NAME: ODEROTOR, ThankGod Edewor

MATRICULATION NUMBER: AAU/SPS/FA/RCS/MA/17/07158

DEPARTMENT: RELIGIOUS MANAGEMENT AND

CULTURAL STUDIES

COURSE TITLE: THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

COURSE CODE: RES 708

LECTURER: PROF. C.A. OBI

ASSIGNMENT:
SUMMARISE MOSES IDEMUDIA’S ARTICLE,
“ADVOCATING AFRICAN CULTURAL

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 HERMENEUTICS FOR STUDENTS OF RELIGIOUS
STUDIES IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES”

Introduction

Biblical interpretation as an enterprise is new in Africa dating back to the 1960s.

Starting from the beginning, the orientation of African Cultural Hermeneutics has

been that of a progressive longing for an Afrocentric theology that was indigenous

in content and expression. The contemporary growth of an institutionalised

biblical studies within African academia alone provides but a limited challenge to

the traditional European ownership of academic biblical interpretation. David T.

Adamo in his book entitled Explorations in Africa Biblical Studies, states that

"There is no individual who is completely detached from everything in his or her

environment or experience and culture, so as to be able to render one hundred

percent objective in everything done".

Conceptual and Theoretical Concerns

African Cultural Hermeneutics has been defined as an approach to biblical

interpretation that makes African social cultural context a subject of interpretation.

African Cultural Hermeneutics is understood as a genuine attempt by Africans to

redefine their own peculiar interpretation of the Bible in their own ways to meet

their needs.

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Synonyms to African Cultural Hermeneutics

African Cultural Hermeneutic is also variously called African Biblical

Transformational Hermeneutics or African Biblical Studies. Several other terms

like Inculturation Hermeneutics, Liberation Hermeneutics, Contextual

Hermeneutics, Africentric Hermeneutics, Vernacular Hermeneutics, are also

adapted to the study.

Distinguished Scholars

African biblical scholars such as J.J. Williams, J.S. Mbiti, K. Dickson, E.B. Idowu,

O. Awolalu S. Kibicho, D. T. Adamo, J. Ukpong, S. O. Abogunrin, Elgelbert

Mveng, Philip Lokel, among many others, have championed the course of African

cultural hermeneutics with each earning for themselves both credits and criticisms.

Distinctiveness:

The distinctiveness of African cultural hermeneutic hinges on its ability to answer

such critical questions as, are there evidences of the presence of Africa and

Africans in the Bible? How should the texts be interpreted bearing in mind that

every interpretation bears in it a mark of personal interest dictated by one's culture

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and even social location? Is there any need for African cultural hermeneutics itself?

How should Africans read or better still, appreciate the Bible especially amidst the

challenges faced in the continent in this 21st century? Perhaps, this is where African

cultural hermeneutics finds Nonetheless, African cultural hermeneutics has also

been defined as an approach to biblical interpretation that makes African social

cultural context a subject of interpretation (Justin Ukpong 3-14; Adamo "the task

and distinctiveness" 33). While elaborating this definition, Adamo adds that it

means that African cultural hermeneutics, like any other third world hermeneutics

is a contextual hermeneutics since interpretation is always done in a particular

context. Furthermore, he stresses that specifically, it means that analysis of text is

done from the perspective of African world-view and culture. Hence, African

cultural hermeneutic is reading the scripture from a premeditatedly africentric

perspective (Exploration in African Biblical Studies African cultural hermeneutic

is also variously called African Biblical Transformational Hermeneutic or African

Biblical Studies. Several other terms like Inculturation Hermeneutics Liberation

Hermeneutics, Contextual Hermeneutics, Africentric Hermeneutics, Vernacular

Hermeneutics, are also adapted to the study (Adamo, "The Task of African Biblical

Hermeneutics." 1). These many terms by which the endeavour is referred does not

pose any major challenge. The seeming challenge is immediately resolved once

African cultural hermeneutics is understood as a relevanceay out of these difficult

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questions by taking the Bible as a text of faith and genuinely engaging its

interpretation from African perspectives.

The Need for ACH as a Case for Its Advocacy

The major pre -occupation of African cultural hermeneutics is to identify meanings

in biblical texts that address the daily struggle of people and in this case, the

African people. African cultural hermeneutics developed from the feeling to meet

the needs of Africans.

The Uniqueness of ACH as a Case for its Advocacy

Apart from the need for African contextual interpretation as a case for advocating

the study of the ACH in Nigerian universities, the uniqueness of the method is

another level of argument that substantiates the study. There are remarkable

differences in the characteristics and methodologies of African cultural

hermeneutics and other models of biblical interpretations. Similar to other third

world hermeneutics, African culture hermeneutics, according to Adamo, has two

main characteristics. The first is that, it is liberational and second, it is culturally

sensitive. What it does is that unlike the Euro-American hermeneutics, it uses

liberation as a crucial hermeneutic and mobilises indigenous cultural materials for

theological enterprise.

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ACH Approaches as a Case for Its Advocacy

As evident already in this work, the focus of African cultural hermeneutics is not

only on historical and literary context of the text read, but also their relevance in

African context. To achieve its task therefore, African cultural hermeneutics

employ

i. Comparative studies

ii. Finding African presence in the Bible

iii. Inculturation methods

iv. Liberational methods

v. Black Theology

Demonstrating the Tasks of ACH with II Samuel 28:21-32

From the foregoing, it is clear that it is the distinctive work of African cultural

hermeneutics to liberate biblical text referring to Africa and Africans from the

prejudice they have been subjected by Eurocentric biblical scholars. With regards

to the above text, African cultural hermeneutics scholars would argue that the

Cushite was a reputable military man who was known for strong wit, discretion,

truth and courage – which are the characteristics that made him the perfect person

for such risky assignment of announcing the death of Absalom to his father King

David.

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Advocating ACH in Nigerian Universities

Many students (especially undergraduates) of religious studies in Nigeria

universities are not aware of such an endeavour as ACH. This is particularly

worrisome when we consider the fact that many of the pioneers of the subject are

either now late or are now too old, retired or about to retire from active service.

This partly shows the reason for this urgent call. Our argument is simple. African

cultural hermeneutics has had a log journey of development that must not be

truncated at this point in our historical development. The method of biblical studies

should be given its desired attention in the field of religious studies in Nigerian

universities. Currently, there are no undergraduate courses in ACH. Of course this

is impossible without the sanction of the National Universities Commission

(NUC). Thus, the NUC must urgently address the issue by incorporating ACH into

the academic curricula of religious studies in Nigerian universities.

Conclusion

This work concludes with the advocacy for a more robust participation especially

of students of religious studies across Nigerian universities and other higher

institutions of learning.

Recommendations

This work recommend the following:

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i. The National Universities Commission should introduce courses on

ACH in the existing undergraduate curricula of religious studies in

Nigeria.

ii. Post graduate studies in religious studies departments in Nigerian

universities should include a subject area of African cultural

hermeneutics in which students canengage in researches and earn degrees

both at masters and Ph.D levels.

iii. Students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in religious

studies should be encouraged to choose research topics that are relevant

in addressing the myriads of problems facing Africans today.