The African renaissance is a 19th century theory on socio-political, education, agriculture, religion, history and general cultural perspective. This includes the entire economic struggle for total transformation and liberation of the African continent from its foreign Western domination and determination of policies and philosophies (Gutto 2006:306-307). Thus, the entire ‘nationalism movements’ of late 20th century era in the African continent of the independent state movements, the struggles and revolutionary fights or resistant against slavery and colonialism in 1526 in the Congo (Uzukwu 1996:24) [and in the recent times neo- colonialism] can all qualify as African renaissance or rebirth movements. African Renaissance brings to the open the deep desire for the re-founding of Africa at all levels of life engagement with the West in matters of religion, governance policies, economy, culture and otherwise. As a revolutionary theory and in relation to this study, African renaissance looks at how the Igbo could achieve its dreams of self-actualization and realization in past and present ways of foreign domination and subjugation. Hence, its place in the study remains a priceless position (locus) that deserves its emphasis and attention.
Hence, the need for interpretation of particular symbols as experienced in the Igbo Ohacracy governance order is inevitable since these should contribute immensely towards the participatory model of governance in the Igbo Catholic Church. It is interesting to note therefore that the Catholic Church’s promotion of ‘Africanaisation’ or better still inculturation since Vatican II council has helped the Igbo Ohacracy Church to feel at home with its own belief and practice like the veneration of ancestors and the values they stood for has brought a whole new meaning in comparison with the Catholic acceptance of the saints. More so, the use of vernacular language other than the mystic Latin Masses brought worship home for the Igbo Catholic Church; thanks to the initiatives of Vatican II to involve lay masses in liturgies.
The Igbo Ohacracy institutional order therefore uses symbols to establish, govern and communicate certain meanings and understanding of relationships that should exist among citizens of the Ohacracy order or communities. As extensively discussed and described in chapter 5, the institutions remain key agents and instruments of organization, operation and governance by which individuals and groups participate in the day to day running or governance of the Ohacracy order. These institutions indeed provide the ground and point of common participatory model of governance in the Igbo Ohacracy order. More so, these institutions remain well-established structured patterns of behaviour or relationships that are acceptable as a fundamental part of Igbo cultural tradition and Ohacracy system of governance. A clear instance here would be marriage, as would be noted in the institution of family below in chapter 5.
In the most recent times, South Africa being almost the last state to be liberated from European minority rule/domination thereby gaining her independence in 1994, has been in the fore front in the renewal call from its former head of state Thabo Mbeki, for the total African rebirth in all aspects of life and culture. Yet, while trying to concur to the situation presented above on the first usage or attempt of African renaissance or rebirth theory, Vambe (2010:257) correcting the impression created among South Africans who thought that the notion of African renaissance had emanated from the Mbeki era reemphasizes Mamdani and writes asking number of questions: When did the African Renaissance begin – in 1994 or earlier? Is the African Renaissance to be a turnkey for South African export to the rest of Africa? Alternatively, could it be that the African Renaissance does not have a single parentage, a single genealogy that its waters come from springs before joining a larger flow?
Could it be that this genealogy is as continental as its claim? Having set the record straight, it is therefore clarified that African rebirth is a movement that began back in the mid-20th century at the first struggles of Africans to liberate and unfetter from Western chains of cultural, political and economic dominations. In thinking further, Vambe (2010:256) citing Mbeki on the clear vision of African rebirth argues thus:
Our vision of an African Renaissance must have as one of its central aims the provision of a better life for the masses of the people whom we say must enjoy and exercise the right to determine their future. That renaissance must therefore address the critical question of sustainable development which impacts positively on the standard of living and the quality of life of the masses of our people.
In this case, African Renaissance has a strong and deep connection with education and it is in this regard Gutto (2006:306) contends that education in Africa needs a fundamental paradigm change which entails, among other things, focusing on confronting, with a view to correcting and departing from, hegemonic knowledge. A knowledge system that is predicated on racist paradigms that has deliberately and otherwise distorted, and continues to distort, the reality of who Africans really are. Hence, a need to redefine our education and knowledge base system must be renewed, questioned and refounded.
In conclusion, Gutto (2006) keenly noted four (4) periods in human historic and developmental epochs which Africa’s role and place is hardly acknowledged and denied anyway; but needs to be corrected and changed. Gutto (2006:306) therefore writes:
Africa’s leadership as the cradle of humankind or the Naissance (dawn) of Humanity, Africa’s leadership in all fields of knowledge and human achievements at the beginning of modern civilisation up to about the fourteenth (14th) century AD. The fifteenth (15th) century AD to the present which marks the only period in human development when Africa and Africans have been dominated and marginalised by mainly European civilisation and its global projections. Hence, the emerging era of the renaissance of Africa and other marginalised peoples.
As noted above the African Renaissance brings to light the hidden, marginalized and suppressed African-ness to come alive and be rightfully situated in the human history. As theology of inculturation already reveal concerning Church governance, so does African Renaissance reveal in the socio-political and cultural settings in contemporary Africa to receive a paradigm shift in all its dealings and practices. Africa as people and place therefore need an unapologetic reborn in mind and in action. This reborn will include both in philosophy and theology. And finally, this reborn will also include politics and culture. A reborn in science and technology! Africans cannot perpetually remain infants begging to be allowed or permitted to be Africans.
In essence, African Renaissance will offer the Igbo of South-eastern Nigeria the opportunity, through the Igbo Ohacracy tradition to be truly Igbo people in the Igbo Church;
demonstrating their true-self in their culture of full participation in Church governance and not ruled by foreign clothing, images, symbols, and practices that do not communicate the divine and Supreme Being of the Igbo culture. It is therefore wrong and indeed immoral to
replace images and symbols41 of divine meaning and valuable communications to the black Igbo and impose the white European non-sensetical and non-communicable images and symbols in the Igbo church and governance. The decentralization that the Igbo Ohacracy proposes is therefore to be based on the rebirth of the Igbo symbolic images to come alive in the Catholic Church governance. It must be painfully noted though that these ‘imposed images’ of the Western Church culture has watered dawn the entire Supreme Being images held in high positions among the Igbo Ohacracy. And the task of African Renaissance theory is to restore these images for the Igbo to become truly Catholic and truly Igbo in worship and governance.
While this study insists on African Renaissance that thinks of a true African life which is realized in unity, communalism and visionary purposefully driven, various African cultural thought systems hold indigenous Africans together just like the Igbo Ohacracy system. This is in agreement with Matunhu (2011:71) who argues that:
Therefore, development and poverty reduction strategies for Africa must be informed and embroiled in the African values like ‘Ubuntu’ in South Africa,
‘Humwe’ in Zimbabwe, ‘Harambee’ in Kenya and ‘Ujamahaa’ in Tanzania (or even the Umunna concept among the Igbo)42. The model –African Renaissance- rejects the mainstream growth (modernity) and dependency paradigms because they exacerbate poverty and fail to appeal to the African value system. …
Concluding on this matter, Matunhu (2010) recommends that African Renaissance must be such that it reclaims the African identity and African values. The African Renaissance unlike its predecessors (modernity and dependency theories), “advocates for local solutions, pluralism, community-based solutions and reliance on local resources. Therefore the critical issue here is ‘transformation’ for the future depends on achieving the transformation of institutions, technology, values and behaviour consistent with ecological and social realities in Africa” (Matunhu 2010:71).
4.7 Catholicism on Slavery and Colonialism: An Igbo Ohacracy Experience