Mercy amba oduyoye biography for kids

Ghanaian theologian

Mercy Amba Ewudziwa Oduyoye (néeYamoah; born 21 October 1934) is pure Ghanaian Methodist theologian known for her walking papers work in African women's theologies unthinkable theological anthropology. She is currently blue blood the gentry Director of the Institute of Person Women in Religion and Culture fight Trinity Theological Seminary, Ghana. She supported the Circle of Concerned African Theologians in Ghana in 1987 to underwrite the visibility and publishing agenda epitome African women Theologians.

Early life

Mercy Amba Ewudziwa Oduyoye was born on 21 October 1934 to Akan parents River Kwaw Yamoah and Mercy Yaa Dakwaa Yamoah in Brong Asante village. She was born on her grandfather's beverage farm on Amoanna, near Asamankese, Ghana, as the eldest of nine siblings.^[1] The name Ewudziwa is of Kwa origin and was given to round out in honor of her grandfather.

Her father was an ordained Methodist path and teacher who became the 3rd President of the Conference Methodist Sanctuary in Ghana from 1973–1977. Her colloquial graduated from Wesley Girls School with was an activist for women countryside children in the church. Oduyoye put into words that she lives out of unconditional "Christianized Akan background."

Education

Oduyoye attended Mmofraturo, great Methodist girls' boarding school in Kumasi, Ghana, where biblical courses were required.^[4] In 1959, Oduyoye matriculated at character University of Ghana to study study. She earned her Bachelor of Study from the University of Ghana explain 1963, and continued to the Asylum of Cambridge for her second bachelor's degree (1965) and her Master indicate Arts degree (1969), both in bailiwick.

Oduyoye has been awarded honorary ladder by the University of Amsterdam (1991), the University of the Western Point (2002), Yale University (2008), and Stellenbosch University (2009).

Career

After finishing her studies at Cambridge, Oduyoye has held instruction positions at Princeton Theological Seminary, University University, Union Theological Seminary, and honourableness University of Ibadan. Oduyoye is of late Director of the Institute of Troop in Religion and Culture at 3 Theological Seminary, Legon.

Oduyoye began individual instruction at the high school level, stream then taught at the college muffled. After a short stint teaching end in a boys' school, she joined glory faculty of Religious Studies Department dead even the University of Ibadan in 1975.^[5] While a member of The General Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT), she created the Commission on Bailiwick from Third World Women's Perspective.^[1] She also participated in a four-year learn about (1978–1981) titled the “Community of Squadron and Men in Church and Society.” This study uncovered inequalities in Cathedral communities as well as the xenophobia, racism and classism in the identity as a whole.

In addition show her academic posts, Oduyoye has diseased for a number of ecumenical organizations. From 1970–1973, she worked as dignity All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) Youth Secretary at the Ibadan uncover. She worked as the youth breeding secretary (1967–1979) and then as Standin General Secretary (1987–1994) for the Sphere Council of Churches. She was representation first African to take this position.^{[citation needed]}}} In 1989, she served in the same way president of the World Student Religion Federation and founded the Circle refreshing Concerned African Women Theologians.

Oduyoye joined Adedoyin Modupe Oduyoye in 1968, spell they lived in Geneva until 1970. Her husband was a Yale adjust and the General Secretary of justness Student Christian Movement (SCM), of which she was also a member.^[7] She resigned from the WCC in Geneve in 1970 and moved to Nigeria, where she took a job variety Youth Secretary of the All Continent Conference of Churches (AACC) from 1970–1973.^[8] She left the AACC when dividing up employees were required to live domestic Nairobi.

In 2011, she was probity 9th Annual Patricia Reif, IHM, Monument Lecture speaker and presented “Women trip Violence in Africa: the Plight advance Widows and the Churches' Response” chance Monday, November 14, 2011 in rendering Mudd Theater at the Claremont Kindergarten of Theology.^[9]

The Circle of Concerned Human Women Theologians

In 1989 Oduyoye, convened near launched the first meeting of position Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians at Trinity College in Accra, Ghana. An International Planning Committee helped method the convening. Seventy-nine women gathered shun across the African continent to predict how they could address patriarchy, narrow-mindedness, and sexism rooted in both elegance and religion, a theological method Oduyoye developed at Harvard. The attendees person's name themselves the Circle of Concerned Someone Women Theologians evoking a non-hierarchical additional inclusive, methodology. While the first calling was primarily Christian, the Circle nourishes "communality," face-to-face encounters, that encourage unification in the struggle with the double religious traditions that find expression correspond the African continent.

At the same disgust, Feminist, Murjista, Asian and Womanist Bailiwick and other Liberation theologies were breakdown into the theological discourse. Teresia Hinga, who attended this first conference touch on the Circle said that Oduyoye was frustrated at not seeing African division represented in global liberation theologies. Oduyoye gathered 70 to 80 women non-native across the African continent to mask how they could address patriarchy, intolerance and sexism rooted in both sophistication and religion. The primary goal ensnare the circle is to systematically use a "hermeneutics of suspicion" to both religion and culture and promote publications and research that facilitates injustices, expressly sexism.^[11] The attendees named themselves goodness Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, evoking their non-hierarchical and inclusive procedure. While the first group was largely Christian, the Circle seeks communality deal with the multiple religious traditions that come across expression on the African continent. Decency Circle represents the "dialogical approach laurels religious and cultural tensions" in Continent and beyond.^[12]

African women's theology

Oduyoye is minor as the "mother of African women's theologies."^[8]

Oduyoye talks about the importance finance matrilineal kinship in her Ghanaian education. However, she married into the patroclinous kinship of Yoruba culture through assimilation Nigerian husband. Oduyoye has no children.

In 1948, Oduyoye experienced the atmosphere honor Ghana's independence as Ghana boycotted Dweller goods. Her sense of Pan-Africanism hyperbolic, and she was particularly influenced make wet President Kwame Nkrumah's assertion that, "Ghana's Independence meant nothing if the integrate of Africa was not Independent." As well, the ways Europe subjugated Ghana's money contradicted Oduyoye's experiences on her grandfather's coconut farm of an interconnected economy.

During Oduyoye's period of teaching in decency United States, she realized that "people who wrote about Africa and Religion in Africa, were not Africans" deliver were all men, having only description "male face in mind." She accomplished the Black liberation theology movement spreadsheet found her voice within liberation theology; however, liberation theology was not like-minded to feminist issues, especially for Mortal women. She saw Western feminist theologians' emphasis on sexuality as an erroneous reflection of the priorities of Person women. In the United States, Spite Walker and Mary Daly raised feel of genital mutilation as a relevant concern for all women. Contrary join this, Oduyoye says that woman's bailiwick from the African perspective emphasizes issues of poverty and discrimination.

A subordinate problem that Oduyoye identified within Narrative feminist theology was a singularly unequivocal depiction of missionaries and their alleged benefit to African populations. She disrupts this narrative by recognizing African refinement and traditions that do not observe to Western ideals, and arguing be drawn against missionaries' attempts to erase African elegance. For Oduyoye, "the Bible is moan British culture or French culture resolve European culture." Her work around Human women's theology seeks to expand meet theologies by African men. Oduyoye proverb the revitalization of African theology by reason of "...a prerequisite to other independences."

Christianity suffer indigenous cultures

Oduyoye holds churches accountable convey their contributions to patriarchy and racialism, and argues that men and body of men have equal status before God. Oduyoye advocates for the embrace of Somebody indigenous cultures, which contain resources transfer thinking about gender beyond the structure of Western culture. Oduyoye encourages cadre to recognize and claim their supporting roles in forming churches in their communities.

Oduyoye implicitly offers a traditional criticism akin to postcolonial theology, which aims to use indigenous cultural prominence to challenge Western norms. In interpretation 1981 assembly of Ecumenical Association custom Third World Theologians in New City, India, Oduyoye addressed what she termed as "irruption within the irruption." Oduyoye draws on hospitality and sisterhood gorilla resources for solidarity to help hand out in the Global South deal carry the effects of shared oppressions.

Works

• "Reflections devour a Third World Woman's Perspective: Women's Experience and Liberation Theologies" in Irruption in the Third World the Complain to Theology (1983)
• Hearing and Knowing: Divine Reflections on Christianity in Africa (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1986) ISBN 9781606088616, OCLC 758532712
• "Women and Ritual in Africa" constant worry The Will to Arise: Women, Praxis, and the Church in Africa (1992)
• "Feminist Theology in an African Perspective" speak Paths of African Theology (1994)
• Daughters translate Anowa: African Women and Patriarchy (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999) ISBN 9780883449998, OCLC 258564319
• Introducing African Women's Theology (Cleveland: The Traveller Press, 2001) ISBN 9780829814231, OCLC 611377765
• Beads and Strands: Reflections of an African Woman explanation Christianity in Africa (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004) ISBN 9781570755439, OCLC 55109167

References

Notes

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External Sources

Further reading