Bediako, Kwame. “Understanding African Theology in the 20^thCentury”. 1993.

It has become well known that two distinct trends have emerged in African Christian thought in the post-independent and post-missionary era, from the late 1950s to the late 1980s. One has been the theological dimension to the struggle for the social and political transformation of the conditions of inequality and oppression in South Africa. This is what produced Black Theology, a theology of liberation in the African setting, in response to the particular circumstances of southern Africa. The other has been the theological exploration into the indigenous cultures of African peoples, with particular stress on their pre-Christian (and also pre-Islamic) religious traditions. This trend has been more closely associated with the rest of tropical Africa, where political independence seemed to have taken away a direct regular experience of the kind of socio-political pressures which produced Black Theology in South Africa. In this second trend, the broad aim has been to achieve some integration between the African pre-Christian religious experience and African Christian commitment in ways that would ensure the integrity of African Christian identity and selfhood. This article will focus on the second of these ‘trends’, which is what is generally meant by the designation ‘African Theology’. It needs to be pointed out, though, that the two are by no means to be regarded as mutually exclusive. Rather, they may be described as ‘a series of concentric circles of which Black Theology is the inner and smaller circle’. Nonetheless it will be more helpful to make ‘Black Theology’ the subject of a separate discussion.

(Source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org).

Behuria, Pritish. "Committing To Self-Reliance And Negotiating Vulnerability: Understanding The Developmental Challenge In Rwanda". PhD Thesis (Department Of Developmental Studies, SOAS, University Of London, 2015).

This thesis highlights the evolution of elite politics, details RPF ideology and develops a historical study of three sectors (coffee, tea and mining). Though previous governments invested in increasing the production of primary commodity exports, very little was done to reduce the vulnerability of the economy to global commodity price fluctuations. In contrast, the RPF’s strategy has targeted reducing vulnerability to international price fluctuations through increasing productivity and embracing value-addition. Such goals work in line with achieving self-reliance. A better understanding of the developmental challenge facing the RPF government is developed through showcasing how vulnerability both motivates and inhibits economic development.

Source: Article's abstract

Behuria, Pritish. “Centralising rents and dispersing power while pursuing development? Exploring the strategic uses of military firms in Rwanda. Review of African Political Economy, 43(150), (2016) 630–647. https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2015.1128407

The Rwandan Patriotic Front has achieved significant economic progress while also maintaining political stability. However, frictions among ruling elites have threatened progress. This paper explores the use of military firms in Rwanda. Such firms are used to invest in strategic industries, but the use of such firms reflects the vulnerability faced by ruling elites. Military firms serve two related purposes. First, ruling elites use such firms to centralize rents and invest in strategic sectors. Second, the proliferation of such enterprises and the separation of party- and military-owned firms contribute to dispersing power within a centralized hierarchy.

Source: Article abstract

Moufouli Bello

Visual Artist

Location: Benin

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Ben-Amos, Paula. The Art of Benin. Rev. ed. London: British Museum Press, 1995.

Ben-Amos describes the development of the artwork of the Benin kingdom (Nigeria), its social and religious significance, and the African and European absorption which influenced but never overshadowed the character of the unique masks, jewelry, pottery, and statuary.

[Source: Google Books].

Bengt Sundkler. Bantu Prophets in South Africa. Routledge, 2020 (Copyright year: 1961).

Originally published in 1948 and then updated in 1961, the book outlines the religious and social background of the Zulus and discusses the rise of the Independent Church Movement. It examines the organization and inner workings of the different Churches, their forms of worship, and the personalities of their leaders. It also analyses the blend of old and new which appears in Zulu interpretations of some aspects of Christian doctrine.

(Source: Book description culled from https://www.routledge.com).

Paul Franklin Berliner

Musicologist/Professor Emeritus of Music

John Hope Franklin Center for International and Interdisciplinary Studies, Duke University

paul.berliner@duke.edu

Berman, Esmé. The Story of South African Painting. Cape Town: A A Balkema, 1975.

This book opens in the 19th century: as the narrative unfolds, it charts the course of modern South African artistic endeavour from the descriptive records of the ‘Africana painters’ to the avant-garde expression of the 1970’s.

[Source: Clarke’s].

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