An Ambazonian Liberation Theology

The last 6 years have witnessed a period of considerable unrest in Cameroun. In 2016, protests within the minority Anglophone regions, against the obligatory use of French in court rooms and schools, were violently suppressed. This, combined with decades of marginalisation by successive Francophone governments, led to calls for secession – the creation of an independent nation of Ambazonia.This book offers a theological reflection on this escalating crisis, examining whether nationalism might be considered a tool of liberation in this particular African context.

The intended audience is all the people of the world who are concerned about the oppressed and suffering people deprived of justice and struggling under colonial oppression. The context of the book is the aggression and tyranny the British Southern Cameroonians are undergoing as a result of an artificial union that has subjugated the British Southern Cameroonians to the oppression of the successive La Republique du Cameroun governments (prompted by some Western imperialists) for fifty-seven years now. The book underscores the fact that the principle of self-determination in non-violent ways can solve the legitimate problems many world constituted regions are facing today. Moreover, it is a book that demonstrates in Christian theological ways how the oppressed and marginalized in society can rise up against tyranny and subjugation. The book is about the theology of self-determination. The author of the book (a theologian), inspired by his profound knowledge of Christian theology, believes that, through this theological vision of self-determination, the church must be engaged in the political and economic liberation of Africa and anywhere in the world where people are tyrannized.

The book considers methodological, theological and philosophical implications of an African liberation theology. The affirmation of the need for African theology which resembles that of Latin America by the conference of Third World Theologians some ten years ago in Ghana, failed to identify certain cultural and historical differences that make Africa unique. Dr. Wan-Tatah insists that African theologians must be critical of concepts and assumptions that undermine an authentic African theology of emancipation. Emancipation here merely begins with Western lambasting, followed by a thorough-going evaluation of African ecclesiastical and political systems.

Two major strands of theology have developed in Africa--inculturation and liberation--each in response to different needs. Emmanuel Martey's African Theology provides a clear, scholarly examination of these two basic approaches, solidly based on Martey's understanding of contemporary theology and his firsthand knowledge of Africa.Martey first examines the historical background of each of these theological developments, especially relating to cultural and political movements enveloping the continent in the 1970s. In sub-Saharan Africa, struggles for independence from colonizers have resulted in inculturation theology. The defining aspect of this theology is that it pushes its roots firmly in African culture and traditions. In South Africa, on the other hand, Black Africans struggling against the oppressive systems of apartheid have turned to liberation theology.Martey shows how the real hope for African theology lies in the dialectical encounter between these two approaches and in their potential for convergence. "The two foci (of liberation and inculturation)," Martey says, "are not contradictory, but complement each other." African Theology concludes by challenging African theologians to weld together the praxis of inculturation with that of liberation, in order to achieve an integrative vision for the continent.

"This book presents the phenomenon and relevance of Latin America-born Liberation Theology in the African postcolony of Eritrea. The authors describe the advent, context, and significance of Liberation Theology by historicizing and revisiting the global role of the Catholic Church and its stances on social justice in different places and historical times. Throughout the book, the authors engage in deep intergenerational conversations to unpack--and in the process understand--the stances of the Eritrean Catholic Church on the evolving sociopolitical and economic conditions in Eritrea since independence in 1991. They critically examine the country's variegated path to its current state and invoke visionary legacies of Eritrean and African intellectuals and spiritual leaders in search for answers to the complex questions of democracy, nationalism, and identity. Consisting of four chapters, the book provides fresh perspectives on what it takes to initiate critical, constructive, and intergenerational dialogue so essential in the contemporary reality of the African postcolony, in general, and Eritrea, in particular."--Publisher's summary.