VIRTUOUS LIVING - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

distance. Between the highest and the lowest there are a hierarchy of powersembodied in the social status of the living and the “living-dead” that in a waymediates between God and ordinary persons. The notion of Christ as proto-ancestor ishere quite important (see discussion later), but one could also explore the potential ofa different African notion to explain an enduring relation between God and humanbeings, namely that of the “vital force”.Setiloane, in his booklet, African Theology: An Introduction (1986), explains this“vital force” as a divine connection between human beings and God. “It is God”,Setiloane maintains, “who has force, power in himself, God gives existential power ofsurvival and increase to other forces” (Setiloane 1986:14; cf Mbiti 1969:29-38). Theforce emitted from God extends to all human beings, but Setiloane asserts that it isalso given out from God into animals and even plants. He believes that “the humanbeing is like a live electric wire which is ever exuding force or energy in alldirections” (Setiloane 1986:13). This exuding force - the vital force - is called Seriti –Isithunzi Seriti (Sotho) often translated as “dignity or personality”. Riti is the wordstemfrom which moroti is derived, which means umthunzi (shadow or shade).Concerning this umuthunzi, Setiloane expounds:It is like an aura around the human person, an invisible shadow or cloud ormist forming something like a magnetic or radar field. It gives forth into thetraffic or weltering pool of life in community the uniqueness of each personand each object (Setiloane 1986:13).There are claims that the vital force is everywhere. Though its seat is perceived to beinside the individual, it extends beyond the physical body. Kagame of Rwanda makesa distinction between the human power/vital force and that of animals. This is adeparture from Setiloane’s view. The human power which Setiloane calls Umthunzi(Sotho) is here called Igicucu (Kinyarwanda). For Kagame, these two agree insofar asthey refer to the physical appearance, such as occupying space which animals sharewith human beings. However, Kagame uses another term – amagara, which refers tothe “principle of intelligence”. In his convincing argument, Kagame makes it clearthat amagara carries further qualities such as the “ability to reflect, compare andinvent, which is only unique to human beings” (see Masolo 1994:88-89). Therefore,we can reasonably conclude that umtunzi may refer to umuntu, as the human physical303