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Latin American Liberation Theology: Does It Fit in the Schema of African Theology of Reconstruction?

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Latin American Liberation Theology: Does It Fit in the Schema of African Theology of Reconstruction? Verbum et Ecclesia ISSN: (Online) 2074-7705, (Print) 1609-9982 Page 1 of 9 Original Research Latin American liberation theology: Does it fit in the schema of African theology of reconstruction? Author: Three decades after the proposal for a shift of theological paradigm, from liberation to 1,2 Julius M. Gathogo reconstruction in an African context (1990-2020), it is worthwhile to ask: Was this proposal Affiliations: timely? Did the proposal speak for other related theologies of liberation in the majority-world 1Department of Philosophy such as Black theology of North America and more specifically, Latin American liberation and Religious Studies, theology? In this proposal, African theologies of liberation were urged to embrace this shift as Kenyatta University, the new norm. Such African theologies includes: African theology (the mother), Black theology Mombasa, Kenya of South Africa, and African women’s theology among others. Hence the proposal was 2Research Institute for contextual in that Africa was moving towards total independence from ‘Pharaohs’ who had Theology and Religion, colonised Africa since the Berlin conference of 1885/1886. With the African agenda appearing University of South Africa, to have been taken care of, it is worthwhile to ask: Does this ‘well-taken care of’ African agenda Pretoria, South Africa mean anything to other liberationists theologians in the majority-world such as the Latin Corresponding author: American liberation theology? This article sets on the premise that liberation theology can be Julius Gathogo, done within reconstruction theology and vice versa, and as the situation and context demands. [email protected] Hence, it is possible to cry for ‘liberation’ when in reality, it is liberation to reconstruct and/or liberation to consolidate the gains of previous liberation hence reconstruction. In its method Dates: Received: 11 Apr. 2020 and design, the article reviews the existing literature while making a critical analysis on Accepted: 03 Dec. 2020 matters under consideration. Published: 17 Feb. 2021 Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article explores the notion of How to cite this article: reconstruction in an African context and gives it a global dimension by drawing from other Gathogo, J.M., 2021, ‘Latin contemporary theologies of the Majority-World such as Latin American theology and Black American liberation theology: Does it fit in the schema theology of North America. It involves the disciplines of Systematic theology, Contemporary of African theology of theology, Liberation and Reconstruction theologies, and Missiology. reconstruction?’, Verbum et Ecclesia 42(1), a2103. Keywords: Latin American liberation theology; African theology of reconstruction; https://doi.org/10.4102/ Liberation theology; Majority World theologies; Black theology. ve.v42i1.2103 Copyright: © 2021. The Authors. Introduction Licensee: AOSIS. This work The General Committee of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) oversaw the remaking is licensed under the Creative Commons of African theological discourses with Jesse Mugambi, the renowned Kenyan philosopher- Attribution License. theologian and others. Presenters also included the Congolese theologian Kä Mana who read his paper on: Théologie Africaine pour temps de crise: Christianisme et reconctruction de l’Afrique, and was published in 1993, two years before Mugambi published his book, From liberation to Reconstruction in 1995. Generally, the papers that were presented sought to change the old patterns in African theology. The proceedings of 30 March 1990 were published in a book, The Church of Africa: Towards a Theology of Reconstruction in 1991, which Mugambi edited jointly with J.B. Chipenda, A. Karamaga and C.K. Omari. In this meeting of 30 March 1990, Mugambi perceptively proposed in his paper ‘Future of the Church and the Church of the Future in Africa’,1 that Africa must shift her theological gear from the paradigm of liberation to reconstruction. He noted that ‘reconstruction is the new priority for African nations’ (eds. Chipenda et al. 1991:36) and that reconstruction is a ‘process will require considerable efforts of reconciliation and confidence-building. It will also require re- orientation and retraining’ (Mugambi 1991:36). In a sense, Mugambi was speaking from an African ritualistic perspective where events shift from time to time, and as the need arises. Such needs include, the handover of leadership after 40 or so years when the older generations would hand-over the mantle to an incoming one (called Read online: Itwika, meaning ‘break away’ amongst the Kikuyu of Kenya). As a person from the Embu Scan this QR code with your community of central Kenya, Mugambi was simply saying: ‘Maguta makuru mati-inaga rwimbo’, smart phone or mobile device 1.This article appears in the book, The Church of Africa: Towards a Theology of Reconstruction, 1991:29–50, which Mugambi edited to read online. jointly with J.B. Chipenda, A. Karamaga and C.K. Omari. It also appears in his book, From liberation to reconstruction: African Christian theology after the Cold War, 1995:160–180 – in chapter 10. http://www.ve.org.za Open Access Page 2 of 9 Original Research meaning, ‘old oilskin does not enter into the dancing room’; The key concern in this interface includes human rights, hence, the need to ‘break away’ from the old pattern. In his economic justice and poverty (Gutierrez 1973). understanding liberation, as a concept, became the old oil, whilst reconstruction, as a theological concept, became the The article is thus, geared towards unveiling some of the new dancing oil for African discourses. This Kikuyu cultural concerns, which have appeared in the course of the research Itwika,2 which is the same as the Ntuiko3 of the Meru, finds its that culminated in this article. These concerns include: Can parallelism with ‘the eunoto ceremony’4 (Muriuki 1974:100) of we, in sub-Saharan Africa, shift our theological gear, from the Maasai community. liberation to reconstruction and ignore the other Africans in the Diaspora,6 or can we afford to ignore other people who Similarly, formal African Women’s theology (informal have related or similar concerns in their theological African Women’s theology must be much older than 1989), articulations such as Latin American theologians? How do which emerged in the scholarly world in 1989 the theologies of the Majority World relate to one another? (Gathogo 2008:75), seeks to reconstruct the society by first For us to seek a wider understanding, we shall attempt to working for the deconstruction of patriarchy. In seeking the revisit the theologies of liberation in the Majority World, but liberation of women, it eventually seeks to reconstruct the outside the sub-Saharan Africa. This will provide us with a entire society of men and women to awake to the fact that rich dialogue considering that Mugambi (especially, 1989 gender disparities are injustices to all (Gathogo 2008:75–92). and 1995) keeps on referring to them in his works, but In the same way, Black theology of South Africa and the does not go into the depth of these theologies. It will also be African Christian theology (Gathogo 2007),5 use the concept an important area of study considering that Mugambi has of liberation as a major framework in their theological been involved in these theologies for the last four articulation. The concept of liberation remains, not just decades and, later called for a shift from liberation to a within the African theology of reconstruction, but also in more inclusive paradigm. other theologies of the Majority World. Other theologies of the Majority World include: Black theology of North America, The justification of this article is in the fact that no theology Latin American theology and the Asian theologies, amongst is done in isolation. Further, the Majority World theologies others. As noted, all these Majority World theologies find have commonalities which need in-depth analysis for their common denominator in the concept of liberation. A better understanding of the same. In any case, Mugambi critical exploration on them, it is hoped, will drive us to draw (1989, 1991 and 1995) in his works keeps on mentioning a some comparisons, with the former, in the light of the variety of these theologies as his point of reference, and as a African theology of reconstruction. back-up to his two concepts of liberation and reconstruction. As reconstructive motif informs African Christianity, can With Gustavo Gutierrez, the Roman Catholic Peruvian the same be said of Latin American liberation theology? In Priest, guiding liberation theology innovatively, the other words, does it fit in the schema of African theology of movement has reinvigorated the marginalised people reconstruction? throughout Latin America. Despite utilising Marxism as an ideological tool of analysis, Latin American theology, as will Liberation Theology in the Americas be demonstrated in this article, also utilises a formal ‘Liberation Theology in the Americas’ refers to the systematic theological approach. Owing to its radical theologies done in Latin American and North America by leanings, it was ultimately opposed by the Vatican. By the so-called the marginalised groups. Certainly, it may implicating both the church and society in the destiny of the appear difficult to differentiate them as they are all oppressed, the Roman Catholic Church leadership felt theologies from Americas – hence the description – uncomfortable with it since 1960s when
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