THE CONTEXT

African Christian theology is decidedly contextual, and this contribution on Jesus by an African woman will stay in that mode and reflect the faith of African Christian women in the African context. Jesus Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow requires that each generation declares its faith in relation to its today. It is, therefore, natural that the Christologies African women were fed should reflect the faith of those who brought Christianity to Africa and the African men who did most of the interpretation and transmission. Having heard all this, African women today can announce in their own words the one in whom they have believed.

The intention of this chapter is to survey the language of African Christian women about Jesus and, through that, to build up a profile of the Jesus in their Christianity. We begin with a note on sources, as the expected ‘library study’ of this subject will yield very little that is of the provenance of women. We then sample the oral Christology which is our key source, as most of what is written by African women began as oral contributions to study groups and conferences. The third section is this writer’s assessment of what is being said about Jesus and why.