Faces and phases of Protestantism in African contexts : the Jacobus Capitein heritage

Peer reviewedThis essay explores the shape, form, tone, and outlook of Protestantism on the African continent. I present the argument that, by and large, ‘African Protestantism’ is of a different order for its Euro-American counterparts. In order to illustrate and pursue this line of argument, the case study of Jacobus Capitein, a 17th century African slave who was to later become the first Protestant minister trained in theology is advanced. Capitein, together with his work as a pastor at the slave castle called Elmina near the Ghanaian city of Cape Coast in Ghana, is held up as a mirror of African Protestantism. The essay concludes with a discussion about the prospects of Protestant Christianity in Africa.Church History Society of Southern Afric

Geographic variation in the phenotype of an African horseshoe bat species, Rhinolophus damarensis, (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)

Studies involving geographic variation in the phenotypes of bats help scientists to explain why these mammals are the most species rich mammalian order second only to rodents, with well more than 1 300 species occurring worldwide. Such species richness or high diversity is the manifestation of the generation of biodiversity through the splitting of lineages within bat species. A lineage of bat species can diversify into several lineages which then differentiate from each other in allopatry. Thus, the spatial separation of a lineage into several lineages could be attributed to geographical, ecological and environmental factors across the distributional range of the species. Similarly, vicariant events may also play a role in separating lineages within species. The Damara horseshoe bat species, Rhinolophus damarensis, is widely distributed but restricted to the western half of southern Africa, where it occurs across several major biomes. Formerly regarded as the subspecies, R. darlingi damarensis, it was elevated to full species status on the basis of genetic and phenotypic differences between it and R. darlingi darlingi. Rhinolophus damarensis is itself made up of two ecologically separated genetic lineages. A total of 106 individuals of R. damarensis were sampled from seven localities across its distributional range, with a view to determining and documenting the extent of geographic variation in body size, echolocation parameters, wing parameters, cranial shape and postcranial morphology of individuals from populations of R. damarensis across the distributional range of the species. Firstly, an investigation into geographic variation in resting echolocation frequency (RF) of the horseshoe bat species, R. damarensis was carried out in the western half of southern Africa (Chapter 2). Three hypotheses were tested. The first one, James’Rule (JR), states that individuals occurring in hot humid environments generally have smaller body sizes than conspecifics that occur in cooler, dryer environments, and the largest are expected to occur in cool, dry areas. On this basis and because of the known relationship between body size and RF, it was predicted that there should be a correlation between body size and climatic factors and between body size and RF. The second hypothesis was Isolation by Environment (IbE) mediated through sensory drive, which proposes that diversification of lineage may be driven by environmentally-mediated differences in sensory systems. Under this hypothesis, it was predicted that call frequency variation should be correlated with climatic variables. The third hypothesis was that Isolation by Distance (IbD) can influence phenotypic trait variation by restricting gene flow between populations. Under the Isolation by Distance (IbD) Hypothesis, it was predicted that call frequency variation should be partitioned in accordance with geographic distance between populations. To investigate the probability of the JR, IbE and IbD, the Akaike’s information criterion AICc candidate models were evaluated with different combinations of environmental (annual mean temperature and relative humidity), spatial (latitude and region) and biological (forearm as a proxy for body size) predictor variables to determine their influence on resting frequency (RF) across the distributional range of R. damarensis. Linear mixed effects models (LMEs) were employed to analyse the relationship between the response variable (RF) and the environmental, spatial and biological predictor variables. The influence of prey detection range and atmospheric attenuation was also investigated. The results showed no evidence for JR or for random genetic drift. Body size was neither correlated with RF nor environmental variables, suggesting that variation in RF was not the result of concomitant variation in body size as proposed by JR. Similarly, the Mantel test showed no IbD effect and there was therefore no evidence that genetic drift was responsible for the variation in RFs. In contrast, the LMEs showed that there was support for IbE in the form of an association between RF and region (in the form of the variable “Reg”) which was based on the two geographically separated genetic lineages. Furthermore, RF variation was also associated with the climatic variable AMT. The taxonomic status of R. damarensis was investigated using ecological traits and phenotypic characters including skulls, wings and echolocation (Chapter 3) and three dimensional (3D) scanned skulls and mandibles (Chapter 4). The main objective (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4) was to test whether previously reported genetic divergence between the two R. damarensis lineages was associated with phenotypic divergence. Morphometric and echolocation measurements were taken from hand held individual bats in the field, and skull measurements were taken from field collected voucher specimens as well as museum specimens. Discriminant Function Analyses (DFA) revealed that there was geographic variation among populations and lineages of R. damarensis. Multivariate Linear Regressions (MLV) and Linear models (LM) on the basal parts of bacula revealed significant differences between the southern and northern lineages of R. damarenis. The bacula of the two lineages of R. damarensis appear to have different shapes. Diversification through shape analyses (Chapter 4) was investigated using three dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric analyses based on X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) scanning of dried skulls and mandibles of R. damarensis. Procrustes Anova results of both mandibles and skulls indicated that there were no significant differences between sexes but that the shape of skulls and mandibles varied across different localities (Chapter 4). Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) suggested that geographic variation in R. damarensis mandibles was based on the shape and thickness of the alveolar bone. Geographic variation in the skulls was based on changes in the rostrum, anterior medial swelling and brain case. Some populations had slightly deeper rostra, slightly larger anterior medial swellings and smaller braincases, whilst others had slightly shallower rostra, slightly smaller anterior medial swellings and larger braincases. The northern lineage was found to be separated from the southern lineage based on the changes in skull and mandible shape. Therefore, separation of lineages within R. damarensis (Chapter 4) could be associated with the foraging and feeding behaviour of the species under different ecological conditions due to ecological opportunity. Overall, differences in the RF were found to be associated with Isolation by Environment mediated through sensory drive and this has led to the formation of two regional (northern and southern) groupings in RF (Chapter 2). The two lineages were supported by both the phenotypic divergence (Chapter 3) and shape variation within R. damarensis skulls and mandibles (Chapter 4). Thus, phenotypic differences corresponded to genetic differences between the two lineages and provide support for IbE

Tutu in memory, Tutu on memory : strategies of remembering

This essay profiles the strategies and (theological) tactics used by Desmond Tutu in the management of painful memory in his own personal life, in his various leadership roles in church and society as well as in his role as chairperson of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To contextualise Tutu’s work, we refer, amongst others, to the work of Elie Wiesel, Don Mattera and Leonard Cohen. The essay provides a profile of the ways in which Tutu is remembered as well as the approaches Tutu himself uses in his own acts of remembering. The latter include the importance of childhood memories, the anchoring of memory in familial and parental relationships, a keen awareness of the socio-economic conditions, the valorisation of childhood church experiences, the privileging of the Bible, the leveraging of Ubuntu, making forgiveness the main lens through which to look into the past as well as the maintenance of a hermeneutic that suggests that God is historically on the side of the weak.https://missionalia.journals.ac.za/pubpm2020Science of Religion and Missiolog

A Morula tree between two fields : the commentary of selected Tsonga writers

The thesis of this study is that indigenous Tsonga literature forms a valid and authoritative commentary on missionary Christianity. In this study, the value of literary works by selected Tsonga writers is explored in three basic directions: (a) as a commentary on missionary Christianity, (b) as a source of and challenge to missiology, and (c) as a source of a Black missiology of 1 i berat ion. The momentous intervention of Swiss missionaries amongst the Vatsonga, through the activities of the Swiss Mission in South Africa (SMSA) must be granted. Similarly, its abiding influence formerly in the Tsonga Presbyterian Church (TPC), now the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa (EPCSA), the Vatsonga in general and Tsonga literature in particular must be recognized. But our missiological task is to problematise and explore both missionary instrumentality and local responses variously and creatively. The first chapter introduces the thesis, central issues of historiography and ideology as well as an introductory history of the SMSA. In the second chapter, the commentary of Tsonga writers through the media of historical and biographical works on missionary Christianity is sketched. Selected Tsonga novels become the object of inquiry in the third chapter. The novels come very close to a direct evaluation of missionary Christianity. They contain commentary on a wide variety of issues in mission. The fourth chapter concentrates on two Tsonga plays and a number of Tsonga poems. In the one play, missionary Christianity is likened to garments that are too sho· ~' whilst in the other, missionary Christianity is contemptuously ignored and excluded - recognition granted only to the religion and gods of the Vatsonga. The fifth and final chapter contains the essential commentary of indigenous Tsonga literature on missionary Christianity as well as the implications for both global and local missiology.Christian Spirituality, Church History and MissiologyD. Th. (Missiology

Of wounded killers and ‘failed men’ : broadening the quest for liberating African masculinities

In order to broaden the search for liberating African masculinities, I engage with key and recent works on masculinity within the African context. I explore some of the reasons why scholarship on masculinity in Africa – especially scholarship within the context of religion and beyond interventionist and advocacy work – remains sparse and inadequate. In this article I advocate for scholarship on masculinities which is situated at the intersection of culture, religion and politics and argue that while it is important to begin this search through examining conventional sacred texts, it is necessary to interrogate modern ‘sacred texts’ in order to broaden this quest. To illustrate our main argument and to highlight key aspects of hegemonic masculinities in Africa, I draw on Thando Mgqolozana’s novel, A man who is not a man.http://epubs.ac.za/index.php/AJGR/indexam2019Science of Religion and Missiolog

Through the past into the future : Jean-François Bill - pastor, activist, theologian 8 July 1934 -12 March 2005

Jean- François Bill was a significant church leader of the second half of the twentieth century. He was born, raised and educated in South Africa, and he lived, worked and died in South Africa. He possessed a multi-cultural identity. He had a rare academic ability but was no academic recluse. His varied and intensive ministry was marked by committed, responsible, constructive engagement. He was a convinced yet reasonable ecumenist with a powerful social conscience who offered a great deal to the field of theological education. He had a vision of a responsible church which was responsible in a practical way by working through the live issues of the day. This would be a church which would strive for authentic unity and be the leaven in the lump of the world.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=19577am2017Science of Religion and Missiolog

The Making of Allan Aubrey Boesak: Theologian and Political Activist

Although no conventional biography of Allan Boesak has been published, either by himself or others, we have enough data and information in various places. This is especially true since the 2009 publication of his Running with Horses. In this essay, we attempt an appraisal of the contribution of Allan Boesak to politics and theology by focusing on key milestones and reflections in his life. We take our cue from Boesak’s own self-definition of being a theologian and a political activist. While this article is not a thorough-going theological, the roots and sources of his theology and politics will be explored

The search for a more human face for Nelson Mandela: An urgent task

For many reasons, reflecting on the life of Nelson Mandela is a precarious exercise. If Mandela is a symbol of the resilience of the human spirit under trying conditions, he is also a symbol that is appropriated in various ways – helpful and unhelpful – by various people. This article explores some of the unhelpful ways in which the name and person of Nelson Mandela is invoked. In particular, the article looks at the hagiographical orientation of several reflections on Mandela, cautioning how some of these may have an effect less noble than originally intended. Accordingly, the article asks: How much can the symbol of Mandela bear? How much more can Mandela give? The logic and rationale of Mandela hagiography is explored. Following his death, there has been an explosion of interest in the life and symbol that is Nelson Mandela. Mandela literature, including multi-media, is on the rise. If the symbol of Mandela is in danger of being ‘cannibalised’, there is also a danger of relegating Mandela to an ahistorical mythical figure. The solution lies in at least two area, namely, the increment of alternative Mandela narratives and the introduction of more critical Mandela narratives. In this regard, Mandela’s own self-understanding as captured in his reflections about his life offer several clues which are explored in this article

Why I am not a public theologian

Insofar as public theology is one of several contextual theologies in the world that is focused on and limited to specific contexts, its raison d’être may be understandable. But we argue that if or since public theology has ambitions to become a totalizing and global theological methodology – a ready-made frame to be adapted to and adopted in various contexts – we shall, in this article, unmask and interrogate the unspoken imperial ambitions of global public theology. We will use Black and African theologies to evaluate it. In this article, we argue that the context in which Black and African theologies are done is too important for them to be buried under generalized and seemingly context-less notions of public theology. To this end, we will sketch a few issues that define the context in which Black and African theologies are being done today. These include doing theology not at the helm but in the shadow of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, doing theology in the midst of violence, and doing theology in a manner that does not minimize the painful history of the continent of Africa. In closing, we will propose a theological agenda for Black and African theologies at this time.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/175866232023-06-13hj2022Centre for the Advancement of Scholarshi

The making of Allan Aubrey Boesak : theologian and political activist

Although no conventional biography of Allan Boesak has been published, either by himself or others, as far as we are aware, we have enough data and information in various places to make small beginnings of the long overdue task. Boesak's phenomenal contribution to political theology, black theology and ecumenism both in South Africa and internationally, deserves deliberate acknowledgement. In this essay, we attempt an appraisal of the contribution of Allan Boesak to politics and theology by focusing on key milestones and reflections in his life. We take our cue from Boesak’s own selfdefinition of being a theologian and a political activist and proceed to explore some of the roots and sources of his theology and political activism.An earlier version of this article was published in the Allan Boesak Festschrift published by Sun Press in 2016. Permission to republish has been obtained.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=0256-9507&lng=esam2018Science of Religion and Missiolog