African Hermeneutics: The Current State - Theology In Africa

somewhat misleading since this method is in fact the oldest form of exegetical
approach on the continent. The acceptance of ‘ordinary’ interpreters of the
Bible as an inclusive aspect of scholarship, is a recent development of Biblical
studies in Africa, hence the ‘neo’ prefix. This term is one that Prof. West made
popular: “Emerging work in the interface between orality and literacy and my
own preliminary analysis of neo-indigenous forms of biblical interpretation have
yielded a finer, though still tentative, account of what might be called a “neo-
traditional” hermeneutic” (n.d.:10).
The extent to which ‘ordinary’ readers are accepted as aspectual of scholarship
is not clear (West n.d.:4). They would, for example, not be invited to speak at
conferences or participate in theological debating. Their acceptance does,
therefore, not interface with the ‘formalities’ of established scholarship. The role
of ‘ordinary’ scholarship functions more on an ‘informant’ level. Daniel Smith-
Christopher delineates an area where ‘ordinary’ readers can contribute to
biblical hermeneutics within the capacity of ‘informants’. He notes that liberation
theologians, for example, “have long talked about an ‘exegesis of the poor’”
(Ibid.). He then comments that what liberation theologians “normally mean to
suggest (by this phrase) is that the poor have a unique insight into the Bible ...
because their socio-economic circumstances are in some ways similar to the
circumstances of those who drafted the Bible, or those spoken about in large
sections of the Bible” (Ibid, Emphasis Added). The ordinary reader of Scripture
has very often outdone their learned counterparts with respect to praxis leading
from exegesis and as a result, Africa’s ‘learned’ community soon realised the
intrinsic value for these expositors. The dividing line between neo-traditionalism
and formal scholarship is very fine in Prof. West’s assessment, but Dr. Mbiti’s
assessment is much clearer. He identifies three categories of theology in
Africa; written, oral and symbolic (1986:46-7). Written theology is limited to
those with formal education, whereas oral and symbolic theology is practised by
the African majority. Dr. Mbiti’s comments are very helpful for the purpose of
this discussion since it provides an adequate platform for showing why neo-
traditional hermeneutics is conducive to the African context.
As discussed previously, African hermeneutics functions within a framework of
‘Afro-centricism’, which refers to the understanding that African exegesis is not
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