African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 2 (10), pp. 001-007, October, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Righteous Hutus: Can stories of courageous rescuers help in Rwanda’s reconciliation process

Paul Conway

Political Science, SUNY College at Oneonta, New York, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 18 June, 2016

Abstract

Many believe that stories of heroic rescuers can make a modest contribution to reconciliation efforts years after genocide occurs. One extended effort to gather stories of Hutu rescuers in Rwanda led to a Kinyarwanda publication and the posting of a blogsite with several dozen narratives. The purpose of this paper is to share the essence of some of the rescue stories and observations about the reconciliation process in that country. The slowly growing number of Hutu rescue stories now emerging is grounds for very cautious optimism about the country’s gradual reconciliation.

Key words: Rwanda, Kinyarwanda, genocide, reconciliation, rescue, stories, courage, religion.

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 2 (9), pp. 001-014, September, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Igbo cultural and religious worldview: An insider’s perspective

Chinwe M. A. Nwoye

Department of Political Science and Sociology, The University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 18 July, 2016

Abstract

Although it can easily be contended that there is no dearth of ethnographic reports and writings on the Igbo people of Nigeria, yet it can equally be argued that most of such reports, particularly those arising from the works of Christian missionaries and British colonial ethnographers had largely been concerned with giving a general picture of the mores, customs and traditions of the Igbo. The core of such writings often present the Igbo as primitive people given to some unchanging cultural traits/habits, rather than as agentic people, known for their well articulated cultural and religious worldview. In particular, most of the previous anthropological reports on the Igbo arose at those regrettable days of colonial denigrations in which the perspectives of indigenous African peoples were treated with much disdain, with the people themselves being approached as mere informants to be spoken-for rather than to be listened to regarding their views on the nature of life in the human world. Using the technique of documentary analysis and in-depth library research methodology, the present paper intends to correct some of the shortfalls embedding most of the previous anthropological reports on the Igbo. In particular, the paper plans to educate the reader on some ideals and ethos of the Igbo of Nigeria. In making this contribution it is not assumed that the reader knows much about the culture of the Igbo. Hence it is expected that at the end of the presentation, a lot should have become clearer regarding Igbo culture and religious worldview as well as the rituals and procedures of the key transitional ceremonies of Igbo religion.

Key words: Igbo, Nigeria, socio-cultural, worldview, transitional ceremonies.

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 2 (8), pp. 001-014, August, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The role of women in the Church in Africa

Kasomo Daniel

Department of Philosophy Religion and Theology, Maseno University, Kenya. E-mail:[email protected]. Tel: +254 722-77020, +254 733-703603.

Accepted 3 April, 2016

Abstract

This paper gives a general view of the role played by women in African instituted churches. It touches several roles of women in different instituted churches keeping in mind that there are so many African instituted churches some will be used to represent the general role played by women. The paper also will explain how women were viewed in the Old Testament, New Testament and Letters of St. Paul. This will give a background as to how women have been prominent in the churches throughout history. Interviews have also been conducted on the churches that could not be available this was to find out the general role played by women. The paper will centre its emphasis on the role of women in the African instituted churches, it will also touch some impediments that are facing women in some independent churches such as the Nomiya Luo Church in Kenya. This church that tries to bar off women from participation. This is caused by men's attitude towards women who are looked at as inferior, incapable and are in perpetual pollution due to their nature of being biologically females.

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 001-009, June, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Widows, intersectionality and the parable in Luke 18

Marianne Bjelland Kartzow¹ and Loreen Iminza Maseno²*

¹University of Oslo, Post box 1023 Blindern, N-0315 Oslo, Norway.

²Department of Religion, Theology and Philosophy, Maseno University, Maseno, Kenya.

Accepted 27 July, 2015

Abstract

This article deconstructs a master category ‘widows’ by presenting nuances with regards to the term widow, which the authors consider is of interest in a global society. This article aims at stating the process of deconstructing the presumed fixed category widow within theology, whereas the term widow may similarly be used, and is not identical in meaning and content in the global age. The authors begin by considering the discourse of widows in antiquity. They then proceed to widows in Norway and rural Kenya, and their locally based understanding of the parable of the widow and the judge (Luke 18:1-8). Historically, as well as theologically, this text is a challenge and scholars continue to work hard in order to understand its purpose and message. Further, this article in combining text analyses and empirical data shows how this flexible parable creates meaning in rural Kenya and urban Norway. The point of interest is how the master category widows may be deconstructed by employing insights from feminist interpretations and intersectionality to reveal the complexities and variety of widows.

Key words: Intersectionality, widows, parables, biblical tradition, ethnographic studies, deconstruction.