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One of the inescapable truths that humanity has to grapple with is the reality of death. The manner in which we die, or the cause of our death, may differ, but death remains inevitable. We may be afraid of it or not; we may try to evade it, or not, but death still comes. Although most religions promise the possibility of another life in the hereafter, there is no scientifically verifiable evidence about the reality of that life. Despite that lack of evidence, every culture performs death rituals meticulously to prepare the spirits of its deceased for whatever form of life that may be available. Death Rituals among the Karanga of Zimbabwe: Praxis, Significance, and Changes explores the causes of sickness and death, and the praxis of pre-burial, burial, and post-burial rituals of the Karanga of Zimbabwe in an attempt to unearth their original form and significance, to identify the changes that have taken place. It also provides a brief manual for the performance of some selected Karanga death rituals.
The main thrust of the argument is that Christianity can be inculturated and one way of doing so is to look at the rites of passage. The research focuses on the Death and Burial Rites of passage as they are practiced by the traditional Shona man and/or woman. The researcher contends that Christianity especially as practiced in the Catholic Church can be inculturated. It is possible to contextualise without compromising the kernel of the Christian faith. The inspiration to do so is derived from the urgings of Vatican Council II Documents that deal with the Sacred Liturgy. To not inculturate could be equated to sin. We all live inescapably within a particular cultural framework that shapes our way of thinking and also the way we act. A proper understanding of our Shona context will reveal that there are various symbols and rituals that are good in themselves and can in turn be used as we effectively communicate the Gospel minus the Western vestiges of a culture foreign to a Catholic who wants to remain truly African and truly Shona. The good practices of the traditional Shona people can justifiably find their way into the Liturgy and this is what this book intends to reveal.
The essays presented in this book are among the best received in an essay competition on Shona culture and traditions. The information contained in these essays includes such items as the customary marriage negotiations between families, the role and importance of cattle in Shona society, the ceremony whereby a deceased's spirit is brought home to his village and integrated into the ancestral world by his descendants, the ceremony of installing a new chief, the burial of a chief, the provision made for a widow after her husband's death, how the cause of death is ascertained by a diviner, and others.
Zimbabwe's Cultural Heritage won first prize in the Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association Awards in 2006 for Non-fiction: Humanities and Social Sciences. It is a collection of pieces of the culture of the Ndebele, Shona, Tonga, Kalanga, Nambiya, Xhosa and Venda. The book gives the reader an insight into the world view of different peoples, through descriptions of their history and life events such as pregnancy, marriage and death. "...the most enduring book ever on Zimbabwean history. This book will help people change their attitude towards each other in Zimbabwe." - Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association Awards citation
A groundbreaking and trendsetting collection of essays introducing a new interdisciplinary area of theological studies. Usable as a key text for modules in intercultural theology, mission studies, Black Theology and Pentecostal Studies at upper undergraduate and M level.
The Africa Bible Commentary is a unique publishing event—the first one-volume Bible commentary produced in Africa by African theologians to meet the needs of African pastors, students, and lay leaders. Interpreting and applying the Bible in the light of African culture and realities, it furnishes powerful and relevant insights into the biblical text that transcend Africa in their significance. The Africa Bible Commentary gives a section-by-section interpretation that provides a contextual, readable, affordable, and immensely useful guide to the entire Bible. Readers around the world will benefit from and appreciate the commentary’s fresh insights and direct style that engage both heart and mind. Key features: · Produced by African biblical scholars, in Africa, for Africa—and for the world · Section-by-section interpretive commentary and application · More than 70 special articles dealing with topics of key importance in to ministry in Africa today, but that have global implications · 70 African contributors from both English- and French-speaking countries · Transcends the African context with insights into the biblical text and the Christian faith for readers worldwide
Newly reissued, this remains a rare work on the systems of interpretation and meaning, mythological traditions and realities of the Karanga people in Zimbabwe. The author considers the Karanga's cosmology, as a system of psychological and biological expressions, and in relation to mythological feeling and thinking. Topics covered include: creation myths; mythologies of the symbols of life and death; incest and marriage problems; forbidden sexual intercourse; pregnancy and birth; mythology as experienced reality; the mythology of an image of god; and the mythology of the night. Further cultural sources drawn on are Shona proverbs, which are to some extent included in the work. Throughout the study, the author aims to apply appropriate African, rather than narrowly Western, systems of interpretation and analysis to his material.