Ruele, Contextual Theological Reading of the Bible with Indigenous communitiesto legitimize the most obvious social, economic or political injustices, to
discourage strings of revolt against oppressive or discriminatory prac-
tices, and to promote attitudes of resignation and compliance in the face
of exploitative manipulation of power-holders. The theme of liberation
as taught in the Bible has become very popular among African theologi-
ans, especially in Southern Africa.
Contextual theological discussions and political analysis of
reading Psalm 137:1-4 with Basarwa/San
A good number of interpretation among scholars in third world coun-
tries have surfaced discussing the issue of Bible reading with marginal-
ised communities as a political act in Africa and other parts of the third
world. Leonardo Boff, (1986:1-11), for example, uses this approach
through what is known as Base Ecclesial Communities in Latin Ameri-
can context. In a book, Jesus is trick and God is Undemocratic: the kingdom
in Amawoti, Philpot Graham (1993) also conducted a Bible study among
the Amawoti community near Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. He
explains how by reading the Bible with this group of people from their
context showed their understanding of the role of God in the situation of
Apartheid. He also describes the political role of academic theologian
and its significance in listening to communities in such a process. I also
find support for this perspective in the writings of Itumeleng Mosala
(1989), who in a Black hermeneutics and Black theology in South Africa
views culture as an important resources for reading the Bible in context
of the black. In undertaking a contextual reading and analysis of Psalm
137:1-4 with Basarwa, I recruited in a theological partner, Itumeleng
Mosala, who uses a similar approach in reading the Bible to address the
land question in Apartheid South Africa. In dealing with the issue of
land and politics in the South African context Mosala (1989:5), also reads
the Bible and approaches theology from a contextual viewpoint. He sees
the Bible as a site, terrain or a weapon (tool) in the struggle for the lib-
eration of the poor and exploited. The above named scholars did not only
interpret their situation only from a theological perspective. Instead they
used socio-political analysis which demonstrates clearly the relationship
between Bible and politics. In the case of Botswana the essential rest-
lessness of Basarwa/San as the most dispossessed group is in the de-
mand for land which is precisely the echo of the biblical voice of the poor
in Bible and politics as shown in Exod 2:23-25 and Psalm 137:1-4. When