Peace and Reconciliation in Africa
A Preliminary Survey of Ecumenical Perspectives and Initiatives
Harold F. Miller
Nairobi, Kenya
July, l993
Forward
The theme of peace and reconciliation has coursed its way through the major deliberations of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) since the inception of the organization. Each of the General Assemblies has touched on this theme, some in greater detail than others.
This paper surveys the trajectory of the peace and reconciliation motif; how it was articulated within the rapidly changing scene in Africa; how it is situated within the changing ecumenical framework; how it has taken form in specific initiatives and, finally, how it is manifested in the public arena.
It is the premise of this paper that religious and social sensibilities in Africa are essentially inclusivist; they seek to account for and include the many dynamics comprising the phenomenon of life. Within the matrix of this inclusivist Africa, three major projects were undertaken over the past century; l.) political independence, 2.) religious formation and 3.) economic modernization. These projects have been undertaken against the backdrop, successively, of colonial hegemony, an east/west ideological hegemony and, since the collapse of communism, a continuing encounter with the hegemony of a fractured ethnicity.
It is against this shifting backdrop that the Christian ecumenical community is called to articulate and incarnate the biblical understanding of peace and reconciliation. After exploring the ecumenical milieu, both continentally and internationally, this paper recounts specific initiatives taken by the AACC at various levels of conflict. Together they have provided opportunity to explore aspects of conflict resolution methodology within the African understanding of inclusion and wholeness.
Church in Africa shares the public domain with the modern African state. Not only must these actors live with each other; separately and together, they must also discern how the continent's cultural and religious heritage informs the current transition, the so-called second liberation of Africa. Their collective discernment and action will, in large measure, determine whether Africa's future will be together or fatally segmented.
About the Author
Harold F. Miller has a long history with Africa. Since 1965 he was served in Africa with many ecumenical organizations, such as the Christian Council of Tanzania, National Christian Council of Kenya and Sudan Council of Churches. In 1981 Miller became the MCC representative for East Africa. Since 1989 he has been serving in a joint assignment with MCC and the All Africa Conference of Churches addressing issues of peace and reconciliation.
