Ojene, Cornelius
[UCL]
Human suffering has been an enigma which has interested thinkers down the ages. Today in Black Africa, extreme poverty represents such suffering. Although the problem is being addressed from many perspectives, I have decided in this work to seek a theological approach to it. Since the Judeo-Christian Bible teaches that God is the author of life, and that the Gospeel is a good news of the Kingdom of God, how to proclaim such love and such good news to people in extreme poverty is my task. I examined the concepts, solidarity and poverty as the key expressions in my work since I intend to demonstrate that active solidarity with the poorest of the poor is an effective way of fostering the Kingdom of God. Following the classical method of see, judge and act, I investigated into the nature and causes of extreme poverty in the region. I discovered that poor leadership, corruption, conflicts and foreign debt are the main causes of the region's woes. The worst victims of these ills, whom I have called the poorest of the poor' are found among, refugees, the sick especially people living with AIDS and those who are starving. I have then examined some African Traditional Religious beliefs, the Bible and the teaching of the Church as well as some theological writings to see what God thinks about such phenomenon as extreme poverty. I realised that God who is the author of life is also its lover and promoter. He frowns at any thing that threatens human life and indeed invites us to act in solidarity with him to tackle such anti-Kingdom forces. I then turned to some of the methods and principles proposed by Paulo Freire for the liberation and humanisation of the oppressed peoples. Although he wrote initially for his Brazilian readers, his works and propositions have been found to be relevant in addressing the problem of oppression and poverty in Black Africa. His theories of conscientization, dialogue, cultural action and his teaching on charity have been explored and adapted to the Black African context.
Bibliographic reference |
Ojene, Cornelius. Solidarity with the poorest of the poor in Black Africa : theologico-pastoral study as inspired by Paulo Freire's principles. Prom. : Gaziaux, Éric ; Weber, Philippe |
Permanent URL |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/149857 |