Teaching Theology in Africa in Transition

Abstract

This paper examines two manifestations of dependency – in relation to manufactured goods and to theological curricula. Just as many African societies are technologically dependent on the hand-me-downs from the industrialized world, so our theological curricula also suffer from a form of intellectual dependence. This is not through lack of will on the part of Africans. Powerful international gate-keepers in the economic and intellectual spheres influence vehicular and intellectual cultures. Rather than battling to completely overcome these forces by means of ‘pure-bred’ African solutions, this paper proposes hybridity as a resultant when local impulses are also accommodated. As there is a move towards hybrid vehicles, so should theology be pursued with a hybrid mindset.