The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (the Circle) formally came into existence in 1989 in Accra, Ghana. Under the charismatic leadership of Mercy Amba Oduyoye, the Circle sought to be the voice of African Christian women at the grass roots level. To this end research and publication was and still is one of the major pillars and activities of the Circle. The main objective of the Circle is �to write and publish theological literature written by African women from their own experience of religion and culture on this continent�. In this regard the Circle has been and continues to be the voice for and on behalf of the African woman in religion, culture and theology. However, 25 years down the line there is need for an evaluation of the legacy of the Circle. How has the Circle been a voice for the voiceless, a mentoring instrument for women venturing into the academia? This article seeks to do this evaluation by examining the activities of the Circle including research publication.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article seeks to evaluate the achievements of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in relation to the Circle�s stated objectives. The article picks up the notion of the Circle theologians as the voice of the voiceless women of Africa. The general approach of the article brings together discussions on social issues like gender, poverty and marginalisation as well as language. Theological and religious perspectives on these issues are understood from a Circle point of view.Keywords: women; voice; voicelessness; poverty; gender; The Circle; theology
Ng'anyet: Death Rituals among the Nandi 1. Introduction In traditional Nandi, preservation, prolongation and transmission of human life was the major concern of all religious rituals. Human life was protected and prolonged in the world to an old age. Tradition required everyone in the community to preserve and transmit life to the next generations through marriage between opposite sex with an objective of getting children. Earthly life however prolonged did not make life complete among the traditional Nandi. There was belief in life after death. The dead who entered and lived in the emetab oii, the world of the living dead became oiikab kapchii, family ancestors. The oiikap kapchii did not only live in the world of the living dead. More importantly, every family named their new born babies after their oiik, the living dead in a naming ceremony called guurset. The gurenet, ancestral name became the spiritual guardian of the child for the rest of his/her life. Hence, everyone in traditional Nandi was connected with the world of the living dead and the ancestral world through the gurenet name. However, no dead person was elevated to ancestral level and new born children named after them until his/her ng'anyet ritual was performed which made ng'anyet a critical ritual in the life of an individual in the community. Without the ritual, dead persons neither entered the land of the living dead nor were the new born children named after them. Instead, the dead would remain roaming around the family homestead and in their anger caused sickness, dead or barrenness to the family members for being abandoned. Hence, the living family members were careful not to ignore ng'anyet ritual for a deceased member. They had a religious duty to facilitate the journey of their dead kinsmen and women to the land of the living dead by performing nganyet ritual. Everyone knew that after his/her death, he/she would be made an ancestor and children born thereafter were named after them. Evidently, the ritual was a form of traditional canonization of the dead as those who entered the ancestral land became family and community saints. Everyone in the community looked forward to a time in the distant future beyond death when he/she would be canonized through ng'anyet ritual. Therefore, the future nostalgic bliss made the ritual a source of inspiration, confidence and hope in the face of death. The desire to be made an ancestor protected the traditional Nandi from indulging in any immoral behaviour or committing suicide common among the contemporary Nandi. The ritual was a pivot, the meeting point and hinge for the traditional three stages of cyclic life namely: earthly life, life after death, and spiritual rebirth of the dead in the world. The ritual played a critical role in the religious structure of the traditional Nandi. The traditional Nandi were a monotheistic community with believe in God, Asis the creator of both
When the first missionaries came to Africa, they described it as the Dark Continent: a continent whose people were steeped in savagery and superstition. These descriptions were unjustifiable, yet not altogether unreasonable. The Western Christian missionaries were responding to a “difference” they could not readily comprehend. They found themselves in a context incredibly different from their own. But rather than look for answers that would help them understand their missiological context and environment, they judged all that was not European as pagan, superstitious, and primitive. However, the situation has dramatically changed, mainly as the result of the rapid social‐economic and political developments that Africa is experiencing. These developments, both positive and negative, have far‐reaching implications for missiology and mission. They require critical analysis and understanding, particularly for those who would be involved in mission. This paper describes some of the results of the rapid change that Africa is experiencing, results that in one way or another affect missiology and the missiological context in Africa. There is socio‐economic development, yet there are still alarming levels of poverty leading to the development of other challenging situations and teachings. These include the mushrooming of prosperity gospel churches and movements, human trafficking and modern‐day slavery, and information and communication technologies. Further, the paper seeks to describe how these developments enhance or hinder the involvement of African women in mission. Since mission of necessity requires an understanding and appreciation of the context of mission or the mission field, the paper suggests that relevant theological education of African women is of paramount importance if they are to be effectively involved in mission. Finally, the paper does not seek to provide answers to the challenges described. This is because mission and missiology are of necessity very context specific. Thus would‐be missionaries need to understand the issues and respond to them in context‐appropriate ways without compromising the integrity of the message of the gospel.
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