Urio, Aaron (1986) The Concept of Memory in the Chagga Life Cycle in Relation to Christian Eucharistic Traditions. Masters thesis, Wartburg Theological Seminary.
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Abstract
Having served as a member of the ELCT in the Eastern Africa Regional and Study Team on doing theology in African Context sponsored by the LWF/DCC (Africa Desk) since 1978, I was prompted to think deeply about the way we do theology in Africa today. There is a dire need for a theology that will shape and give hope to the people as they struggle to find the meaning and relevance of Christianity in their lives. The well-knitted community lifestyle and culture of the Chagga has been in conflict with Christianity since its introduction in Africa. As a result the Chaggas live in a crossroads where Christian faith and culture seem to function as rivals. The Chagga people have always had a tightly-knit community life cycle, and an individual had no identity outside it. Throughout this entire life cycle the Chagga people struggle to keep the community's identity and structure intact by perpetuating the memory of their departed through the performance of certain rituals. This is done because of the belief in the roll of the "living-dead" (those who have died who are still actively remembered) in family and community life here and hereafter. Despite the church's suppression of this tradition it has persisted ever since Christianity came to Kilimanjaro, and it is still a contemporary problem of the church. This thesis intends to probe into this problem from a specific perspective: to show how the Chagga concept of memory in the total life cycle might effectively and creatively be the means for relating Christianity and Chagga culture, and thus provide for the integration of both in their total life. This use of memory to provide an integrating center is possible because the life in God which is made real for Christians in the Lord's Supper through liturgical worship can also bind both the living and the "living-dead" (as the "communion of saints") to rejoice together in the loving and saving care of God.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | The Chagga People Of Kilimanjaro In Tanzania, The Chagga Life Cycle, The Chagga Concept Of Death And Life After Death, The Encounter Of Christian Mission With Chagga Traditional Beliefs: Conflicts, Parallels And Effects On The Church Today, The Act Of Remembrance In Judeo-Christian Tradition, The Concept Of Chagga Afterlife Communal Meals In Relation To The Lord's Supper As Memorial Meal, |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DT Africa |
| Divisions: | Africana Afro-Christiana |
| Depositing User: | JHI Africa |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Apr 2014 05:52 |
| Last Modified: | 12 May 2014 12:47 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/74 |
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