Introduction

Setri Nyomi

Africa is a continent on which life is celebrated in many ways. Africans therefore rejoice at the opportunity to host WARC's 24th general council (Accra, 2004), which is focused on "fullness of life for all". In this issue of Reformed World, readers are invited to journey alongside us - experiencing our joys and sorrows, our celebration of life in the midst of the forces of death - as two women and three men from Africa reflect on the general council theme, "That All may have Life in Fullness".

Celebration of life is natural to African communities. Festivities around childbirth, puberty, marriage and saying a final farewell at death are evidence of the celebrative outlook of African communities. Other celebrations include the historic or harvest-related festivals. Even in the midst of suffering, Africans celebrate life. These celebrations, usually accompanied by song and dance, are a sign of laughter and defiance in the face of the forces of death.

These communities are also confronted by life challenges and engaged in struggle. Africa has endured a long history of plunder and pillage. For more than three hundred years, Africans were forcibly taken from their lands and shipped across the Atlantic as slaves: their price at market and their compelled labour on cotton or sugar plantations built the economies of countries which are now enjoying the riches. Africa's gold, copper, diamonds and other natural resources have also been plundered. After independence, many of her own leaders have helped to impoverish Africa through corruption and incompetence. Today, these factors are compounded by neoliberal economic globalization, reflected, for example, in adverse terms of trade and the conditions set by the Bretton Woods institutions in "relieving" (that is to say, perpetuating) Africa's debt. The hard work of many Africans is rewarded by poverty and a lack of access to health, education, safe drinking water, and other basic amenities of life. In many African countries more than half the population live below the poverty line, with millions earning less than one US dollar per day.

With access to healthcare compromised by the economic realities on the continent, disease is for many African countries a major challenge. Since the 1980s, HIV/Aids has become the number one health issue on the continent. Out of 42 million adults and children living with HIV/Aids in the world today, more than two-thirds - 29.4 million - are in Africa.¹ Most of these are aged between sixteen and twenty-four. This affects many African communities profoundly. Many children have been orphaned, and many adults who were previously productive workers have lost their lives or have become Aids patients.

In the early stages of the epidemic, many churches looked at HIV/Aids as an external problem, something outside their own life, on which they could pronounce moral judgements, thus helping to stigmatize those who were HIV-positive. Thankfully, many churches are now actively involved, not just in education and awareness-raising, but also in advocacy and care for people affected by HIV/Aids.

Africa has also been devastated by war and conflict, which have created refugees and displaced people in many regions. Some of these conflicts are a result of struggles for good governance. Even where war is absent, democratic and participatory governance is a live issue.

The challenges may be daunting, but Africa also abounds in rich cultures and a spirit of resilience. This resilience provides reason for hope.

Africa is also the continent where churches are growing fastest, not just numerically, but also - and this is the reason for rejoicing - in depth. As African churches affirm their faith through joyful worship, they have much to contribute to the world church. As African churches deepen their conviction that God cares for them as whole human beings and is working to overcome the forces of death in every form, they are poised to engage in mission for life in fullness. In many contexts, they are proclaiming the good news of redemption in Jesus Christ, addressing the struggles of their nations in economics, politics, and other spheres, and learning to live creatively with their non-Christian neighbours in pluralistic communities.

In this issue, Philippe Kabongo-Mbaya, a theologian from the Democratic Republic of Congo, reflects on the text from the fourth Gospel (Jn 10.10) that inspired the general council theme. The article is dedicated to his daughter, Rebecca Kayuyi. Puleng LenkaBula, a South African, goes to the heart of one of the major challenges for Africa today - economic globalization. Theresa Adamu takes readers into the complexities and difficulties of Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria. Timothy Njoya, a Kenyan theologian with some experience of prophetic witness, criticizes actually existing Christianity, in Africa and elsewhere, as a politically-biased religion in the service of the few, and challenges our churches to be church. Africa's youth are Africa's treasures; Kabela Matthews Ruda of Botswana introduces readers to the challenges faced by young people in Africa, linking the Accra theme with the call of our 23rd general council (Debrecen, 1997) to break the chains of injustice.

Notes