Christian witness at a time of African renaissance - Looking Ahead to the WCC's Eighth Assembly: African Perspectives

Ecumenical Review, The, Oct, 1997 by John W. De Gruchy

"Afro-pessimism" is a widespread ailment historically rooted in a fear of "darkest Africa". Today it is not so much a fear of the unknown as it is a prejudiced assessment of reality, distorted by selected media images and racial stereotypes. Some of the reasons given by the West for its pessimism about Africa are as characteristic of other contexts and continents as they are of Africa. Ethnic violence, war-mongering, political corruption and economic mismanagement have been endemic to the history of Europe, and much of it was exported to Africa along with colonialism and imperialism. While Africa has its own geographical and historical peculiarities, as a continent of peoples and nations it is no different from anywhere else. The fact is, "Afro-pessimism" provides a rationale for the West to forget the role which European powers played in the subjugation of the continent and the destruction of its economy through the raping of its raw materials. Today, "Afro-pessimism" too often qualifies and sometimes undermines the participation of the West in the development and reconstruction of Africa.

Most African leaders today acknowledge that many mistakes have been made since the 1960s when colonial rule ended. They acknowledge that there is substance to the perceptions which fuel "Afro-pessimism", and that Africa can no longer simply blame colonialism or apartheid for every failure or ill. But they equally reject the assumption that Africa is an unmitigated disaster area inevitably trapped in a downward spiral of ethnic war, economic mismanagement, corrupt dictatorships and grinding poverty. Of course, Africa's poverty makes the situation in much of the continent particularly grave, highlighting the iniquity of the huge financial debt with which many of its countries are now burdened. It also places African leaders in a major dilemma. How can they seek much-needed economic investment without falling prey to an economic neo-colonialism which would reinforce Africa's dependency?

Despite "Afro-pessimism" -- and without denying the harsh realities which confront Africa at the end of this century -- there is nevertheless considerable hope among African leaders concerning the future of the continent, and a growing determination to ensure that the new millennium will herald its renaissance. These convictions have been strongly expressed in recent months in various speeches and interviews given by Thabo Mbeki, the vice-president of South Africa. Africa, Mbeki argues, is entering a period of renaissance which is not only important for its own future but also of global significance. His convictions are visionary yet expressed in more sober terms than those which characterized the rhetoric of many leaders of African liberation. Mbeki is a political realist who is fully aware of the enormous problems and challenges facing the continent. He recognizes that the transition to democracy, though widespread, is by no means complete, and that there is no easy road to social stability and transformation. Yet he remains convinced that the present generation of Africans, given the right kind of support from the rest of the world, has the will and the capacity to transform the continent.

Christians, called to live in hope of God's transformation of the whole of reality, should respond warmly to Mbeki's convictions. But the ecumenical church in Africa, in all its variety and complexity, dare not applaud such a vision from the sidelines. Just as the ecumenical church played an important role in the struggle for liberation and in some instances functioned as the midwife of democratic transition,1 so it is now called to participate in the renewal of Africa. In doing so the church has, as always, the complementary roles of priest and prophet. As priestly community its unique contribution will be the moral, cultural and spiritual transformation of the continent, as well as the healing of its past memories and the reconciliation of communities and nations divided by ethnicity and war. Without this, the heralded renaissance will remain a dream alongside the many political plans which litter the past. As prophetic community the church must continuously test the vision of African renaissance, and especially its implementation, against the more radical vision of the reign of God with its insistence on justice, compassion and the humanization of life. If the church is to fulfil its calling and make a difference it dare not become the lackey of the politicians and their programmes.

The potential significance of the church in Africa in this regard is reinforced by the widespread observation, supported by statistics, that Africa is rapidly becoming the Christian continent. Whatever the faults and failures of the 19th-century missionary movement, it undoubtedly succeeded in planting Christianity in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The nurturing and growth of Christian faith, community and witness subsequently became the responsibility and task of African Christians and churches. In the process, Christianity has penetrated African culture and, in turn, become indigenous. Exceptions to this prove the more general rule. Refusing to succumb to the acids of European modernity and secularism, African Christianity affirms the wholeness of life, the vibrancy of faith, the sociality of human existence and the healing power of the gospel. Where Christianity in Africa, whether white or black, remains an outpost of European identity and culture, it is now an anachronism without a future.