Reassembling and Remembering – the Politics of Reconciliation in South Africa (original) (raw)
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Journal of Religion in Africa, 2023
Conversations about race in South Africa continue to be shaped by a religious-redemptive narrative of reconciliation that emerged in the democratic transition. However, there is a history of critical Black and liberation theological voices questioning whether the religious/ethical ideal of reconciliation adequately addresses the injustices of systemic racism. These questions gained new resonance in recent years with social movements like #feesmustfall. This article asks whether the seemingly intractable hope that a theological concept of reconciliation will be efficacious in facilitating racial justice is warranted. We begin by reviewing and interrogating how reconciliation is being used in contemporary theological discourses, arguing that given rising discontent, it is striking that reconciliation continues to be a prominent theme and topic within South African Christian theological discourses. We then propose several alternatives that may help address the problem of white racism and benefit from the sustained energy that South African theology has been putting into the language of reconciliation.
Reconciliation shifted in South Africa during the transition from being a contested idea in the church struggle to a notion proposed and rejected by the fighting parties and finally embraced by the two main political protagonists when they reached an agreement on the transition to a democratic order. This article analyses the layered meaning of the reconciliation concept within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. On the basis of this description the questions that will be explored are whether reconciliation functioned as a religious symbol at the TRC, and if so, in what way. In the conclusion, the way the concept of reconciliation itself was transformed due to the role it played in the transition in South Africa will be summarized and the consequences for theological research will be indicated. Keywords Reconciliation – South Africa – concept – symbol – performance
Reconciliation as a Missional Paradigm for the Post- 1994 South Africa
Acta Theologica, 2019
The article aims to evaluate the church's role in reconciliation as a missional paradigm and attempts to find answers from biblical and theological perspectives. It discusses the issues of church, congregations, reconciliation, the Bible and people within the post-1994 South African context. There is a need to spell out the reasons for reconciliation as a paradigm for missiology in South Africa. The article addresses theological reflection, spiritual formation and empowerment, reconciliation as the praxis of the church, and faith-based reconciliation. The development of a five-point process for conflict helps in discussing the context. In developing congregations to be communities of forgiveness; being Christocentric; living in Shalom; espousing the missional approach; being open and essential communities, as well as exploring spiritual formation and empowerment will be vital for the reconciliation process. The article attempts to show how reconciliation, as the praxis for the church in South Africa, can go a considerable way to minister and meet the need of the presentday church and community. This attempt will be further supported by the development of a faithbased people and congregation to contribute to the reconciliation process. The following 1 Based on the PhD Thesis "Reconciliation, reconstruction and development as paradigms for missiology in South Africa" (Pillay 2018
RECONCILIATION AS A MISSIONAL PARADIGM FOR POST-1994 SOUTH AFRICA
Acta Theologica, 2019
The article aims to evaluate the church's role in reconciliation as a missional paradigm and attempts to find answers from biblical and theological perspectives. It discusses the issues of church, congregations, reconciliation, the Bible and people within the post-1994 South African context. There is a need to spell out the reasons for reconciliation as a paradigm for missiology in South Africa. The article addresses theological reflection, spiritual formation and empowerment, reconciliation as the praxis of the church, and faith-based reconciliation. The development of a five-point process for conflict helps in discussing the context. In developing congregations to be communities of forgiveness; being Christocentric; living in Shalom; espousing the missional approach; being open and essential communities, as well as exploring spiritual formation and empowerment will be vital for the reconciliation process. The article attempts to show how reconciliation, as the praxis for the church in South Africa, can go a considerable way to minister and meet the need of the present-day church and community. This attempt will be further supported by the development of a faith-based people and congregation to contribute to the reconciliation process. The following research questions are posed: In a country that is statistically over 75 per cent Christian, why are life, actions, behaviour, morality and integrity so far removed from the Christian scriptural principles of the Bible, as the rule book and guidance for life? Why does or is the ecclesiastical Christian life not informing and impacting on life and experience in South Africa?
The Role of the Church in Promoting Reconciliation in Post–TRC South Africa
Hugo van der Merwe is a Project Manager in the Transition and Reconciliation Programme at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation. The Church fought for liberation and after that we were confused. We did not know what to do. The enemy was gone. We could not pinpoint the enemy. 1 Social divisions are what necessitate reconciliation. The apartheid era presented the church with the challenge of fighting the fundamental source of this division – apartheid. In many respects, this battle for justice was one that built the legitimacy of the church as a political actor with real power to promote social change. It is therefore not surprising that the task of overcoming social divisions and (re)building relationships in a democratic South Africa is something that is now seen by society and by church leaders as a key part of the church's role. This paper uses the interviews conducted by Bernard Spong (alongside previous research by the author) to examine the way the church ...
2009
This work is concerned with healing practices that are created within a participatory framework in pastoral theology. It works in post-colonial and postapartheid times in South Africa following on from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The thesis looks to forms of participation with both victims and perpetrators of apartheid. It seeks to challenge singular identities of victims and perpetrators, whites and blacks, which are bound up in juridical practices that are embedded within binary forms of identity. It exposes some of the problems associated with the splitting of a subject from an object of enquiry. The research concerns a journey with a group of Mothers who lost their sons and husbands to the violence of the apartheid state. It is also a journey with some of the perpetrators who were responsible for the elimination of these men. It seeks to deconstruct identity in order to find alternate descriptions of people, both the victims and perpetrators that are not constructed...
2010
This dissertation seeks to compare paradigms of reconciliation in African tradition (including African indigenous religion and culture) and Christianity, in order to enhance the reconciliation process in South Africa. The aim is to enable and promote dialogue between African tradition and Christian tradition, with special reference to the reconciliation paradigms mey offer. In order to accomplish this, the first step taken is to establish what African tradition has to offer in terms of reconciliation resources. African traditional religion, philosophy and anthropology are identified as providing a conceptual basis for reconciliation. Certain African traditional legal resources as well as African indigenous ritual resources are also considered able to contribute to social reconciliation. 171 3.1 Reconciliation in the Bible 172 3.1.1 The Bible as resource 172 3.1.2 "Reconciliation"-some exegetical considerations 172 3.1.3 Some stories of reconciliation in die Bible 183 3.2 The narrative of the cross and resurrection as basis for Christian notions of reconciliation 185 3.2.1 The theology of the cross 187 3.2.2 God revealed in the story of the cross 197 3.2.3 Identifying the story of the cross and resurrection in the story of South A frica 201 3.2.4 The story of the cross and resurrection as a viable external narrative for South Africa 203 3.2.5 Remembering the cross as a step towards reconciliation 208 3.3 Sin, repentance and forgiveness 210 3.3.1 Sin 210 3.3.2 Repentance and confession 216 3.3.3 Forgiveness 225 3.3.4 Conclusion: practicing repentance and forgiveness in South Africa 234 \j 3.4 The church as reconciling community and institution 235 3.4.1 The Eucharist 237 3.4.2 Proclamation 238 3.4.3 Celebration and ritual 3.4.4 Spirituality 3.4.5 Ecumenism 3.4.6 Political involvement 243 3.4.7 Influencing moral culture 3.4.8 Some examples of reconciliatory practice 4. African traditional and Christian reconciliation paradigms in dialogue: differences, discontinuities and points of conflict 4.1 General differences 4.1.1 Understanding of "religion" 4.1.2 Different sources 4.1.3 View of God 4.1.4 Religious practitioners 4.1.5 Leadership and gender 4.1.6 Views of the person and community 4.1.7 Exclusive or inclusive? 4.1.8 Meaning of "reconciliation" 260 4.1.9 Understanding of "sin" 261 4.1.10 Understanding of "forgiveness" 264 4.1.11 Motivation for engaging in reconciliation 266 4.1.12 What is authoritative in a reconciliation process? 267 4.1.13 Reconciliation process 267 4.1.14 The role of ritual 269 4.1.15 Ritual practices 269 4.2 Aspects of the ritual of Cleansing the chest of grudges that conflict with Christian tradition 272 4.2.1 Origin and source 272 4.2.2 Frequency of use 273 5 4.2.3 Gender and leadership 273 4.2.4 Public or private? 273 4.2.5 The body and the senses 274 4.2.6 The ancestors 274 4.2.7 The necessity of human action 4.2.8 Confession before forgiveness 275 4.2.9 The sacramental nature of the ritual 275 4.2.10 Exclusive or inclusive? 276 5. Points of contact or complementarity between African traditional and Christian paradigms of reconciliation 277 5.1 Basic affinity between the African and the Christian: general points of contact or complementarity 277 5.1.1 A spiritual approach to life 5.1.2 Belief in God 5.1.3 The importance of narrative and the past 5.1.4 Inclusiveness 5.1.5 The cross 5.1.6 Involvement in the world 281 5.1.7 Centred on the human person 5.1.8 The sanctity and dignity of human life 5.1.9 Morality and right actions 5.1.10 The importance of community and participation 5.1.11 The importance of reconciliation 5.1.12 Fostering a spirituality of reconciliation 5.1.13 Reconciliation as the re-establishment of relationships 5.1.14 Reconciliation as holistic and inclusive 5.1.15 Non-violence 5.1.16 Reconciliation as purification 5.1.17 The role of mediation 5.1.18 The concept of wrongdoing 5.1.19 Repentance, confession and forgiveness 5.1.20 Rituals, ceremonies and performance: a sacramental approach to life 5.1.21 The importance of symbols 5.2 Examples of dialogue between African traditional and Christian reconciliation paradigms 298 5.3 A specific case of affinity between African tradition and Christianity: points of contact between Cleansing the chest of grudges and Christian reconciliation paradigms 5.3.1 Ritual space and rime 5.3.2 The presence of God 5.3.3 Repentance, confession and forgiveness 5.3.4 The cross 5.3.5 Reconciliation as purification 308 5.3.6 The importance of community and participation 308 5.3.7 The importance of ritual and a sacramental approach to life 308 5.3.8 The use of symbols 308 5.4 Weaving together African traditional and Christian reconciliation resources-an attempt at devising a "new" ritual of reconciliation 5.4.1 Justification for the "invention" of a ritual 310 5.4.2 Ritual of the ash 313 6 5.4.2.1 The aim of the ritual 5.4.2.2 The place of the ritual 5.4.2.3 The time of the ritual 5.4.2.4 The ritual "experts" or leaders 5.4.2.5 The ritual participants 5.4.2.6 Ritual elements and use of symbols 5.4.2.7 Preliminary preparations for the ritual 5.4.2.8 The process of the ritual 5.5 Why diis kind of dialogue is beneficial 6. Conclusion: the schematic line of argument guiding the dissertation Bibliography Interviews 7 1 1 use the term "tradition", rather than the term "religion", because the latter is too narrow for the purposes of this dissertation. The category "African tradition" is broader and encompasses the interrelated yet distinct fields of African religion, spirituality, philosophy and anthropology, as well as African cultural legal and ritual practices. All of these aspects of African tradition will be considered in chapter 2. first section (1.1) to identify different understandings and definitions of reconciliation that are currently in debate, as well as highlight some of the problems associated with the term. Through critical evaluation of these perspectives, and drawing from some of them, I will propose my own understanding of reconciliation and its implications. This definition or view of reconciliation will be implied throughout the dissertation when the terms "social reconciliation" or "reconciliation" are used. As a theologian and scholar of religion, I see my task as asserting that aspect of social reconciliation, which, for want of a better term, could be called the "spiritual" or religious dimension. 2 The second preliminary question is: why have I chosen the topic social reconciliation in South Africa? What is the motivation for exploring this theme? After having argued what my view of reconciliation is, I will attempt to show in section 1.2 why it is important in South Africa to address the issue of social reconciliation. The TRC was probably the most profound and overt sign that South Africans both need and desire social reconciliation. It is my opinion that the TRC succeeded in many significant ways to begin the journey of reconciliation among the people of South Africa. The TRC was an example of the attempt to heal a nation's past, deal with its memories, and move on into a reconstructed future. I will argue that the TRC was partially successful in beginning the task of constructing a collective memory in and for South Africa. For this it must be lauded. However, the TRC also had its shortcomings and failures, and I will outline those that seem most obvious. The aim of this section will not simply be to show the strengths and limitations of the TRC, but to analyse what can and needs to happen in its aftermath. The TRC was the beginning of a process which needs to continue in South Africa. The work of the TRC, and other reconciliation initiatives needs to be developed, expanded, and enhanced. There is a need to provide other, perhaps more holistic and enhanced, paradigms for the process of social reconciliation in the torn and broken context of South Africa. This dissertation seeks to provide one possible way forward from the TRC endeavour. This way forward includes identifying resources from two traditions-the African and the Christian-and allowing them to dialogue with one another. Connected to the preceding one is the next preliminary problem that has to be addressed. Why the interest in social reconciliation in African tradition and Christian tradition? If social reconciliation is what needs to be achieved in South Africa, the next logical step would be to consider how this can be done. In section 1.3 I explain that South Africa is a deeply religious society in which religious symbols, paradigms and practices play a profound role in the everyday life experiences of its people. Religious paradigms can be strong forces in societal transformation and/or stabilisation processes. South Africa has many different religious resources to tap into for this endeavour, which may have a great deal to offer in terms of guiding South Africans on the path toward social reconciliation. Perhaps the two most prevalent religious traditions operating in South African society are the African tradition and religions and the Christian religious tradition. 3 The former have often been neglected or ignored in academic discourse concerning social 2 1 will elaborate what I mean by the "spiritual" or religious dimension of reconciliation in section 1.1.3. 3 1 would like to acknowledge that I am aware of the dangers involved in making sweeping statements about traditions that are not, in themselves, homogenous and coherent. Of course, African tradition and Christian tradition both are ambiguous entities and cannot be assumed to mean only one diing. They are traditions with diverse, sometimes even opposite, tendencies and trends lodged within themselves. Indeed, I am aware that some scholars disparage a generic use of the terms "African tradition" and "Christian tradition", because it suggests an essentialist position concerning these categories. The reasons why I have adopted an essentialist stance will be elaborated in section 1.5 and in chapters 2...
Theology of reconciliation in politically divided societies Gertrude Marazanye
This study is about theology of reconciliation as a way of restoring peace in politically divided societies. Divided societies are caused by political disagreements. Political violence’s are perpetrated almost on an hourly basis all over the world. Many of these political violence cases are so intense that they usually result in the loss of lives. People are tortured, killed, intimidated and imprisoned. There is a violation of human rights, corruption and people disappear without a trace. Divided societies give a picture on why reconciliation is very important. This paper will explore the term reconciliation and discusses some conceptions of reconciliation (justice, truth telling, forgiveness, peace and repentance) and what appear to be the needs of theology of reconciliation in order to restore unity and peace in divided societies. This paper further provides two examples of divided societies and their earlier attempts on reconciliation. Furthermore, the paper uses the concepts of reconciliation to analyze the two case studies from South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Reconciliation Paradigm in the Post Colonial Africa
The article sets out to stir up the debate on reconciliation project in the post colonial Africa. As we strategise on ways and means of delivering the promise of reconstruction, there is need to pay more attention on the reconciliation for individual and society. In other words, does reconciliation mean blanket forgiveness or reparation? How can we ensure that those who looted Africa account for their misdeeds without further complicating the situation? The article is set on the premise that even though there are many paradigms in African theology of the twenty-fijirst century, minor paradigms (refer to reconciliation, liberation, inculturation, market-theology and charismatic among others) and the dominant paradigm (refer to reconstruction) are both critical in the holistic rebuilding of the post colonial Africa. This said; it is imperative to critically assess reconciliation as an important paradigm -as it runs concurrently with other paradigms in Africa today. In particular, are the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commissions taking place in various countries of the tropical Africa, since Tutu's South African sample of 1995, rooted in African cultural and religious heritage, and hence authentic? How can Africa go about her reconciliative phase?