One cannot have a better grasp of the realities that define the Great Lakes region of East Africa without engaging Emmanuel Katongole. In this book, The Journey of Reconciliation: Groaning for a New Creation in Africa, the author offers an epiphanic description of reconciliation that goes beyond words. Rather, he appropriates the transformative pedagogy of storytelling to articulate a different course for Africa. By shedding light on the stories of hope defining the lives of some African Christians who choose to embrace peace and work toward an end to the many wars in the continent, the author articulates a systematic approach to reconciliation and healing relevant to the continent.
Storytelling, when done properly, has a way of feeding the imagination. A healthy imagination can bring life and hope to situations where others may see death and hopelessness. Africa is in need of healthy imaginations. Africa is in need of hearing stories of life. The author has shown that Africa does have such stories. This work sheds light on how such stories are being told, even though, for now, the storytellers may be few. Reconciliation, even when it is carried out among two persons, has the effect of transforming society. These stories are at the heart of this work. The stories of forgiveness told through the works and actions of a bishop, or a mother, speak to the transformative power of reconciliation found in Christianity. Thus, though Christianity may speak to the holiness of an individual, it definitely has a claim to make in the public sphere.
The epiphanic description of reconciliation in this work intentionally shows a link between reconciliation and hope; one that can guide Africa's children toward a new era of peace. “Reconciliation,” the author writes, “is not an event, but a journey, which is experienced as liberating, but also agonizing, and quite often frustrating” (10). It is on this note that this work sheds light on the insufficiencies found in some of the peace and reconciliation commissions that have defined efforts at achieving peace in some of the war-torn regions of Africa. The sources from which these commissions derive their legitimacy need to be critiqued. Africa's nation-state apparatuses are still laden with vestiges of colonial systems that promote endemic memories of loss and hate. However, this work seeks to salvage the positive elements of contemporary African politics as the continent embraces its place in contemporary global politics.
Drawing on the synodal document, Africae Munus, this book explores five theses on reconciliation as the framework for peace-building in Africa. The author reminds his readers of the essential nature of reconciliation as a gift; one that must be worked for with an honest resolve while embracing one's shortcomings and resisting the temptation to seek out simplistic solutions.
The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 provides a theo-political analysis of the gift of reconciliation. Part 2 sheds light on the contours of a Christian identity. Here, the author demonstrates the political nature of Christian identity and its relevance in addressing Africa's need for reconciliation. Part 3 tells the stories of some African Christians whose social, political, and religious activism embody the new vision of reconciliation that can help lead the continent to a new dawn of hope after such a long night of trauma.
Finally, this work ought to be a necessary read for anyone interested in peace-building from the locus of the Christian faith. It ought to be a vade mecum of students of Africa both in the Global North and South. Katongole has shown that a systematic analysis and theological framework is possible in addressing the contemporary issues defining Africa.
