The circle of concerned African women theologians: its contribution to ecumenical formation

Ecumenical Review, The, Jan, 2005 by Isabel Apawo Phiri

Naming our work

The whole exercise brought back issues of language and people's perceptions of the work of the Circle and how that relates with engendering the theological curriculum. We had to clarify for ourselves the difference between "women's issues" and "gender issues". Without going into detail, women's issues centre around raising awareness on the experiences of women which have been sidelined for a long time due to the existence of sexism and patriarchy. In the words of Mercy Oduyoye:

   Feminism has become shorthand for the proclamation that women's
   experiences should become an integral part of what goes into the
   definition of being a human. It highlights the woman's world and
   her worldview as she struggles side by side with the man to realize
   her full potential as a human being ... Feminism then emphasizes the
   wholeness of the community as made up of male and female beings. It
   seeks to express what is not so obvious, that is, that male-humanity
   is a partner with female-humanity, and that both expressions of
   humanity are needed to shape a balanced community within which each
   will experience a fullness of Be-ing. (13)

On the other hand gender issues go beyond examining women's experiences. In principle, gender studies highlight the relationship between men and women, which is more inclusive than women's studies. It raises questions of power, authority and control. (14)

The Circle is aware that in Africa, the question "Are you a feminist?" is loaded. There are some theological institutions and communities where the name itself is enough to cause people to close up and not listen. It is for this reason that many Circle women prefer to call their work African women theology(ies). However, the Circle feels that it is important to have dialogue over the word so that we dispel the myths that dominate our theological institutions. Our experience in the classroom has shown us different students' understanding of the word: at the beginning of a course on feminist theology, most students in Africa define feminists as women who are divorced, single, frustrated, men-haters, etc. After the students have been properly introduced to what feminism and gender are all about, there is always a conversion experience and change in attitude.

Therefore a conversation is on-going among ourselves as to who we are. It was noted that Circle members have used different names to describe their work. Some are comfortable to use the word feminist when describing their work. Others have resisted using that word even though their work is from feminist perspectives. Furthermore, some shared experiences of having been forced to use the word in the title of their books by publishers. The designed curriculum has accommodated all the naming, which includes: Circle theology; Communal theology; Bosati theology; African women theologies. The users of the curricula are invited to use the title that seems more comfortable for their situation.

Although some African women link themselves to womanist theology, which describes the theology of African American women theologians, at the workshops it was agreed that the Circle embraces the similarities that we share with our sisters but also sees the importance of acknowledging the differences. Womanist theology arose out of the experience of slavery. The American context informs their theology. Therefore when African Americans are talking about survival, it is not the same as what that means on the African continent. The Circle encourages African theologians to read what the womanist theologians are saying, affirm them, learn from them but also acknowledge our difference. What is important is that the Circle is in dialogue with other gendered theologies around the world.