From May 7-16, 2007, about 200 delegates from five continents attended a groundbreaking event, Amahoro Africa. The aim of the event was to gather together Christian leaders from Africa with their counterparts from the West, for a week of conversation on the role of the emerging church in post-colonial Africa. Representatives from Australia, South Korea, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Uganda, Burundi, USA, and Central America gathered in Mukono, Uganda to hold dialogue that will help shape post-colonial Africa.
After four days of discussions, participants had the opportunity to visit some of the social projects in which some of the African churches are involved. Also, we visited some churches in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.
It was encouraging to see Christians serving and meeting needs of their communities through different projects. A church in Kenya is providing an HIV testing and counselling facility as well as poverty alleviation measures to many who are suffering from AIDS. One church in Uganda is taking care of street children. Christians in Rwanda are actively involved in rebuilding the country after the 1994 genocide. The delegates who went to Rwanda were especially overwhelmed by the stories of the genocide and the fact that over 75% of the Rwandans are now either orphans or widows.
The Conversation
The whole conversation centred on what the church in post-colonial Africa should look like. It was noted that the brand of Christianity that was brought to Africa by early missionaries from Europe did not take into consideration the culture and way of life of the African people. This Euro-centric type of Christianity only aimed to convert people into clones of the colonialists. The primary aim of the message brought by the Eupopeans was to subdue instead of liberate.
Dr Kenzo Mabiala of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who currently teaches theology in Canada, noted that unless the church deals with colonialism, there can be no progress towards attaining the transforming power of the message of the gospel. The number of Christian converts may be on the increase in Africa, as research has shown, but the message will remain powerless to transform people. He also added that being a post-colonial church does not mean going back to pre-Christian and pre-Islamic Africa. Post-colonialism means finding ways to become African as well as Christian. Post-colonialism says, “It’s OK to be different.” African theology does not have to follow Western evangelical theology.
Claude Nikondeha of Burundi pointed out in his presentation that the message of the colonial gospel is telling people to be ready for Jesus’ second coming and heaven, while failing to help people deal with the realities of the present (issues of poverty, wars, famine, etc). He calls this the evacuation gospel (“get ready to evacuate the earth”), as opposed to a transformational gospel that prepares people to deal with the present in love and peace.
Antoine Rutayisire, the deputy chairman of the Rwandan Reconciliation Commission, addressed the Rwandan genocide. He noted in his presentation the contradiction of the Rwandan situation. In 1991 Rwanda was recorded to be over 90% Christian, and in 1994 Rwanda has a worst case of ethnic violence. This means that Christian missionaries succeeded in converting people in Rwanda. But the message was flawed because it did not emphasize reconciliation. The content of the missionaries’ message was partial and selective.
Personal Observations and The Way Forward
The conference did not come up with specific solutions to the problems caused by the colonial gospel. Instead, the goal of Amahoro was to start a conversation that Christians will continue throughout Africa and the world. It succeeded in getting together conversation partners and networks that will continue in each country.
In my discussions with some of the brothers and sisters I met, I noted that the whole church is still struggling with the “us and them” mindset, especially the church in Africa. It is going to be difficult to repent of our conversion motivation if we still think we are better than the others.
Second, the gospel message is still seen as primarily concerning dealing with individual sin as opposed to dealing corporately with the sin of man. People are easily stigmatized because of this view and issues of social justice and peace take a back seat.
Amahoro was an important step in bringing to light several important issues. It allowed people from across Africa and around the world to come together in conversation, and it provided non-Africans with a firsthand look at Africa and African viewpoints. I am hopeful for the future of Africa, and the future of the world as the message of God’s love transforms lives and societies. This was a great gathering. It re-emphasized in my mind the relevance of the message of God's full presence.
