Talk:Canaan Banana

Concerning the Joke
I'd like to see a citation about the 1982 law being passed forbidding citizens from making jokes about his name. If it doesn't appear shortly, I'd reccomend deletion. Irongaard 06:37, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

There is a comment to this effect in his obituary in the Economist - Nov 27 2003 - but that is not hard evidence of actual legislation. Maybe it was just a widespread story and maybe it also reflected a "view of the Police" rather than actual law. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Roseberyxxx (talk • contribs) 10:10, 10 January 2024 (UTC)


 * I think I remember reading about this law sometime in the 1980s but can't provide a reference. The newspaper story said that a Zimbabwean official had told its reporter, straight-faced, that Mugabe had chosen Banana as president because "he knew he would never be part of a split." Dungate (talk) 14:54, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

What the heck does this mean? "The former president's term in office was a subject of scandal in later years, marking his legacy to national independence social movements in Africa and abroad." Is the writer trying to say it "undermined" or "unfairly trivialized" his legacy? I'd fix it but I don't know the first thing about this gentleman! Philosopher2king (talk) 01:23, 6 July 2008 (UTC)philosopher2king

should it not be included in this article that he passed the law forbidding people to make fun of his name was because people refered to Zimbabwe as the "banana republic" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.60.24.144 (talk) 23:33, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

If Canaan Banana had married Japanese Banana Yoshimoto novelist while he was still alive, her name would have become Banana Banana. Das Baz, aka Erudil 18:36, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

There was definitely some newsreader, I can't remember if it was British TV or radio, who read out something like "....talks with the Rev.Canaan Banana proved to be fruitless" and then afterwards had real problems holding back his laughter on air. He was given a ticking off for it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.225.149.5 (talk) 13:32, 8 April 2014 (UTC)

Can you find a citation for this? If so, it would improve the article and add credibility to the story of the law against making fun of his name. I think that was a real law, I recall seeing it reported in credible news sources - but as always, we do need a citation. 68.108.171.141 (talk) 21:49, 8 October 2014 (UTC)

As a bisexual
Is it fair to include him in categories created for non-heterosexuals? Despite the allegations, and the strong possibility that they are correct, it appears that he denounced homosexuality; as such, he could hardly identify as LGBT. Across Wikipedia, there is a very stringent policy in labelling people with these tags, particularly when the subject has not admitted to the accusations. Some articles, on whoms subject I would not be seen dead editing (public figures who are "celebrated" in the British media, ie. so-called "celebrities"), are widely known to "occasionally play for the opposite team." Some have half-admitted it, others have actually been caught on camera performing lude acts with same-sex dates, but unless they have spoken out and stated that they are gay/bi, there is no mention of it on their articles. Furthermore, plain old convictions are not enough for any editor to present the case scientifically as in "Thursday follows Wednesday" if the subject remains in denial. I propose to remove all elements stating that he was gay/bi, but am happy to keep the passages conveying his actual situations. Evlekis (talk) 14:16, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I disagree with the above remarks. Being identified as LGBT is not an "accusation" nor is it a lewd act when a private moment is recorded by prying eyes. LGBT status is a function of self-perceived adherence or observable conduct. In a context where his interests and liberty were clearly at risk if he acknowledged his true identity, it is unreasonable to give any weight to that lack of acknowledgement as indicative of his actual orientation, when other information would reasonably show him to be bisexual. 68.148.129.210 (talk) 03:44, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Michael Thabo
Why does he not have the same last name as his father? And why does his wife have the same name as her father in law if his son does not use it? Is the article correct about this, and if it is so, why so? It seems a little unusual. 68.108.171.141 (talk) 21:55, 8 October 2014 (UTC)
 * I believe that Thabo is Michael's middle name and Banana is his surname. —  Cliftonian   (talk)  08:49, 9 October 2014 (UTC)

Fraud from the State
What does "investigating fraud from the state in the United Kingdom" mean?203.80.61.102 (talk) 19:04, 26 October 2017 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 05:30, 27 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Canaan Banana.jpg

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 07:44, 27 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Canaan Banana.jpg