Project completed in 2006: Africanization of Old Testament studies in three Eastern African research institutions

  • Responsible: Knut Holter (Project Director).
  • Funding: NUFU: The Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education.
  • Project description: The project, which went on from August 2002 to August 2006, was a sandwich project between the School of Mission and Theology (Norway), Makerere University (Uganda), Makumira University College (Tanzania), Lutheran Graduate School of Theology (Madagascar), and University of South Africa (South Africa). The main goal of the project was to contribute to an Africanization of biblical studies in three Eastern African research institutions: (a) Staff development: The project trained African researchers for senior positions in three Eastern African research institutions. The training will be organized as three PhD projects. (b) Scholarly approaches: A primary aim of the project was to develop PhD theses that related biblical studies to the hermeneutical concerns of the African context (the project's major perspective). A secondary aim was to analyze critically the presuppositions and potentialities of the concept of an Africanization of biblical studies (the project's meta-perspective).  The project was completed in 2006 with the graduation of the three PhD students and a publishing of an essay collection (cf. below).
  • Participants: PhD-students: Rev Lechion Peter Kimilike (Tanzania), Fr Philip Lokel (Uganda) and Rev Georges Razafindrakoto (Madagascar). Promoters: Prof Willie van Heerden (South Africa), Prof Madipoane Masenya (South Africa), Prof Magdel LeRoux (South Africa), Prof Knut Holter (Norway).
  • Publishing: The project was completed with a publishing of thirteen essays - written by the three PhD students and the four promoters - based on the research of the project. The essay collection was given a double publishing; first as a section of the South African academic journal Old Testament Essays: vol. 19, no. 2, 2006, pp. 377-557 (for the global guild of Old Testament scholars), and then as a separate volume: Knut Holter (ed.), Let my people stay! Researching the Old Testament in Africa. Nairobi: Acton, 2006 (for the Eastern African market of lecturers and students).