Department of Practical Theology and Missiology

Permanent URI for this community

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/1006

Browse

Browsing Department of Practical Theology and Missiology by Subject "Africa -- Religion"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Bemba rituals and the environment : experiences of the wives of Bashi Cingo in the Sweetheart of Nimbi Church
    (African Sun Media, 2020) Masaiti Mukuka, Bridget N.
    This chapter seeks to investigate the rituals around the wives of Bashi Cingo by using a feminist narrative. The chapter examines the experiences of the wives of Bashi Cingo in relation to their cultural beliefs that forbid them to cultivate the land. I explore the rituals’ links with the wives and the environment and, of course, their spiritual connection with the Sweetheart of Nimbi Church in Zambia. I will employ Mercy Amba Oduyoye’s (1995) and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s (2011) feminist methods of inquiry to guide this chapter. I found that some wives of Bashi Cingo have fairly low levels of support from the Sweetheart of Nimbi Church and from the community. Also, it took some months to bury the founder of the Sweetheart of Nimbi Church, because he came from the lineage of the Bemba chief, Chitimukulu, in the Northern Province of Zambia. This demonstrates the influence of Bemba2 culture and biblical scriptures in formulating some church policies that reinforce the rituals. It also uses a measure of feminist narratives that may be of much benefit to some feminists as well as many African women.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Contribution of John S. Mbiti to the study of African religions and African theology and philosophy
    (Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust, 2019) Mbaya, Henry; Cezula, Ntozakhe Simon
    This paper discusses the contribution of Professor John S Mbiti to African theology and African Philosophy. It does this by highlighting several scholars in various contexts who have attempted to highlight his contribution to these fields of study. The paper highlights some important concepts and issues that Mbiti has dealt with in his theological and philosophical works. The overall argument of these authors is that Mbiti has argued that in their cultures and religions, Africans do know and experience God.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    KwaNtonjane : the indigenous rites of passage amongst amaXhosa in relation to prejudiced spaces
    (African Sun Media, 2020) Matholeni, Nobuntu Penxa
    KwaNtonjane is an isiXhosa concept that refers to the space that a young umXhosa girl occupies from initiation to adulthood. During this time, she is called an intonjane – an initiate transitioning from girlhood to young womanhood. Some parallels can be drawn between the two initiation practices, Kwantonjane and ulwaluko, with the latter term referring to an initiation ritual for boys. These rituals are similar yet distinct. To illustrate this point further, both male and female initiates receive counselling on their transition and society’s expectations. Yet despite the similarities, there are also conspicuous differences in how the initiates are counselled and how much space they are allowed to occupy during and after the initiation process. For instance, on the one hand, the mother of the young man and the significant women in his life are not allowed to be a part of ulwaluko or in the spaces surrounding the ritual. On the other hand, the father of the young woman is allowed around and close to the girl’s initiation hut. There seems to be prejudice regarding the ritual spaces that amaXhosa women in general are allowed to occupy. This chapter investigates how the location of unequal spaces sets the tone for future imbalance in ritual spaces and unequal social relationships. This will be addressed by making use of the relational indigenous research paradigm, which considers how reality is collectively constructed and the connection that people have with each other from birth to death. The chapter will also discuss and explain the purpose and meaning of these rites of passage.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The role of religion in sustainable development : theological reflections on sustainable development goals and Mother Earth
    (African Sun Media, 2020) Chilongozi, Mwawi Nyirenda
    The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (United Nations, 2015). However, there is a shift in the understanding of sustainable development as it was stipulated in the MDGs and how sustainable development is defined in the SDGs. The SDGs are applicable to countries in the Global South and in the Global North, unlike the MDGs that focused mainly on countries in the Global South. The MDGs focused on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, gender inequality, as well as on improving education, health and forming global partnerships. However, the SDGs integrate the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely economic, social and environmental. The SDGs, therefore, include building peaceful, just and inclusive societies, protecting human rights, promoting gender equality and the need to protect Mother Earth and its natural resources by combating climate change and protecting oceans and forests. In analysing the SDGs critically, it is evident that the religious dimension is missing. The religious dimension is nevertheless critical, as Oduyoye (2001) argues that religion determines the shaping of the moral, social, political and economic dimensions of many societies in Africa. Religion influences how people relate to each other and the environment. In the African world view, there is no separation between the sacred and secular as it is holistic in its perspective. Religion is an element of people’s identity and it influences the core of the lives of people in Africa. Hence, an agenda for sustainable development should not exclude religion. This chapter engages Mercy Amba Oduyoye’s (2001) four central themes of doing theology in Africa as the theological lens in its analysis of sustainable development goals, with a focus on understanding Mother Earth. Her book, Introducing African women’s theology (Oduyoye, 2001), addresses theological themes that entail a holistic approach to sustainable development in the African context. These themes are: (1) community and wholeness, (2) relatedness and interrelationships, (3) reciprocity and justice, and (4) compassion and solidarity. These theological themes describe the characteristics of traditional life in Africa of caring for each other and the environment. The care for the environment and the natural resources emerge from the religious belief in the need to ensure harmony between the elemental forces and human beings. Achieving sustainable development, as stipulated in the SDGs, is a challenge if religion and the spirituality of people in different societies are not taken into account.