RELIGION IN SOUTHERN Edited by CarE Fredr~iKhTaLlencreutz and .-khiPalmberg Seminar Proceedings No, 24 The Scandinavian Institute of Afr'ican. Studies RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Seminar Proceedings No. 24 RELIGION AND POLITICS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Edited by Curl Fredrik H&weutz and hlui Pdmberg The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, Uppsala 1991 Indexing terms Religion Church Politics Southern Africa Cover drawing: Anna Bengtsson (The cover picture is inspired by a part in Desmond Tutu's speech in Uppsala, reprinted here. ) Typesetting: Leena Kjallstrom, Susanne Ljung Stylistic editing: Nigel Rollison O Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 1991 Printed in Sweden by Bohuslaningens Boktryckeri AB, Uddevalla 1991 ISSN 0281 -0018 ISBN 91-7106-312-9 Contents PREFACE INTRODUCTION Curl F. Halkweutr THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN SCENARIOS The Call of the ANC Billy Modise In Commemoration of Soweto 1976 Lisbet Palm "In Humble Submission to Almighty God"-Church, State and Conflict in South Africa Sheena Duncan Has Apartheid Gone? Axel Ivar Berglund Namibia-A Sign of Hope? Jose' Chipenda The Regional Prospects Tor Selktrom RELIGION, APARTHEID AND AFTER Towards Post-Apartheid South Africa Desmond Tutu The Role of Islam in Southern Africa Ephraim Mandivenga African Independent Churches and their Political Roles Bengt Sundkkr Healing and Political Aquiescence in African Independent Churches Matthew Schoffeleers A New Religious Political Right Oue Gusrufsson The Theological Debate on Liberation Per Frostin LESSONS FROM ZIMBABWE 141 Insights from the Second Chimurenga Patrick Muturne Catholic Youth Mobilization in Zimbabwe Paul Gundani Church and State in Zimbabwe and South Africa Curl F. Halkncreutz The Role of the Church in the Development Market -The Case of Zimbabwe 169 Agnes Chepkwony Ongaro CONTEXTUALIZING HISTORY 183 Learning from History: Religion, Politics, and the Problem of Contextualization-The Case of J . W. Colenso 185 Jeff GUY Catholics and Protestants in a Clash of Interests in Southern Mozambique 194 Alf Helgesson CONCLUDING REMARKS Jose' Chipenda Sigbert Axelson and Curl F. Halkncreutz CONTRIBUTORS 2 17 SEMINAR PROCEEDINGS 218 Preface The interlinkages between religion and politics in Southern Africa is a topical subject at a time when serious thought is being given to what a Post-Apartheid Society will look like by academics from outside as well as by scholars and politicians within the Liberation movement. This subject was explored at considerable depth at the third major research seminar jointly convened by the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies and the Nordic Institute of Missionary and Ecumenical Research (NIME) in Uppsala, Sweden, June 14-18, 1989. Material from that seminar has provided the source for this book. The organizing committee, comprising of Bertil OdCn, Thomas Ridzus and Annica van Gylswyk from the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, and Axe1 Ivar Berglund, Ove Gustafsson and Car1 Fredrik Hallencreutz from NIME, enlisted a very rewarding response in the form of a most representative participation from the ANC and related agencies, scholars and Church leaders from the region as well as academic scholars and representatives of agencies for Mission and Development from the Nordic scene. Generous financial support from the Swedish Government and involved missionary and development- aid agencies allowed the plans of the organizing committee to become a reality. Editorial responsibility for the sharing of contributions made and insights gained in the course of the seminar has rested with a committee of the undersigned, with Lars Berge as editorial assistant. It should be noted that the papers and speeches delivered at the seminar have been edited and shortened, almost without exception, but always with the author's permission. Leena Kjallstrom of the Uppsala Department of Theology and Susanne Ljung of the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies have made unfailing efforts in providing the finished texts. Uppsala, February 1991 Curl F. Halkncreutz Mai Palmberg Department of Theology The Scandinavian Institute Uppsala University, and NIME of Afncan Studies Introduction Curl F. HaUeweutz In June 1989 the third major interdisciplinary Uppsala seminar on Religion and Society in Africa was convened with the Scandinavian Institute of African Studies as one of the organizers. The theme this time was Religion and Politics in Southern Afnca. Discussions proved again to be highly relevant and thought-provoking. Being the third of its kind, this seminar has a pre-history. The first major scholarly Uppsala encounter on Religion and Society in Africa took place when Uppsala University celebrated its Fifth Centenary in 1977. In fact, discussions were then pursued in two stages: first there was a special subsection on African Church History within the framework of an international conference on Ecclesiastical History. Secondly, there was an additional two-day workshop at SIAS, which mainly dealt with the proposed outline of Bengt Sundkler's forthcoming comprehensive account of the Christian Movement in Africa, These discussions, were also most rewarding. Material from these Uppsala deliberations on African Church History is available in The Church in a Changing Society, Uppsala 1977. The second step towards the 1989 Uppsala Seminar on Religion and Politics in Southern Africa was a research seminar in August 1984 on Religion, Development and Afncan Identity. At that time SIAS shared responsibility for the arrangements with the Nordic Institute of Missio- nary and Ecumenical Research (NIME or NIMER). Issues explored on that occasion included contemporary religious change, church and state in post colonial Africa, and the role of women in church and society in traditional and modem Africa. In the course of the proceedings, Bengt Sundkler gave a progress report on his re-assessment of dynamics and perspectives in African church history from "the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt" until the present day. Material from this research seminar has been published in Religion, Development and Afncan Iden- tity, Seminar Proceedings No. 17, Uppsala 1987. When the third major Uppsala seminar on Religion and Society in Africa was launched-again in the form of a joint venture, Religion and Politics in Southern Africa proved to be a highly topical theme. The primary objective was defined in terms of a critical assessment of the relevance of ongoing Scandinavian studies in the field of religion and society in Africa in light of the increasingly specific discussions within ANC and related agencies on the one hand, and in more independent fora on the other. Again the scholarly encounter proved challenging due to the re- presentative and varied participation from Southern Africa. And again Bengt Sundkler took an active part. In a special seminar group on church history he highlighted some specific findings with regard to Church developments in Southern Africa. The manuscript for his over- all presentation was just being finalized for transfer to his publisher in Cambridge. In a plenary session he was invited to review his pioneering studies of Independent Church Movements in Southern Africa in light of the main focus of the seminar. The third major Uppsala seminar on Religion and Society in Africa operated at three levels. Within the seminar proper, discussions were pursued both in plenary sessions and in more specialized seminar groups. There were also two significant public events; the first on Soweto Day, June 16; the second in the form of an ecumenical solidar- ity meeting on Sunday, June 18. Material which is published in this volume also contains contribu- tions from these public events. We are privileged in being able to publish Lisbet Palme's plea on behalf of suffering children in Southern Africa at the public meeting on Soweto Day 1989, as well as Archbishop Desmond Tutu's equally compassionate reflections on the role of the Church in striving towards a South Africa freed from apartheid at the subsequent ecumenical solidarity meeting. There were many categories of people involved in the seminar at various levels. I have already mentioned two distinguished guests. Moving on, I will suggest that there were at least four categories of participants. In the first place there were representatives of ANC and related organisations, most notably the Rev. Fumanekile Gquiba of the Department of Religious Affairs of ANC, and the Chief Representative of the ANC to the Nordic Countries, Billy Modise. Secondly, there were some very experienced and able Church leaders and scholars from the Southern Africa region, including Patrick Mutume of the Zim- babwe Catholic Bishops Conference and Ephraim Mandivenga, well- Introduction 11 known Islamologist from the University of Zimbabwe, as well as Gabriel Setiloane from the University of Cape Town and Sheena Duncan of Black Sash in Johannesburg. Thirdly, there were Scandinavian-and indeed some African!-research students and scholars such as Agnes Chepkwony Ongaro from Kenya and Sweden, Paul Gundani of Zim- babwe, and participants from four of the Nordic Countries. And fourthly, there were representatives of Non-Governmental Organisa- tions and Missions involved in the region and also sponsors of the seminar. The Minister of International Development Cooperation Lena Hjelm-Wall& officially opened the seminar proceedings. Of course, such a varied participation had varying expectations and their priorities differed. However, this diversity contributed to make seminar discussions and personal