BiAS 7 – The Bible and Politics in Africa
the ANC of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and President
Jacob Zuma and how they have consistently deployed religion in the
nation building discourses. West traces the role of religion in post-apart-
heid South African politics from the apparent separation of politics and
religion during the reign of Nelson Mandela, to the intermittent uses of
the Bible by Mbeki as Deputy to Mandela until 2006 when Mbeki be-
came blatant in his use of the Bible in the “RDP of the Soul” and finally
to President Jacob Zuma. To close this first section, Jephthah Gathaka
interrogates the use of the Bible in the sermons of Archbishop David
Gitari of the Anglican Church focusing especially “on how he used the
Bible in his sermons to rebuke the authorities in Kenya on various socio-
economic and political issues and thus contributed immensely to the re-
introduction of multiparty democracy in Kenya.” Gathaka argues that
“the Bible continues to be used as a tool to advance democracy in Africa.
It has been accepted as part and parcel of instruction for the African way
of life though it is alien in origin, geography, language and history. Its
literary forms however are very much like many African forms. Its cul-
tural background is so much what the African everyday life entails.” In
making these observations Gathaka sheds light on the thinking behind
the deployment of the Bible in the public sphere across many African
countries and communities, it is now widely seen as an African book.
In section two one encounters various and specific readings of the Bible
or parts of the Bible in particular contexts in Africa. One of the most
common ways of engaging with the Bible in Africa is “contextual” where
the most important context is that of the African community. This is not
to downplay the fact that different contexts “are at play in interpreting
the biblical message; the ‘Bible culture context’; the culture of the mis-
sionaries; and the culture of the receiving people” (Verstraelen 1998:85-
6). This section is opened by Moji Ruele with his contextual reading of
the Bible with the Basarwa/ San of Botswana. Ruele argues that a con-
textual approach makes certain that “Christians are reminded that they
can no longer ignore the complexities of their societies, be they political,
economic, or otherwise, but instead, they should collectively exercise
moral responsibility to work with and through structures in their various
countries, because, the Bible as a Christian document which also deals
with political issues provides that forum.” Still on the question of con-
text, one biblical text that has been prominent in political discourses for
a long time is Romans 13 with the exhortation to submit to authorities.
Phillemon Chamburuka analyses how this text has been used in the