The Problem of Evil in African Thinking: Ancestral practices and Christian beliefs

310 Pages·2016·1.13 MB·English

by  Bonketshi Wabi K.

PROTESTANT THEOLOGICAL FACULTY OF
YAOUNDE

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
IN AFRICAN THINKING

(The case of the Ekonda: “Bobé”)
Ancestral practices and Christian beliefs
THESIS
Presented to qualify for the degree of
DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY
KEELA BONKETSHI WABI
Holder of diploma in Advanced Theological Studies (DETA)

President: Dr. Samuel CHIMBOW,
Professor at the University of Yaounde and Associate
Director of Teaching
Director at the Ministry of Higher Education of Cameroon at
Yaounde

Director: Dr. Michael BAME BAME
Dean of the F.T.P.Y. and Professor of Dogma

Co-Director: Dr. Abbey Barthélémy NYOM
Rector of the Catholic University of Central Africa
Catholic Institute of Yaounde

Member: Dr. Philip NOSS
Professor of Semantics at F.T.P.Y.

Thesis No. 4 Yaounde,
September 1992
iii
FOREWARD – ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We give thanks to God, the all-powerful, who has
allowed us to arrive at the end of our studies at the Protestant
Theological Faculty of Yaounde, (FTPY).
As we arrive at the end of this work we cannot hide the
expression of our gratitude to all those who, during our
research, have influenced our stay in Cameroon, and who have
made possible the realization of our project.
We are thinking particularly of Rev. Jurgen R. Kanz,
Executive Secretary for French speaking Africa, and through
him the United Evangelical Mission, Vereinigte Evangelische
Mission (VEM), the organization that financially supported our
studies at Yaounde, where we have spent six years of our
training.
We remain particularly grateful to Professor Dr. Michael
BAME BAME, Dean of the Protestant Theological Faculty of
Yaounde, who was the first to help us appreciate this issue and
the necessity of a work of this importance on the problem of
evil: the initiator who was willing to direct this modest work
and agreed to accompany us from the beginning clear up to the
end. His availability, his diligence in spite of his many duties,
are to us an example of the life in the ministry of Christ. May
he find here the expression of our profound gratitude for the
valuable suggestions and pertinent remarks regarding this
work. Through him we give our thanks to all the professors,
the staff and their families, for the praiseworthy efforts of one
and all who have made us into what we have become today.
All our gratitude also goes to Abbey Barthélémy Nyom,
Rector of the Catholic University of Central Africa, Catholic
Institute of Yaounde, who agreed to be co-director of this
work. For his advice, encouragement and suggestions, for
making available to us his knowledge of African religions, and
his involvement in the realization of this work.
iv
May Professor Dr. Philip Noes find here our profound
gratitude. He willingly agreed to read this, in spite of the time
required of him to be one of our jury members.
We give our thanks to Professor Dr. Sammy Chumbow,
Associate Director for higher education of the Ministry of
Higher Education of Cameroon at Yaounde, who is the
president of the jury. His thoughtfulness was very helpful. We
give him our sincere thanks.
Many friends helped us at decisive stages of this
research. We thank Professor Dr. Marc Spindler, who agreed
to admit us to the Interuniversity Institute of Research in
Mission and Ecumenism (IMO) at Leiden, and gave additional
financial support. His suggestions and encouragement were
very valuable.
We also think of Dr. Tshys Van Den Audenarde, Director
of the Royal Museum of Central Africa (MRAC) in Tervuren,
who gave us access to the library to help in our research.
Our thanks also go to Professor Dr. Ngoy Boliya,
Professor Dr. Samuel Motsibo and Professor Dr. Jacques
Ngally, who gave their technical and morel support; we are
very grateful to them.
We sincerely thank the defunct Dr. Elonda Efefe, General
Secretary and President of the Community of Disciples of
Christ in Zaire, and the community itself, for the
recommendation to continue our theological action in
Cameroon. May Bishop Bokeleale Bokambanza, National
President of the Church of Christ in Zaire, receive our deep
gratitude.
Our dear wife and children have patiently supported our
absences and unavailability linked to this research. We are
very grateful to them.
Finally, we think of all those, near and far, who have
agreed to read these manuscripts, and who have permitted us to
have this document in its final form. We owe them infinite
gratitude.
v
May the God of our ancesters, the Savior of all mankind,
come to the aid of all those who suffer from all kinds of bad
things in this world in general, and in Africa in particular.
vi
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMNS
1. Bible
Our Biblical citations are taken from the Ecumenical
Translation of the Bible (TOB) from which we have
borrowed the names of the Biblical books.
2. General
ARSMP Royal Academy of Moral and Political
Sciences
ARSC Royal Academy of Colonial Sciences
Art. Article
A.T. Old Testament
C.D. Culture and Development
C.D.C.Z. Community of Disciples of Christ in
Zaire
CEDIC Center of Studies of Documentation,
Colonial Information
C.E.E.B.A. Center of Ethnological Studies of
Bandundu
CEP Center of Pastoral Studies
CEPSI Center of Studies of Indigenous Social
Problems
Cf See at
CI Indigenous Circonscription
CIL Linguistic Study Notebooks
Coll.““‘“ Collection or Seminar
C.Q.F.D. What it showed
CVA« « Agricultural Extension Center
DCCM Disciples of Christ Congo Mission
vii
DETA Diploma of Advanced Theological
Studies
DTA Dictionary of Catholic Theology
ECZ Church of Christ in Zaire
Ed. Edition, editor
EM Church and Mission
et alii and others
Fac-sim Facsimile, something similar
FBI Fund for Native Welfare
FTPZ Protestant Theological Faculty in Zaire
GM Missionary Group
Ibid. In the same place
IIMO International Institute of Research of
Ecumenism and Mission
IRES Institute of Economic and Social
Research
HG Gustave Hulstaert
L & V Lumen Vitac
Mgr. Monseigneur (Bishop)
mcim Missionary of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary
MSC Missionary of the Sacred Heart
NT New Testament
ONRD National Office of Research and
Development
Op.cit. Work cited
OUP Oxford University Press
P.A. African Presence
P.M. Word and Mission
p. pp. Page(s)
viii
P.U.F University Press of France
P.U.Z. University Press of Zaire
R.P. Reverend Father
s.n. Without the name of the editor, or location of
reference
ss and following
sing. singular
TOB Ecumenical translation of the Bible
Trad Translated, translation
ULB Free University of Brussels
VEM German Evangelical Mission
v. vv. verse(s)
VGD Daniel Vangroenweghe
VHJ Jules Van Houtte

3. PUBLICATIONS
B.T.A. Bulletin of African Theology
B.V.C. Bible and Christian Life
CEA Notebooks of African Studies
CES Economic and Social Notebooks (IRES,
University campus of Kinshasa)
CPA Philosophy Notebooks (University campus of
Lubumbashi)
CRA Notebooks of African Religion
DC Catholic Document
DIA Document and African Information
DIP Protestant Documentation and Information
EHA Studies of African History
JME Journal of Evangelical Missions
NRSM New Review of Mission Science
NRT New Theological Review
R.C.A. Review of African Clergy
1
PRELIMINARY NOTES
ABOUT EKONDA SPELLING

1. LISST OF VOWELS
∈ ⊃
e i a o u
Vowels are long or short, but their duration is rarely
distinctive, because they are usually short, and the long
vowels generally represent a sequence of two vowels by
1
contraction or by elision. We do not note the length of
∈
vowels. The vowel is pronounced as in get or met.
⊃
The vowel is pronounced as in the words shock or hot.
2. LIST OF CONSONANTS
There are bilabial, alveolar, palatal, velar laryngeal
and occlusive.
Unvoiced p, t, k
Voiced b, d, g
Nasal m, n, ny
Fricative f, s
Voiced j (dz)
The semi-vowels w, y (j)
a) d is pronounced and written as d before a nasal,
and l in other cases.
b) h is written as s (probably a dialectic
particularity)
c) ts is pronounced ts before i or e, and tç in other
cases.

1
G.Hulstart, French-Lomongo Dictionary, Vol. I, (A-J)
A.M.R.C.B., Terveuren, Belgium, 1957, introductory pages.
2

3. TONES
The Lokonda language is written with an acute
accent to indicate a high tone, and no mark to indicate a low
tone.
∨
indicates a rising tone.
∧
indicates a falling tone.
Note that the Lokonda language has only been used
2
in one publication or study. This grammatical description was
written without marking tones. But N. Van Everbroeck has
3
rewritten it.
Father H. Rombauts has written an article
4
concerning the tones of Lokonda. There is no published
Lokonda dictionary. But since the Lokonda language is a
dialect of Lonkundo, the French-Lonkundo dictionary of
Father G. Hulstaert was of inestimable interest to us for the
transcription of preliminary notes about the writing of
Lokonda, (cf. our accent as a native Ekonda).

2
Cf. J. DeBOECK “Spraakkunst van het Lokonda” in
Aequatoria, XI, 1939, pp. 99-106.
3
Cf. N. Von Everbroeck, Schest van Spraakkunst van het
Lokonda, 19
pp. manuscript: cited by D. VANGROENENWEGHE,
Bobongo la grande fête des Ekonda, Dietrich Reimer, Veerlag,
Berlin, 1988, p. 291, note 5
4
Cf. Father H. ROMBAUTS, Tonétique du Lokonda-Kongo-
Oversee, XX, 4-5, 1954, pp.
376-390; cf. D. VANGROENWEGHE, Ibid. p. 291.
3

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1. PROBLEM

We propose to present to the public our theological doctoral thesis
with the title “The Problem of Evil in African Thinking (the case of the Ekonda
“bobe”). Ancestral Practices and Christian Beliefs.
The present study is the result of our research in African Religion5 and
is the central point of traditional African morality. For it examines the behavior of
the neophyte who finds himself between the beliefs of Christianity and ancesstral
practices. We know that in practice many believers allow themselves to be drawn to
practices considered good and obligatory by so called traditional religion, while
knowing that these practices are seen as immoral or sinful by the Christian religion.
That’s why we say that all evangelization and all practice of faith in Africa which
does not aim for the formation of communities of the unfortunate whose crisis is
shown in various ways among Christians through what can be called today
“religious concubinage”6 where the African forms a link and
5We use the term African Religion in the singular to indicate, on SCHMIDTone
hand, that African Religion is monotheistic. And on the other hand, the fundamental
structures of African Religion are basically the same everywhere in black Africa, and
particularly among the Bantu – in spite of the plurality of expressions. That explains the
overarching Bantu concept of God, where the name “NYAMBE” is known in several
African societies. Numerous studies like that of FASSMAN (1907), G HULSTAERT
(1926), SCHMIDT (1933), WILLIAMS (a936-37) and many others show that different
names are given to the Supreme Being by African people. There are variations of the name
NYAMBE known from Douala in Cameroon to Gabon, with variations like Aniembe,
Nsambli or Nzambi of Congo, Nzambi of the Bakongo of Zaire, Onyamb of Ghanean tribes,
and other tribes noted by SMITH in his work, African Ideas of God (1950: 159), Nyambi
and Nyampi in the Easters Coast, Nylambi of the Zulu. Mungu with the Swahili, Nyinyi
with the Bamoun of Caameroon, and Njakomba and Mbomb’Ibanda with the Ekonda and
Mongo. This concept of one God was well known before the arrival of white missionaries
6Cf. J. M. ELA Voici le temps des héritiers, Editions of Karthala, Paris 1982, p. 192.