![]() It is, therefore, crucial to note that a Kgosi, as a traditional leader with ultimate authority over his people, carries the burden of preserving those customs and culture to ensure that they are passed on from generation to generation. On the issue of world view, Van der Walt (2001:67) reminds us that, unlike the West that is concerned with the past, present and future, Africans emphasise the past. Conversely, a change in world view can also have a tremendous impact on culture. Any drastic or significant change to traditions, culture or even customs thus has the potential to affect and change the Batswana world view. As such, they are passed on through stories, tales and myths and are, at times, enforced without question. The foundations or cornerstones of that structural order were and still are their traditions, culture and customs, which have always been so entrenched in communities that they form the Batswana worldview. They have always believed that life cannot simply be lived in a vacuum and that there needs to be a structural order. Since those ancient times, Batswana's belief system has governed their everyday life. In matters of importance, a Kgosi, despite his unchallenged authority and power, would consult with his chiefs before making a major decision. According to Samatar (1997:688), in the precolonial era, the ultimate authority of any Batswana settlement was vested in a Kgosi. TRADITIONAL LEADERS - CUSTODIANS OF CULTUREįrom time immemorial, dikgosi have not only been endowed with the responsibility of being rulers, but they were also viewed as mediators, judges and custodians of the traditions, customs and culture of their communities and/or subjects. Do they transform culture from within, in order to give account of Christ's atonement and victory, or do they live in two worlds, afraid to question their own culture in light of Jesus Christ's work?Ģ. In a postcolonial period, it is also important to study the custodians of traditional culture and their understanding of Christianity. ![]() His book Jesus Christus, Seun van God, is ons Versoening, 'n Missionare Christologie (2017) is a new mission paradigm for our present era. He always focuses on Jesus Christ who was crucified for our sins. It is a privilege to know and work with him and to be able to make use of his extensive research. Verster is clear about the unique meaning of Jesus Christ. He conducted an in-depth research in townships and rural villages and always asked the question as to what it means for our daily lives to believe in Jesus Christ. This article is dedicated to Pieter Verster as a missiologist who emphasised Jesus Christ as our atonement (Verster 2017). Trefwoorde: Kultuur, Voorvaders, Kolonisering, Wêreldbeeld ![]() Keywords: Culture, Ancestors, Colonising, Worldview 2:5), the question is: Where does this place traditions, customs and culture? Given the statement "For there is only one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. This is in line with the view expressed by Amanze (2003:43) that many Christians, especially members of the African Independent Churches, live a strange life, with one foot rooted in the African traditional beliefs and the other in Christian beliefs and practices. In some instances, dikgosi 1,as traditional leaders, are still facing a serious conundrum of being a Christian, on the one hand, and a custodian of culture, on the other. Volz (2008:112) concedes that, although European missionaries introduced Batswana to Christianity, they had hardly any control over how early Batswana converts perceived and adapted their teachings. ![]() E-mail: ORCID: Īlthough Christianity was introduced to and embraced by Batswana over two centuries ago, some Batswana still hold dear to their traditions, customs and cultures, which, at times, are not in line with the Word of God. Thebe, Faculty of Theology, Northwest University, South Africa. van der Merwe, Faculty of Theology, Northwest University, South Africa. The Conundrum Facing Christian Traditional Leaders
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