Dissertation

DISSERTATION Titel der Dissertation „Poverty and Violence in Post-Colonial Africa South of the Sahara: Ethical Implications for the Dignity of the Human Person“ Verfasser Mag. Jacob Nwabor angestrebter akademischer Grad Doktor der Theologie (Dr. theol.) Wien, November 2010 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 080 011 Dissertationsgebiet lt. Studienblatt: Katholische Fachtheologie Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents i Abbreviations ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv General Introduction 1 Part One: Poverty and Violence as Global Social Phenomena. CHAPTER ONE TOWARDS A DEFINITION AND HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION OF POVERTY 9 1.0 Introduction 9 1.1 Definitions of Poverty 9 1.1.1 Absolute Poverty 10 1.1.2 Relative Poverty 12 1.2 Dimensions of Poverty 14 1.2.1 The socio-economic dimension of poverty 14 1.2.2 The theological dimension of poverty 23 1.2.2.1 The Holy Scriptures and the early Christian community 24 (a) Old Testament and the faith community 24 (b) New Testament (Gospels and Epistles) and the early Christian community 30 1.2.2.2 The Fathers of the Church and the theology of poverty 36 1.2.2.3 The Reformation and the Catholic response to the problem of poverty 46 1.2.3 The anthropological dimension of poverty 59 1.3 The theory of basic human needs and the notion of poverty 62 1.4 Conclusion 66 ii CHAPTER TWO THE ROOTS CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF POVERTY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 68 2.0 Introduction 68 2.1 The root causes of poverty 68 2.1.1 Argument 1: Geographical and natural resources 68 2.1.2 Argument 2: Disease and over-population 70 2.1.3 Argument 3: Leadership and foreign policy 76 (a) Economic policies and debt-services 83 (b) Bretton Wood institutions (IMF & WB) and poverty alleviation 84 (c) Trade in Arms in Africa: An ethical challenge to economic Globalization 86 (d) NGOs and the politics of Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (EZA) 89 2.1.4 Argument 4: Inadequate Education and lack of technical know-how 90 2.2 The Consequences of Poverty for the human behaviour 93 2.2.1 The decline of social cohesion 94 2.2.2 Social exclusion and psychological stigmatization 96 2.2.3 Social insecurity and violent conflicts 100 2.3 The Feminization of Poverty 101 2.4 Conclusion 104 CHAPTER THREE THE DYNAMICS OF VIOLENT CONFLICTS IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOCIETY 105 3.0 Introduction 105 3.1 The meaning of violence and the nature-nurture controversy 106 3.2 The nature and forms of violence in Sub-Saharan Africa 110 3.2.1 Historico-cultural violence and its valorization 112 3.2.2 Ethnic conflicts and political violence 117 3.2.3 Socio-economic forms of violence 122 3.2.4 Violence against women and its relationship to economic power 129 3.3 The aetiology of violence: Its individual and social perspective 135 3.3.1 Innate factors argument 136 iii 3.3.2 Socialization factors argument 137 3.3.3 Situational factors argument 139 3.3.4 Religio-cultural and ideological argument 140 3.4 Conclusion 146 Part Two: The Correlation between Poverty and Violence in Post-Colonial Africa, South of the Sahara CHAPTER FOUR A BACKGROUND TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF POVERTY AND VIOLENCE IN THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN WORLD – VIEW 148 4.0 Introduction 148 4.1 The African concept of the human person 149 4.2 The African and the community life 154 4.3 The African and the relationship to the physical environment 159 4.4 The concept of work as promotion of group solidarity 162 4.5 African traditional religion and the economic life of the Africans 166 4.6 Conclusion 169 CHAPTER FIVE CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN AFRICA’S EARLY CONTACT WITH THE WEST AND THE NEAR EAST: ITS IMPACT ON THE AFRICAN CONDITION. 172 5.0 Introduction 172 5.1 The Pre-colonial era of African contact with the West 173 5.1.1 The era of myths and prejudices about Africa and Africans 173 5.1.2 Thinking through the atlantic slave trade (1440 – 1870) 176 5.2 The impact of colonization and the struggle for independence 180 5.3 Post-colonial Africa and the legacies of colonization 187 5.3.1 The politico-economical legacy: A critique 189 5.3.2 The legacy of socio-cultural contacts: An appraisal 193 5.3.3 Migration as a consequence of poverty and societal dysfunction 197 iv 5.3.4 Post-independence Africa and the dialectics of foreign aid 199 5.4 Conclusion 200 Part Three: The problematic of the discourse on the dignity of the human person vis-a- vis the challenges of the social problems of poverty and violence in Africa today CHAPTER SIX A RE-APPRAISAL OF THE THEOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTS FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL QUESTIONS 203 6.0 Introduction 203 6.1 The concept of the dignity of the human person as a dynamic reality 205 6.1.1 The judeo-christian foundations of the dignity of the human person 207 6.1.2 The philosophical arguments from reason and freedom 211 (a) John Locke (1632 – 1704) 216 (b) Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) 217 6.2 The dignity of the human person and the social questions 219 6.2.1 Suffering and dignity: Lessons from Job 221 6.2.2 Human dignity and the social teaching of the church 225 6.2.3 Human dignity and the challenges of basic human rights 228 6.3 Conclusion 233 CHAPTER SEVEN AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS OF POVERTY AND VIOLENCE BASED ON AFRICAN WORLD-VIEW AND CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY 236 7.0 Introduction 236 7.1 The African sense of community and the challenges of poverty 237 7.1.1 Traditional community model and its limitations 237 7.1.2 The christian community model as more inclusive 238 7.1.3 Contextual internal applications of the principles of community spirit 242 v 7.2 Sub-Saharan Africa in the context of the world community of persons 250 7.2.1 A critique of Africa’s aid-dependence and the cost of debt services 250 7.2.2 The meaning of globalization for the African poverty condition 253 7.2.3 Environmental degradation/Exploitation of natural resources: Its impact on poverty alleviation and the prevention of violent conflicts 255 7.3 Conclusion 259 GENERAL EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION 262 I. Preamble 262 II. African condition and the search for identity 265 III. Is Globalization possible without global ethics? 268 IV. Conclusion 272 BIBLIOGRAPHY 275 vi ABBREVIATIONS. CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church CIC Codex Iuris Canonici LG Lumen Gentium GS Gaudium et Spes RN Rerum Novarum PP Populorum Progressio MM Mater et Magistra FR Fides et Ratio CA Centesimus Annus DC Deus Caritas Est SS Spe Salvi CV Caritas in Veritate NGOs Non Governmental Organisations WTO World Trade Organisation WEF World Economic Forum UNDP United Nations Development Programm UNICEF United Nations International Children Education Fund UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNAIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS IMF International Monetary Fund WB World Bank SAP Structural Adjustment Programme ERP Economic Recovery Programm IFAA Institute for African Alternatives GMO Genetically Modified EZA Entwicklungszusammenarbeit ILO International Labour Organisation FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development BCE Before Christian Era RSV Revised Standard Edition NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development vii Dedication: This work is dedicated to the St. Patrick’s Irish Missionaries who laboured tirelessly to bring the light of the Gospel to Sub-Saharan Africa, thereby helping to restore the dignity of man. May God grant eternal rest to those of them who have died and bless the living among them. Their efforts in Africa shall never be in vain. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One of the popular slogans of the umbrella organisation for all teachers in my country Nigeria, the National Union of Teachers (NUT), goes this way: ‘If you can write your name, thank your teacher.’ I agree with this saying, but would want to take it a step further to add that before thanking your teacher for being able to write your name, one has to first of all thank God for life and health, and of course one’s parents for nurturing this life. In this vein, I wish to express my profound gratitude to my parents for their love and care. This same appreciation goes to my brothers and sisters for their friendship. I thank in a special way Professor Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel and Professor Gerald Hödl for supervising this research work. Their joint contributions helped shape it to its present form. The contributions of Professors Sigrid Müller, Gerhard Marschütz and the doctoral students during our weekly rounds are highly appreciated. To Professor Benezet Bujo, I owe a debt of gratitude for the two hours he spent discussing the topic with me in his office at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland. It was an enriching experience for me on this academic journey that I will not forget in a haste. Having said that, I thank His Eminence Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna for granting me the scholarship to pursue my studies at the University of Vienna; and Bishop Michael N. Okoro, the bishop of Abakaliki diocese and my local ordinary, for approving that I further my studies. I thank the Kongregation der Töchter der göttlichen Liebe for providing me accommodation and the conducive atmosphere to write this doctoral thesis. I thank the parish priest, Msgr. Dr. Rupert Stadler, for his understanding and care.

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