3.5. Sources of African theology
3.5.5. The Pan-Africanist movement
ecumenical church within other churches, nevertheless with distinct characteristics (see, Mugambi 1995:126ft).
In concluding this subsection, it is important to underline the fact that the AICs form a very important source of African theology, as they constitute a Christian movement that sought to authenticate African identity. As has been noted, this identity was sought from the socio-religious perspective. Some of these early concerns are still relevant today.
While African theology cannot be expected to accept all theologies in the AICs, it cannot however ignore their theological articulations, which seeks to make Christianity authentic in Africa despite their various weaknesses. It is within this environment that Mugambi (1989b: 15f) proposes the need to consult with the leadership of AICs so that African theologians may share and reflect their concerns about interpreting the Christian gospel in terms relevant to the African context. This in turn means acknowledging them as a major source of African theology that cannot be wished away. Indeed, some of their concerns are relevant and much needed within mainline African churches, such as the need to make the liturgy more spontaneous, thereby indigenising it to better reflect the African context.
The study of the African Instituted churches has prepared us to study Pan-Africanism and African Nationalism as two other sources of African theology. Together, they share one common ideology, namely the need to preserve African identity within African social life.
pursuit for identity is found in Mugambi's call for African Renaissance in theo-socio- cultural terms as this present study has sought to show. The quest for African identity has generally been experienced within Christianity through the AICs, and in the moratorium debate. Pan-Africanists inspired the growth of African theology, as their concerns for cultural appreciation, acknowledgement of the contribution of Africa globally, the reconstruction of the past-history of the African people, became the rallying call in their movement. These cries were heard in the quest of African theologians for an authentic Theologia Africana. These quests for identity in African theology focuses on issues of culture, race, gender and class, all of which are areas in which the marginalization of the people of Africa has been strongly felt both before and after the advent of the New World Order (see, Mugambi 1995:207-209, 210-225; cf. Bediako's 1992).
The Pan-Africanist movement can also be referred to as the "Back to Africa" movement that sprung up in the United States of America, Brazil and the Caribbean during the early nineteenth Century (Abdul-Raheem 1996:1). This movement conceived Africa as one
"nation" whose socio-cultural problems needed to be addressed in terms of Pan-Africanist thinking (Abdul-Raheem 1969:2; Davidson 1994:32; Thompson 1969: xxi). Apart from slavery, the "Back to Africa" movement called for the removal of colonialism in Africa.
Thompson best summarises the three factors that led to the emergence of Pan-Africanism, namely, the slave trade, colonialism and racism when he says that, "Resistance to enslavement...created the basis for the formation of organisations and concepts out of which was born the idea of Pan-Africanism" (1969:19). This agrees with Mugambi's thinking in that "one significant insight has been that the total liberation of Black people cannot be realised until all Blacks everywhere restore their dignity in the world" (1989b:
59). He goes on to explain that this insight inspired such leaders as Edward Blyden, W E B DuBois and others to promote Pan-Africanism:
The same insight inspires Black leaders today to identity themselves with the struggles of the people of Africa for total liberation from cultural, economic and political imperialism. This same insight inspires many Africans in Africa and elsewhere to identity themselves with the struggles of all oppressed peoples of the world. The formation of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in 1976 is one indication of this identification (1989b: 59).
By identifying a theological movement with the Pan-Africanism of politicians such as Marcus Gurvey, Henry Sylvester Williams, W E B . DuBois, Blyden and others, Mugambi clearly sees it as a unity movement which sought to bring the people of Africa together
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and identify them as one people of God, regardless of their status, background, religion, gender, and political affiliation:
Since 1970 there has been a significant effort to strengthen the bond between Africans in the mother continent and those in the Diaspora. There have been several consultations, seminars, festivals, workshops, and conferences involving the two groups, focusing on various aspects of the struggle of African peoples for civil rights - history, theology, culture, communication and so on. The struggle continues (: 59).
Mugambi strengthens the argument for Pan-Africanism as a major source of African theology when he underscores the important role of religion:
In this struggle, religion continues to have a significant role, a role which is indispensable. Since a people's religious orientation greatly colours their ideological orientation, no African can afford to leave his (or her) religious and cultural orientation to be defined by others (: 60).
This agrees with Mbiti's contention that religion permeates all aspects of life (1969:1-2).
Pan-Africanists are therefore informed by African cultural and religious heritage on one hand, and the quest for African identity on the other.
Mugambi's underscoring of religion as an important factor in Pan-Africanism gains prominence in the fact that, among the outstanding figures was Wilmot Blyden of West Africa. Blyden "extolled African culture and urged educated Africans to give up European values and return to their own culture" (Akintoye 1976:98). He advocated, radically, for
an all-African church without European attachment. Herein lie some of the ideas that led to the formation of the All Africa Conference of Churches.
Muzorewa expands on the cultural-religious factors within Pan-Africanism and later African Nationalism, which led to the growth of African theology when he writes that,
"African Theology may develop along a pluriform structure as African theologies, the differences depending on the particular social context" (1985: 51). He goes on to say:
I contend that African nationalism provides a general context within which theology is being done, for the central theme of nationalism gave rise to the spirit of African theology in the 1950s. African nationalism has also provided a framework within which the church in Africa has developed not only structurally but also politically. The All Africa Church Conference is a good example. It is not sheer coincidence that its first meeting in Ibadan was held in 1958; the same year that Nkrumah called a conference of all Independent African States (1985:51).
It is important to note that both the Organisation of African Unity (Hereafter, OAU) and the AACC were both formed in 1963. Furthermore, the theme of political liberation
struggle has been dominant in both bodies (see, Mugambi 1995:x-xi). According to Muzorewa (1985:52), the unity of spirit among the AACC can be traced back to utterances made by the African nationalists who declared that unless all African nations were free, the freedom of a few meant nothing, a view that is rooted in African communalism.
Nkrumah aptly captured this thought when he wrote, "Our task is not done and our own safety is not assured until the last vestiges of colonialism have been swept from Africa"
(1975:240).
The commitment of the AACC to become involved in the liberation of continental African comes directly from Pan-Africanist and African nationalist thought. It is logically possible to argue that African liberation theology has developed from within this nationalistic framework. Indeed, the examples of the inter-relationship between African nationalism and African theology can be seen in the roles of Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole and Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa before the attainment of Constitutional Independence of Zimbabwe in 1980.
Sithole was a nationalist leader of one of the factions in the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and an ordained Minister of the Church of Christ, while Bishop Muzorewa was the President of a political faction in Zimbabwe and Prime Minister in 1979. He was also a Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Zimbabwe, a post he attained in 1968 (see, Muzorewa 1985:53,119).
The role that the Pan-Africanist Movement played in inspiring African Nationalism cannot be underestimated, in that it was mainly responsible for the independence in the 1960s of most African Nation States. Similarly, the role of African Nationalism and Pan-Africanism in inspiring black consciousness within church leadership culminated in the call for a moratorium on Western mission in the early 1970s cannot be taken lightly. Most of the concerns of the African Nationalists and Pan-Africanists agree with those of the African theologians that we have noted in this study. Pan-Africanism and African Nationalism are major sources of African theology as they help in tracing the historical contexts of African people. The study on Pan-Africanism as a source of African theology leads us to study the
AACC as another vital source for African theology.