First Hymn To Life In Congo

Maria had been raped by a way of life--a way of life known as Coconis, which refers to various kinds of vicious, horrific, and inexcusable forms of barbaric behaviour. As a direct consequence of this horrific and violent crime, Maria gave birth a few months later, just like several other young girls who had also become innocent, silent, and secret victims of similar crimes in this country. However, unlike some of the other young woman victims, Maria was blessed with a strong faith in God. She was determined not to resort to taking her own life and not to destroy the tiny life which was already gradually starting to grow inside her womb. Maria had simply decided to transform this violent and hateful act which had stripped her of all human dignity into something much more powerful and good. She wanted to be able to truly forgive, not just the kind of forgiveness given by those who have no choice, but the kind of forgiveness proffered by the weak and feeble to those who are stronger because they have no other choice in the matter. Neither was it the biblical kind when one simply forgives one's fellow men for their sins and wrongdoings. It wasn't like the forgiveness given by God either, but more of Maria's own personal and unique quest for forgiveness that she so yearned to be able to give to the young men who had raped her. Maria was determined that her rapists should recognize the brutality and wickedness of their acts and then implore her forgiveness so that she herself could, in turn, sincerely forgive them. It was the only way for her to redeem her personal dignity. She felt that she had suffered enough and that she had every right to expect her rapists' recognition of the terrible suffering that they had inflicted on her. So it was on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning of June that Maria finally gave birth to twin boys. She called them Kimia and Elikia (which means peace and faith in the Congolese language). Maria brought up and educated her twin boys in a traditional way. She possessed a sufficient sum of money to pay for their education and see them through to the end of their high school education. She knew that she had done her very best with regard to their civil education. She died not long after receiving her twin sons' baccalauréat results. She died in peace, but without having had the opportunity to be able to truly forgive her brutal attackers. She died without anyone coming to ask her for forgiveness and without having been able to offer her sincere forgiveness. But her last thoughts really went out to her wonderful children. She remembered the great ocean of motherly love that she had been able to give them during their upbringing. Before she closed her eyes for the last time, she asked God to bless them. On her deathbed, she didn't have the slightest inkling of the powerful impact of the incredible testimonial that she had succeeded in bequeathing to her children. As Maria, Africa had also been kidnapped, raped (and it's not a Belgian story), and tortured for centuries. From those repeated rapes were born sick and weak republics. None of the many rapists did recognize the shameful paternity despite the fact that their saliva and blood were still visible everywhere, and there was no need for complex DNA analysis to find out whom they belong to.

This book examines the similarities and relationship between Christian saints and African ancestors. Further, it analyzes the deep cultural roots of African peoples and the ancestral frame as a point of departure for developing an indigenous African theology. Questions dealt with include: Does the conversion of Africans to Christianity require a break with their African cultural heritage? Who is an African ancestor? Is syncretism a good thing for an African Christian? What contribution can the African church make to the universal church? The author argues that rather than being antithetical to formal Christianity, an African Christian theology of ancestors is an example of how an indigenous African tradition can best express Christianity as well as make considerable impact on world Christianity.