Lootsing van die Stellenbosch Chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians | Launching the Stellenbosch Chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians

English Version

Lootsing van die Stellenbosch Chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians

11 Oktober, 2010 vorm die offisiële lootsing van die Stellenbosch afdeling van die Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians wie se doelstellings goed uiteengesit word in ‘n artikel deur Isabel Phiri, “Major Challenges for African Women Theologians in Theological Education (1989-2008)”:

The Circle is a community of African women theologians who come together to reflect on what it means to them to be women of faith within their experiences of religion, culture, politics and social-economic structures in Africa.¹

Die Circle is in 1989 gesti

g in Ghana deur Mercy Amba Oduyoye, wat terreg bekend staan as die “moeder” van African Women’s Teologie en wat laas jaar deur die Universiteit van Stellenbosch met ‘n eredoktersgraad vereer is. Die doelwitte van die Circle word as volg omvat in die Circle se 2007 konsepreglement:

The Circle seeks to build the capacity of African women to contribute their critical thinking and analysis to advance current knowledge using a theoretical framework based on theology, religion and culture. It empowers African women to actively work for social justice in their communities and reflect on their actions in their publications.

Ons hier op Stellenbosch wil deel in die Circle se doelwitte op die volgende wyse:
Eerstens ons is ‘n “Circle” – die term wat in wese dui op die gemeenskaplike aard van om teologie saam te bedryf. Ons wil hier op Stellenbosch ‘n kring skep waar ons bymekaar kan kom, waar ons kan saam dink en saam droom oor hoe die wêreld anders kan wees. Ons glo in teologie in dialoog: met mekaar, met ons konteks, met mans en vroue buite ons veld, oor grense van etnisiteit, sosiale klas en godsdiens heen, om net ‘n paar van die elemente wat skeiding bring te noem.

Fyf vroue dosente by Fakulteit Teologie saam met Denise Ackermann wat die eerste vrou was wat by Universiteit Stellenbosch klas gegee het

Tweedens, ons is “Concerned.” Ons is ten diepste bekommerd oor hoe vroue behandel word in ons gemeenskap. Oor die grappies wat oor vroue vertel word; oor seksuele teistering; oor geweld teen vroue. Ons is bekommerd oor hoe vroue daagliks uitgebeeld word in die media – as seksuele objekte, as verleidsters, as minder as mens. Ons is bekommer oor die armoede hier op Stellenbosch wat veral vroue swaar tref, oor die werkloosheid, die gebrek aan basiese lewensmiddele. Ons is bekommer oor die hoë syfer van MIV-VIGS en hoe om ‘n jong getroude vrou te wees, jou in ‘n hoë risiko kategorie plaas om hierdie voorkombare siekte op te doen. Ons is bekommerd oor die stand van vroue in die kerk – hoe vroue nogsteeds oor die hoof gesien word, dat na 20 jaar van in die bediening, vroue steeds sukkel om die ruimte te vind om hulle roeping uit te leef.

Derdens, ons is “African.” Met hierdie term wil ons sê dat ons te midde van ons komplekse identiteitskonstruksies deel is van Afrika. Dat ons onsself vereenselwig met ons susters reg oor Afrika wat alreeds wonderlike werk gedoen het om mense bewus te maak van die rol van gender in hulle gemeenskappe. Dat ons saam huil met diegene wat onreg aan hulle eie liggame en diep in hulle siel ervaar. Dat ons kreatief wil saam dink oor hoe ons gendergeregtigheid kan bevorder in ons eie konteks maar ook elders in ons kontinent.

Vierdens, ons is ‘n groep “Women.” Uiteraard is ons ‘n groep vroue van diverse sosio-ekonomiese, rasse, en opleidingsagtergronde wat hier bymekaar vergader is. Maar vannaand is hier ook mans teenwoordig wat deel in ons doelstellings. In my eie verhaal waarvolgens ek nooit op Stellenbosch ‘n vroue professor gehad het nie, was dit manlike professors wat daar toe bygedra het het om ‘n feministiese bewussyn in my te skep. As deel van die Circle wil ons dus hande vat en saam die pad loop na ‘n meer regverdige, meer menslike samelewing.

Laastens, ons is “Theologians.” Ons is geïnteresseerd daarin om teologie in ons konteks gestalte te laat kry. Ons weet dat die kerk en teologie steeds baie belangrik is op hierdie kontinent van ons en dat ons nie die impak (beide positief en negatief) van godsdiens kan ignoreer nie. In die Circle lees ons die Bybel met ‘n kritiese oog want ons weet dat daar heelwat tekste in die Bybel is wat in die verlede groot skade aan mense en veral vroue gedoen het. Maar ons weet ook dat die Bybel ‘n kragtige woord van bevryding spreek en dat ons as teoloë die verantwoordelikheid het om hierdie woord vir mense oop te breek.

Ons as die Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians is dus ‘n groep oud en jonk, wit, bruin en swart, ryk en arm, professors en studente, teoloë, predikante en ander belangstellendes vanuit on Stellenbosch gemeenskap met die gedeelde doelstelling om by te dra tot ‘n wêreld waar mans en vroue gerespekteer word as volwaardig geskep in die beeld van God.

In hierdie stryd is ons wapens woorde. Soos Elna Mouton ons altyd herinner: “Woorde skep wêrelde.” Ons wil skryf, ons will preek, ons wil onderrig. In die Circle wil ons mekaar help groei, wil ons saamwerk om ons kritiese navorsings- en retoriese vaardighede te verbeter sodat ons ons saak op die beste moontlike manier onder mense se aandag kan bring. Ons wil saamwerk aan publikasies sodat ons meer mense kan bereik om hulle enersyds bewus te maak van die probleem rakende gender in ons samelewing maar andersyds ‘n wêreld te visualiseer waar dinge anders kan wees.

Launching the Stellenbosch Chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians

11 October, 2010 saw the official launch of the Stellenbosch chapter of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians whose objectives are outlined well by Isabel Phiri in her essay, “Major Challenges for African Women Theologians in Theological Education (1989-2008)”:

The Circle is a community of African women theologians who come together to reflect on what it means to them to be women of faith within their experiences of religion, culture, politics and social-economic structures in Africa.²

The Circle was founded in Ghana in 1989 by Mercy Amba Oduyoye, who rightly has been called the “mother” of African Women’s Theology, and who last year was honored by an honorary doctorate by Stellenbosch University. The goals of the Circle are as follow according to the Circle’s 2007 draft constitution:

The Circle seeks to build the capacity of African women to contribute their critical thinking and analysis to advance current knowledge using a theoretical framework based on theology, religion and culture. It empowers African women to actively work for social justice in their communities and reflect on their actions in their publications.

We here in Stellenbosch want to share in Circle’s goals in the following ways:
First, we are a “Circle” – the term in essence denoting the act of doing communal theology. We want to create a circle here in Stellenbosch where we can come together, where we can think together and dream together of how the world can be different. We believe in theology in dialogue: with one another, with our context, with men and women outside of our field, across boundaries of ethnicity, social class, religion, just to mention a couple of the elements that cause separation.

Second, we are “Concerned.” We are deeply troubled about the way women are treated in our community. About the jokes that are told, about the sexual harassment, about violence against women. We are concerned about the way women are daily depicted in the media – as sexual objects, as Delilah’s, as less than human. We are concerned about the poverty here in Stellenbosch that hit especially women hard, about the unemployment, the lack of basic goods. We are concerned about the high incidence of HIV-AIDS and how to be young married woman places you in a high risk category to be infected with this preventable disease. We are worried about the position of women in the church – how women still are overlooked and how women after 20 years in ministry still are finding it difficult to find the space to live out their calling.

Third, we are “African.” With this term we want to say that amidst our complex identity constructions, we are part of Africa. We align ourselves with our sisters all across Africa that already have done wonderful work to make people aware of the role of gender in their communities. We want to cry together with those who have felt injustice on their own bodies and deep within their soles. We want to creatively think together of how we can promote gender justice in our own context but also elsewhere in our continent.

Fourth, we are a group of “Women.” We are gathered together as women of diverse socio-economic, racial, and educational backgrounds. However, tonight there are also men present who share in our objectives. In my own story according to which I here at Stellenbosch never had a female professor, it was male professors who contributed to the creation of a feminist consciousness in me. We thus want to take hands and walk together on the road to a more just and a more humane society.

Finally, we are “Theologians.” We are interested in embodying theology in our context today. We know that the church and theology are still very important indeed in this continent of ours and that we cannot ignore the impact (both positive and negative) of religion. We therefore also read the Bible with a critical eye for we know that there are numerous texts in the Bible that in the past caused great harm to people and especially women. But we also know that the Bible speaks a powerful word of liberation, and that we as theologians have the obligation to break open this word for people.

We as the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians is thus a group of old and young, white, colored and black, rich and poor, professors and students, theologians, pastors and other interested persons from the Stellenbosch community with the shared objective to contribute to a world where men and women are respected as fully created in the image of God.

In this struggle, our weapons are words. As Elna Mouton always reminds us: “Words create worlds.” We want to write, we want to preach, we want to teach. In the Circle we want to help one another grow, we want to work together to hone our critical research and rhetorical skills so that we can bring our cause in the best possible way under people’s attention. We want to work together on publications so that we can reach more people to on the one hand make people aware of the problem but on the other hand, to hold up a world where things can be different.

1^ Isabel A. Phiri, “Major Challenges for African Women Theologians in Theological Education (1989-2008), Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 34/2 (2008): 67

2^ Isabel A. Phiri, “Major Challenges for African Women Theologians in Theological Education (1989-2008), Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 34/2 (2008): 67

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