03 Jul 2019

Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians celebrated their 30^th anniversary on July 2, which fell within their 5^th Pan African conference that is held in Gaborone.

The four-day conference, which focuses on the theme: Mother earth mother Africa in religious imagination, is attended by professors and theologians from 17 countries.

Officially opening the conference, Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Mr Ngaka Ngaka highlighted that the conference was an opportunity for Botswana to showcase strides made by women in religion and environmental justice issues over the years.

He said it was a opportunity for Botswana to reflect on climate change and its impact on the lives of women and how faith based organisations were part of the solution.

The minister stated that the theme was crafted with the purpose of facilitating, sharing experiences and lessons on how women, religion and environmental justice could contribute to the conservation of natural resources to support local livelihoods.

He said exploring the theme had come at an appropriate time when Botswana was striving to diversify her economy and sustain people’s livelihoods.

Mr Ngaka said the environment was important in supporting economies through the collection of veldt products, which in most cases was done by women.

He said it was fundamental for the country to have such gatherings as they provided the opportunity to gauge progress made and to benchmark good practices and ensure environmental justice.

He said research in Botswana and around the world showed that women played a significant role in the utilisation of natural resources to sustain livelihoods, hence they should be protected.

The founder of the circle, Ms Mercy Oduyoye said its first meeting was in 1980, but that it was officially launched in 1989.

She highlighted that the circle was established with the notion that a bird with one wing did not fly, hence they decided to form the second wing and study religions.

She said since not all women were concerned about what the circle was concerned with, it carried in its name, the clarification of ‘concerned women.’

Ms Oduyoye emphasised that not all women were concerned that 80 per cent of congregants were women, but that there was only one woman representing the synod.

She said in Ghana, the circle was represented by the institute of women in religion and culture, and that it was within the institute that they realised that they should offer public education.

The keynote speaker, Professor Puleng LenkaBula said the creation of the circle was to affirm, not only the evil of oppression in our societies, but also the injustice of colonialism of our bodies and of the earth.

Furthermore, she said it was not only a contestation and a call for justice, but also a path that feminist and womanist theologians came to shape the narratives that were often muted in church and society.

In addition, she said the notion of theology stated that there was never a separation of people and the earth. 

Prof. LenkaBula said people were concerned about profit than conserving the earth. 

The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians was launched in Legon, Ghana, by a group of 70 founding members.

The official launch was a culmination of a decade-long work and the realisation that while women were the majority in faith-based organisations, they were visibly absent in religious leadership and academic study of religion. ENDS