African Initiatives
Boston University hosts the second oldest African Studies Center in the United States, and is recognized by the federal government for its excellence in the study of African languages and cultures. The School of Theology is a vital component of African Studies at Boston University, beginning with the sending of graduates to Africa as missionaries over a century ago. Important African alumni include Bishop Josiah Kibira (1964 graduate), the first African head of the Lutheran World Federation; Dr. Kenaleone Ketshabile, Head of the Mission Desk, Methodist Church of Southern Africa; Yusufu Turaki, Professor and former General Secretary of the Evangelical Church of West Africa; and Professor Emmanuel Anyambod, Rector of the Protestant University of Central Africa.
Africa research in the CGCM grows from the work of retired Professor M.L. “Inus” Daneel. His over forty-year presence among African Initiated Churches in Zimbabwe culminated in the 1990s with the largest tree-planting movement in southern Africa, and a program in Theological Education by Extension. The son of missionary parents, Daneel served as a missionary of the Dutch Mission Councils, and then as professor of African theology and missiology at the University of South Africa. He and Professor Robert co-edit the African Initiatives in Christian Mission Series, published by the University of South Africa Press. The goal of the series is to reflect upon contemporary African Christianity, and to document its expansion. Other Africa projects include the digitization of Daneel’s photography and publications on the multimedia site Old & New In Shona Religion, and ongoing research into southern African traditions of earth-care.
See also the Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB) listed under Digital Projects.
Dr. Marthinus Daneel, Africa Research Director
Highlights from CGCM Faculty Associate Prof. John Thornton
The Center for Global Christianity and Mission celebrates the diverse and valuable contributions of our Faculty Associates.
Dr. John Thornton, CGCM faculty associate, offers the following report on his recent work:
"I wrote quite a bit last year, and some of it was published, the rest is more or less waiting. Probably the biggest work was on my biography of Afonso Mvemba a Nzinga, King of Kongo. I have a contract to publish a biography of Afonso, as well as English translations of his letters and a few allied documents. He wrote a bit over 20 letters between 1506 and 1542. You might remember the bio of him I wrote for the Dictionary of Christian Biography.
"I finished an intermediate draft, and the publisher is now sending it around to readers to assess its potentials as a textbook. This is not a review for publication, that peer review is done. Rather it is a sort of copy-editing exercise to improve style and presentation. We hope the book will be out in 2022.
"As far as global Christianity is concerned, I also gave a recorded public lecture on how Kongolese Christianity intersected with other African religions to create Vodou in Haiti. This was presented on April 29th as a part of Harvard's ongoing lecture series, and is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arANJmBdy5s The title of the lecture is very misleading, it was a preliminary title that never got changed.
"I gave a talk in Portuguese, an interview with a Brazilian academic named Fabio Ferreira, on the history of Kongo which did deal with religious topics, this was on May 25th. It is also on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALPHLok-E74
"I was also part of a conference at the Kongo Academy, a new organization that does a lot of work on Kimbanguism. They invited me to talk about the eighteenth-century prophet D. Beatriz Kimpa Vita, the 'Kongolese Saint Anthony' as a precursor to Kimbangu.
"I also wrote several other pieces, but they were not on topics dealing with religion or global Christianity, for example, a revision of my earlier estimates of the population of Kongo (published in the Journal of African History) and an article on the expansion of the Lunda empire, which I think is a chapter in a book that might already be published."
Soga Studies Conference at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study – March 24-26
The Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study and the Tiyo Soga Community Museum, Mgwali, is excited to announce the Soga Studies Conference to be held both in-person and virtually at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study from March 24-26, 2022.
Studies on the work, theology, philosophies, and dynasty of the Reverend Tiyo ‘Zisani’ Soga have recently gained prominence in numerous disciplines and facets of life, with local and international relevance. Theorists, artists, and family members all over the world are engaged in several exciting aspects of Soga scholarship. Sikhumbuzo Makandula of Rhodes University and Joanne Ruth Davis of JIAS have conceived of this conference as a means to enable dialogue and new avenues for continued Soga scholarship. We believe it will be of great benefit to all of the many stakeholders who are invested in this work.
Kindly RSVP on https://forms.gle/f1Rd4yrfP928QjFy7 to receive further details.
For more information, view the working program or visit the event website.
Alumnus Jean Luc Enyegue (’18) to Speak at the Jesuit Studies Café
February 17 | 9:20am–10am | U.S. Eastern
Jean Luc Enyegue, S.J.
The Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa
During the Spring Season, the Jesuit Studies Café will host conversations with the directors and archivists of Jesuit Archives and Research Centers around the world. Our first café presenter will be Jean Luc Enyegue, S.J., the director of The Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa.
The Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA) is an institute geared to preserving memory and promoting historical knowledge. It was started in 2010 as an idea of the Superior General of the Jesuits, Most Rev. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., to encourage the study of his Order’s largely unexplored involvement in the evangelization of Africa.
Join online! Register Now
Honoring Dr. M.L. Daneel’s Groundbreaking Work in Ecotheology
Dr. Harold Hunter, a leading Pentecostal scholar and ecumenist, has released this recording of Dr. M. L. Daneel’s speech at Brighton ’91. Hunter has added an introduction to help situate groundbreaking nature of the lecture.
Anicka Fast (’20), Bruce Yoder (’16) and Unlikely Friends Mentioned by the Mennonite Mission Network
The Mennonite Mission Network's recent blog post mentions Anicka Fast ('20) and Bruce Yoder ('16), STH Alumni and former advisees of Dr. Dana Robert. Fast's research and Yoder's participation with the Congolese church and Mennonite mission are noted.
Through the post, blog author, Linda Hollinger-Janzen, reflects on Anicka's dissertation research, her current assignment in Burkina-Faso teaching African church history, and her chapter in Dana Robert's Festschrift, Unlikely Friends.
Hollinger-Janzen's reflections offer insight into historical Mennonite mission relationships in French-speaking Africa and present-day applications of friendship in mission through the lives of two STH alumni.
Read the blog post, "Expatriate women and house workers helped dismantle Mennonite segregation in Congo" by Linda Hollinger-Janzen, here.