African religion and development

Abstract

Development must be seen as a response to the total context of a given community. This response is determined by external factors ‐ the context ‐ and by internal factors, such as the world‐view, the thought structures, the pattern of meaning, and the basic religious convictions of the community. These internal factors are also influenced by the context ‐ there is a process of interaction between internal and external factors — but their effect on the context is often underestimated.

Traditional African culture is deeply religious, and the central motive in this culture has often been described as the search for unity, harmony, balance, continuity, synthesis and community. The effect of this basic religious motive can be seen in the impact of group consciousness, the relation to the earth, the reaction to the Western city, and the conception of time. In each instance, it has a profound effect on African development perceptions, and it can often explain the negative response to Western culture that can be observed, for example, in many works of modem African writers.

Notes

Faculty of Theology, University of the North.