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Preface to a Theological Understanding of the Burundi's TANGAZA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY ITUNGABOSE BENJAMIN, M.Afr. 10072T PREFACE TO A THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE BURUNDI’S SOCIO-POLITICO-CULTURAL IMPASSE AND NEW EVANGELIZATION AS A REMEDY Supervisor Rev. Dr. Paddy Roe, Cssp A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Master’s Degree in Theology NAIROBI 2014 i DEDICATION To those who are proclaiming tirelessly the Gospel of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace in Africa and in the whole world. ii EPIGRAPH “Human peace obtained without justice is illusory and ephemeral. Human justice which is not the fruit of reconciliation ... remains incomplete; it is not authentic justice. Love of truth ... is what marks out the path that all human justice must follow if it is to succeed in restoring the bonds of fraternity within the human family ... reconciled with God through Christ” (AM, 18). iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT With a heart full of gratitude to Almighty God who has graciously helped me to complete this work, I express my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped me in one way or another to get this work completed successfully. Many thanks indeed to Fr. Paddy Roe, my supervisor, who guided me in writing this thesis. I sincerely thank all the lecturers of Tangaza University College who exposed my mind to various theological and scientific fields. Without their inspiration I would not have produced this work. I equally thank my classmates for the help and support I got from them. I am also very grateful to Balozi Missionaries of Africa community for the support I received from them. Many thanks to Fr. Innocent, Fr. Luigi, Fr. Deusdedit and Fr. Willy for all the support and encouragement I received from them. Finally, I am very grateful to my beloved parents, my brothers and sister who always supported me through their love and care. To all my friends and all the people who have inspired me in one way or another, I say thank you very much. May the Good Lord bless you and guide you in all that you do! iv STUDENT’S DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that this thesis is my original work achieved through my personal reading, scientific research and critical reflection. It is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Theology. It has never been submitted to any other college or university for academic credit. All sources have been cited in full and acknowledged. Signed.............................................................................................................. ITUNGABOSE BENJAMIN, M.Afr. Date................................................................................................................. This Thesis has been submitted for examination with my approval as the university college supervisor. Signed............................................................................................................. Rv. Fr. Dr. Patrick Roe, Cssp. Date................................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.................................................................................................................... i EPIGRAPH ...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................... iv STUDENT’S DECLARATION ....................................................................................... v ABBREVIATIONS.........................................................................................................viii GENERAL INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 0.1. The Background of the Thesis ................................................................................. 1 0.2. Problem statement .................................................................................................... 3 0.3. Hypothesis and the aim of the thesis ........................................................................ 3 0.4. Personal Motivation ................................................................................................. 4 0.5. Sources of the Thesis and its Methodology ............................................................. 5 0.6. Limitations and scope of the thesis .......................................................................... 6 0.7. Significance of the thesis ......................................................................................... 7 0.8. The articulation of the thesis .................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 9 BURUNDI BEFORE THE CONTACT WITH THE EXTERNAL WORLD ............. 9 1.1. GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF PRESENT BURUNDI ............................ 9 1.2. CULTURE AND IDENTITY OF THE MURUNDI .............................................. 12 1.3. THE INSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE UNITY OF THE BARUNDI ...................................................................................................................................... 13 1.3.1. The monarchy ................................................................................................. 14 1.3.2. The traditional religion.................................................................................... 15 1.3.2.1. Imana ........................................................................................................ 16 1.3.2.2. Guterekera imizimu (cult to ancestral spirits) .......................................... 16 1.3.2.3. Kwambaza Kiranga (cult to Kiranga) ...................................................... 17 1.3.2.4. Kubandwa ................................................................................................ 17 How was the cult of Kubandwa carried out? ............................................................ 18 1.3.3. Abashingantahe institution .............................................................................. 19 vi 1.3.4. Ubumwe (unity) and common destiny of the Barundi .................................... 22 1.4. THE ORIGIN OF THE TERMS “HUTU” AND “TUTSI” ................................... 23 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................ 28 BURUNDI IN CONTACT WITH THE EXTERNAL WORLD ................................ 28 2.0. The prospect of evangelization of Sub-Saharan Africa ......................................... 28 2.1. THE ATTEMPTS OF THE EVANGELIZATION OF BURUNDI BY THE MISSIONARIES OF AFRICA ..................................................................................... 31 2.1.1. THE FIRST ATTEMPT (1879-1881) ............................................................. 31 2.1.2. THE SECOND ATTEMPT (1882-1891)........................................................ 35 2.2. THE PROPER BEGINNING OF THE EVANGELIZATION OF BURUNDI (1896-1898) ................................................................................................................... 36 What is evangelization? ............................................................................................ 36 2.3. THE SITUATION OF THE CHURCH IN BURUNDI FROM 1898 TO 1962 .... 38 2.3.1. Under the German administration (1897-1918) .............................................. 38 2.3.2. Under the Belgian administration (1919-1962 ................................................ 40 CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................ 48 THE BURUNDI’S LONG LASTING SOCIO-POLITICO-CULTURAL IMPASSE .......................................................................................................................................... 48 3.1. The abolition of traditional institutions .................................................................. 49 3. 2. The struggle for independence and the position of the Church............................. 50 3. 3. The beginning of the conflict ................................................................................ 52 3.4. The unfolding of the Bahutu-Batutsi conflicts ....................................................... 53 3.4. 1.The precursors of the conflicts ........................................................................ 53 3.4.2. The unfolding of the tragic events in post-independent Burundi .................... 55 The Bagaza regime ................................................................................................... 58 The Buyoya regime ................................................................................................... 59 3.5. The position of the Church during the impasse ..................................................... 61 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 65 NEW EVANGELIZATION: A REMEDY TO THE BURUNDI’S SOCIO- POLITICO-CULTURAL IMPASSE ............................................................................ 65 4.1. New Evangelization: Its meaning and implications ............................................... 66 vii 4.2. The urgency of New Evangelization in the universal Church ............................... 68 4.3. The urgency of new evangelization in Africa .......................................................
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