scholarly journals TOWARDS AN AFRICAN THEORY OF JUST WAR

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-65
Author(s):  
LAWRENCE OGBO UGWUANYI
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Just War ◽  
African Society ◽  
African Experience ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
African Context ◽  
Philosophical Questions ◽  
Independent Country ◽  
Inter State

From 1957 when the first independent country emerged in Africa till date, Africa has fought over a hundred wars1. These wars which have been both inter-state and intra-state wars, sometimes called civil wars, provoke philosophical questions on the meaning and notion of war in African thought scheme. Were these wars just or not within an African conception of war- that is the means, manner and method of fighting war within the African experience? If the idea of just war were advanced through the African worldview, what principles would define it? What alternative and fresh values would be suggested by the theory? This article sets out to address these questions. To do this, the work will attempt to articulate an African theory of just war by mapping out what it would look like if it were informed by the norms, values, and micro-principles that characteristically drive philosophical enquiry in an indigenous African context. The work will draw from narratives about wars that have been fought in traditional African society as well as oral texts to achieve its position, which is roughly that a just war in African thought is war fought to protect the corporate harmony of a people who are bound and bonded together through land, the resources, and other symbols and traditions that make them distinct.

scholarly journals TOWARDS AN AFRICAN THEORY OF JUST WAR

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-65
Author(s):  
LAWRENCE OGBO UGWUANYI
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Just War ◽  
African Society ◽  
African Experience ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
African Context ◽  
Philosophical Questions ◽  
Independent Country ◽  
Inter State

From 1957 when the first independent country emerged in Africa till date, Africa has fought over a hundred wars1. These wars which have been both inter-state and intra-state wars, sometimes called civil wars, provoke philosophical questions on the meaning and notion of war in African thought scheme. Were these wars just or not within an African conception of war- that is the means, manner and method of fighting war within the African experience? If the idea of just war were advanced through the African worldview, what principles would define it? What alternative and fresh values would be suggested by the theory? This article sets out to address these questions. To do this, the work will attempt to articulate an African theory of just war by mapping out what it would look like if it were informed by the norms, values, and micro-principles that characteristically drive philosophical enquiry in an indigenous African context. The work will draw from narratives about wars that have been fought in traditional African society as well as oral texts to achieve its position, which is roughly that a just war in African thought is war fought to protect the corporate harmony of a people who are bound and bonded together through land, the resources, and other symbols and traditions that make them distinct.

scholarly journals Redefining trauma in an African context: A challenge to pastoral care

2012 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray G. Motsi ◽  
Maake J. Masango
Keyword(s):  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Correct Treatment ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
African Context ◽  
To Come ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Right

The article attempted to analyse critically the definition of trauma as it is used in the Western medical and psychiatry contexts in order to come up with an appropriate African definition. This was undertaken with the view to demonstrate that the Western worldview is different from the African worldview. Superimposing solutions or providing pre-packed answers to unique African problems will lead only to re-traumatisation, whereas cultural sensitivity and the right diagnosis will lead to the correct treatment. The driving force behind this article was therefore to aim to be relevant, effective and contextual in all African-based pastoral care.

Civil War and Revolution

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Parry
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Just War ◽  
Just War Theory ◽  
Just Cause ◽  
Popular Support ◽  
Civil Conflicts ◽  
Ethics Of War ◽  
National Defence

The vast majority of work on the ethics of war focuses on traditional wars between states. This chapter aims to show that this is an oversight worth rectifying. The strategy is largely comparative, assessing whether certain claims often defended in discussions of interstate wars stand up in the context of civil conflicts and whether there are principled moral differences between the two types of case. Firstly, the chapter argues that thinking about intrastate wars may help us make progress on important theoretical debates in recent just war theory. Secondly, it considers whether certain kinds of civil wars are subject to a more demanding standard of just cause, compared to interstate wars of national defence. Finally, it assesses the extent to which having popular support is an independent requirement of permissible war and whether this renders insurgencies harder to justify than wars fought by functioning states.

scholarly journals “Why me and not my neighbour?” HIV/AIDS care and counselling in a traditional African context.

Curationis ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
AC Van Dyk
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Aids Education ◽  
Nursing Profession ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Aids Patients ◽  
Traditional Beliefs ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
African Context ◽  
Hiv Aids

HIV/AIDS in Africa places a tremendous burden on the nursing profession. Hospitals are inundated with very sick and dying AIDS patients and nurses often find that their role as healers has shifted to a great extent to that of caregivers, counsellors and educators. AIDS also calls for nurses to go beyond the strict Western-based bio-medical model to be able to help and understand patients who come from a traditional African background. This article discusses relevant aspects of the traditional African worldview by explaining what health, sickness and sexuality mean in traditional Africa. Traditional African perceptions of the causes of illness (God, ancestors, witches, pollution and germs), perceptions of sexuality, the importance of having children, cultural beliefs inhibiting the usage of condoms, the importance of community life, as well as the controversial issue of confidentiality in Africa are discussed. The implications for AIDS care and counselling in Africa are explored and suggestions on how to use traditional beliefs and customs to the advantage of AIDS education, are offered.

Different but One? A Regional Application of an Ecumenical/Global Debate

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-85
Author(s):  
Godwin I. Akper
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
West African ◽  
Ethnic Identities ◽  
The West ◽  
The Third ◽  
African Experience ◽  
African Context

AbstractThe essay in the first instance, presents a sample of discussions and views dominant in the ecumenical circles on affirming and living with differences in churches. In the second part, it offers two case studies from West African experience with ethnic identities in churches. The third part applies the dominant views in the ecumenical circles that call for affirmation of differences to the West African church circles. The essay argues and concludes that affirmation of differences in churches is not helpful in the African context.

Stretching the Definitions? Pneumatology and 'Syncretism' in African Pentecostalism

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Significant Contribution ◽  
African Religions ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
African Context ◽  
Biblical Texts

AbstractSome observers regard as 'syncretistic' many forms of African Pentecostalism that have developed a pneumatology with a presumed link to the pre-Christian past, and will also deny the term 'Pentecostal' to these groups. This does not fully recognise the parallels between biblical pneumatology and the holistic African worldview, and the significant contribution that African Pentecostalism makes to a dynamic understanding of pneumatology. This encounter between African religions and biblical pneumatology reflects a genuine desire to make the doctrine of the Spirit relevant in an African context. This is supported by biblical texts, where such a 'dynamic pneumatology' is assumed.

scholarly journals The Doctrine of Trinity and its Implications for Contemporary African Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-84
Author(s):  
ISAAC BOAHENG
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
African Society ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Historical Theology

The doctrine of Trinity is key to human understanding of the character and nature of God. A proper understanding of this doctrine has the potential of deepening one’s rela-tionship with God and with other human beings. This doctrine embodies the biblical sto-ry and also informs Christian soteriology. In spite of its relevance, the doctrine of Trini-ty remains one of the most complex and misunderstood doctrines in Christianity. The challenge is how to reconcile the affirmation that “there are three distinctly fully divine Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)” with the fact that “there is only one true God.” The paper briefly examines this doctrine from the perspective of biblical and historical theology and explores how its teaching should inform relationships within the African society. This is a literature-based study that uses data from books, theses, journal arti-cles, Bible commentaries, among others as its sources. The methodology used comprises qualitative analysis of biblical data on the subject of Trinity and the African worldview of human society. The study revealed that the divine Trinity underscores unity in diver-sity and therefore that contradicts any form of egotistic individualism that leads to the destruction of communion and of life. Therefore, Christians must develop and promote a communal worldview of life through an appreciation of their diversity. The main con-clusion is that human society will be improved if people appreciate human diversity and then learn to live in peace and harmony in spite of their differences. The paper contrib-utes to scholarship by contextualizing the doctrine of the Trinity for the needs of the Af-rican society which shows diverse cultural traditions.

scholarly journals SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Jean Luc Enyegue
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Spiritual Direction ◽  
Spiritual Exercises ◽  
Spiritual Exercise ◽  
Concrete Experience ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
African Worldview ◽  
Spiritual Director ◽  
African Context ◽  
African Student

An upset spiritual director just ended a retreat with a group of African priests because they could not observe strict silence. Similar situations elsewhere on the continent led a young African student to raise the question of the suitability of sixteenth-century Spiritual Exercises to modern Africans. This essay acknowledges the challenges facing spiritual directors to “accurately” apply the method of the Spiritual Exercises in a diverse and ever-evolving, noisy and busy world. From the concrete experience of this group of priests, it argues for the suitability of the Exercises to the African context based on the adaptability and flexibility inherent in Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercise and subsequent directories. The particular crisis between this director and his retreatants, however, also presents a unique opportunity for retreat directors to find creative ways to accommodate retreatants with specific needs, and to communicate the message of the Exercises in a way that is both accessible to and respectful of the African worldview. KEYWORDS: Retreat Director. Diocesan African Context. Blended Retreat. Confession and Narrativity.

5. The Causes of War and the Conditions of Peace

2018 ◽  
pp. 72-88
Author(s):  
John Garnett ◽  
John Baylis
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Bargaining Model ◽  
Ethnic Conflicts ◽  
Causes Of War ◽  
Bargaining Model Of War ◽  
Just Peace ◽  
Inter State

This chapter examines theories that explain the causes of war. It considers ideas advanced by political scientists, sociologists, biologists and philosophers, showing that different explanations of war give rise to different requirements or conditions for peace. After highlighting the difficulties in studying war, the chapter discusses human nature explanations of war, citing such factors as frustration, misperception, misunderstanding, miscalculation, and errors of judgement as well as the role of human collectives including factions, tribes, nations and states. It then describes the bargaining model of war before turning to inter-state wars, intra-state conflicts, and ethnic conflicts. It also explores the debate over whether ‘greed’ or ‘grievance’ are the main causes of civil wars. The chapter concludes that identifying a single cause appropriate to all wars is an exercise in futility and that a worldwide ‘just’ peace is unattainable.

scholarly journals The cleansing of the leper in Mark 1:40–45 and the secrecy motif: An African ecclesial context

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezichi Ituma ◽  
Enobong I. Solomon ◽  
Favour C. Uroko
Keyword(s):  
African Experience ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Church ◽  
Hero Worship

This article examines the reason behind the charge to secrecy imposed by Jesus on the leper in Mark 1:40–45, in the context of African experience, the implications of the meaning conveyed and the challenges posed on the church and the gospel enterprise in Africa. The ministry of Jesus could have been a platform for conflicts, self-glorification, hero worship and exploitation. Jesus resisted the temptation in those directions. The charge to silence in African context reveals the virtue of silence which is subsumed in integrity, modesty and character (trust and accountability). It calls the attention of the followers of Jesus to the worthiness of emulating such a lifestyle as a pattern for service to God and humanity. The textual and historical exegetical methodology is adopted in this research.

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