewa kwenye alama ya sanaa inayofunika imani ya Freemason, ambazo zilimpa udadisi wa kupata taarifa kuhusu utaratibu huo wa kale.

Sir Andy Chande ni Kiongozi wa Freemason Afrika Mashariki.

Kanuni za Freemason zinafundisha nini?

Katika ratiba ya Freemason, anaandika Chande akieleza kuwa, kanuni ya upendo wa kindugu inawafundisha ndugu wote kuwachukulia wanadamu wote kama familia moja iliyoumbwa na nafsi moja kuu.

“Kujiweka huru, vilevile, inaleta ujumbe nilioupata kutoka kwa baba yangu, aliyesema ni kuwekwa huru kwa mtu mwenye msongo. Kama ni kuwekwa huru kutoka kwenye umaskini, matatizo au akili isiyo na furaha,” anaandika Chande katika kitabu hicho.

Anafafanua kuwa ngazi ya tatu ambayo ni ukweli na pengine ndiyo muhimu zaidi ni mchango wa kimungu kwa mwanachama wa Freemason.

Anabainisha kuwa kipindi hicho ndicho kinachoheshimika kama njia ya matazamio na marekebisho na kama inawezekana, kurudiwa kwa kanuni hizo kama msingi wa kuelekea kanuni kuu nne alizozitaja kuwa ni; udhibiti binafsi, nguvu, umakini na haki.

Chande anaeleza kuwa Freemason siyo kifaa cha dini, pia siyo mpinzani wa dini, lakini inakaribisha watu wote bila kujali dini zao na haijaribu kubadilisha imani zao au kushawishi kuabudu kwao.

“Inajaribu tu kuwafanya watu kuwa wema,” anaandika Sir Chande akifafanua:

“Hii ndiyo dunia niliyoingizwa mwaka 1954, imekuwa na mchango mkubwa katika maisha yangu tangu wakati huo…: Roho yangu, akili yangu na nafsi yangu, vimetajirishwa na kushiriki kwangu Freemason.

Source: Mwananchi

Kitabu kinaitwa " A knight in Africa" na siyo "A night in Africa" kama ulivyo andika, na tafsiri yake siyo " usiku katika Afrika, tafsiri yake ni "mtawazwa katika Afrika"

 

[Bin Mngereza]

Sidhani kama kunamwizi ambae atakubali kuwa yeye ni mwizi ...!!

Wapo wengi tu kiongozi.Washtakiwa wamekiri makosa yao na kuomba mahakama iwapunguzie adhabu!!!!!!

 

[Nel Nelson]

no way