Tamagni, Danielle. Gentlemen of Bacongo. London: Trolley Books, 2009.

The arrival of the French and Belgians to the Congo, at the beginning of the 20th Century, brought along the myth of Parisian elegance among the Congolese youth working for the colonialists. In 1922, G. A. Matsoua was the first-ever Congolese to return from Paris fully clad as an authentic French gentleman, which caused great uproar and much admiration amongst his fellow countrymen. He was the first Grand Sapeur. The Sapeurs today belong to Le SAPE(Societe des Smbianceurs et des PErsonnes Elegantes) - one of the world’s most exclusive clubs. Members have their own code of honour, codes of professional conduct and strict notions of morality. It is a world within a world within a city. Respected and admired in their communities, today’s sapeurs see themselves as artists. Each one has his own repertoire of gestures that distinguishes him from the others. They are also after their own great dream: to travel to Paris and return to Bacongo as lords of elegance. Designer brands of suit and accessories are of the utmost importance to Sapeurs - Pierre Cardin, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Fendi, Gaultier, Gucci, Issy Miyake, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Yohji Yamamoto - are their patron saints.

[Source: Amazon.com].

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Joram Tarusarira

Assistant Professor of Religion,  University of Groningen in the  Netherlands

Contact:

j.tarusarira@rug.nl

Tarusarira, Joram, Chitando, Ezra, 2017. “The Deployment of a ‘Sacred Song’ in Violence in Zimbabwe: The Case of the Song ‘Zimbabwe Ndeye Ropa Ramadzibaba’ (Zimbabwe was/is Born of the Blood of the Fathers/Ancestors) in Zimbabwean Politics”. Journal for the study of religion, 2017-01-01, Vol.30 (1), p.5-25; KwaZulu-Natal: Association for the Study of Religion in Southern Africa

The dominant narrative in the study of religion in Africa is that African indigenous religions are non-violent, peaceful and seek to promote healing and integration. In this paradigm, it is militant missionary religions such as Islam and Christianity that promote violence. Such an approach misses the key learning that no religion is violent in and of itself: only the determination of individuals and groups acting in the name of a particular religion is relevant as to whether/the extent to which a religion can be appropriated and deployed to perpetrate violence. This article explores the deployment of a song, ‘Zimbabwe Ndeye Ropa Ramadzibaba’ to justify ‘sacred violence’ to ‘defend Zimbabwe against witches/enemies’. The central research question is: How is the song, ‘Zimbabwe Ndeye Ropa…’ appropriated and deployed to sacralise violence in Zimbabwean politics? The article describes the song and analyses some of the contexts in which the song has been strategically performed. The study seeks to underscore the manipulation of indigenous spirituality in justifying violence. Theoretically, the study challenges the naïve claims that indigenous religions are ‘pure and upright’ in relation to violence.

(Source: Abstract).

Tarusarira, Joram. “African Religion, Climate Change, and Knowledge Systems”. The Ecumenical review, Vol.69 (3), (2017); 398-410; Geneva: World Council of Churches

This article argues that as humanity is now changing the composition of the atmosphere at a rate that is very exceptional on the geological time scale, resulting in global warming, humans must deal with climate change holistically, including the often-overlooked religion factor. Human-caused climate change has resulted primarily from changes in the amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but also from changes in small particles (aerosols), as well as from changes in land use. In Africa, the entire relationship between humans and nature, including activities such as land use, has deep religious and spiritual underpinnings. In general, religion is central to many of the decisions people make about their own communities’ development. Hence, this contribution examines religion as a factor that can be tapped into to mitigate negative effects of climate change, discussing climate change and religion in the context of development practice. It argues that some of the difficulties encountered in development, including efforts to reverse global warming in Africa, directly speak to the relegation of African cosmovision and conversely of the need to adopt new epistemologies, concepts, and models that take religion into consideration.

(Source: Article abstract).

Aime Raoul Sumo Tayo

Professor, International Politics, Security Studies, Conflict Analysis, and Conflict Resolution

University of Lausanne

Phone: +237  675584007

Alexie Tcheuyap

Literary Scholar (Postcolonial Visual and Textual Representation)/Professor, Francophone Literature and Cinema, University of Toronto

alexie.tcheuyap@utoronto.ca

416.926.1300 ext: 3279

stmikes.utoronto.ca/about-us/contact-us/directory/alexie-tcheuyap

‍provost.utoronto.ca/profile/alexie-tcheuyap/

Tcheuyap, Alexie. De l’écrit à l’écran. [From Writing to the Screen] Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa Press / Les Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa, 2004. https://doi.org/10.14375/np.9782760305809.

De l’écrit à l’écran is the first book that focuses on the question of cinematic rewriting of the French-speaking African novel. It shows the creativity of the cinematic text compared to the literary one. It formulates innovating conclusions compared to purely speculative, thematic or ideologic questions on “adaptation”, an act of recreation and rewriting whose mechanisms go beyond African cinemas.

[Source: OAPEN, adapted and translated from French].

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Guy Tchuente

Assistant Professor, Purdue University

Email: guytchuente@gmail.com

Webpage: sites.google.com/site/guytchuente

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